Comment on the 30th Anniversary of "CHiPs"

raysond

In nearly every episode of the action-adventure series(or for that manner nearly every episode from the first season) "CHiPs",a Volkswagen beetle the color of a blood orange putters somewhere in the background,riding down the highway or parked in an illicit chop shop. An odd thing to notice and it could have been any car. But perhaps this was the show to watch since this was part crime drama with part action adventure basis thrown in for good measure,thus becoming one of the best loved if underrated cop shows that came out of the mid-1970's and ended in the early 1980's. The featherweight motorcycle-cop series which ran for six seasons on NBC-TV and producing 139 episodes from the astounding pilot episode on September 15, 1977 and ending its run on May 1,1983 under the series executive producer and creator Rick Rosner(who would later on resurrect William Shatner back to television for the crime action series "T.J. Hooker"). "CHiPs" however gave television one of its most popular Latino action heroes(Erik Estrada). And get this: even worse shows than "CHiPs" have been saved by lesser forces than the cut of Erik Estrada's uniform or the swagger behind his smile. Mr. Estrada's portrayal as Officer Poncherello(better known as Ponch) was the crucial ingredient to the show and the results paid off.

The show itself was a genial enough combination of "Adam-12","Emergency!",and "Starsky and Hutch" and not to mention some of the guest stars that appeared on the show each week..one of them was Phyllis Diller. The light action series,laced with some heavy duty adventure and combustional crime action followed the adventures,both on and off the road of two Kawaski-riding officers of the California Highway Patrol. However it may have plenty of action and adventure and not just because there was some scenes involving gunplay and explosions not to mention horrific car chases and crashes involving people in constant peril where rescues had to be performed not to mention going after the bad guys who were in the midst of breaking the law. Essentially the show when not fixating on chrome or skidding cars,tagged along with Ponch and his partner as they snaked through freeway traffic and youthful bachelorhood,handing out tickets,busting low-stakes criminals and flirting with the hottest babes in Los Angeles. Playing Hutch to Mr. Estrada's Starsky was Larry Wilcox who was the blander Officer Jon Baker. Their superior officer of command and head honco of the CHiPs unit was played by Robert Pine. During the six seasons that this show was on the air,only Robert Pine and Erik Estrada remained throughout the show's entire run. Larry Wilcox left the show after the fifth season and was replaced by another actor during the series' final season. However,in some of the episodes-and no small part of the show's comfort appeal to its audience(which were younger teenage boys who worship the show)and this is which the majority of every episode that is so throughly typical,one suspects the car in peculiar would be an ingredient in the strict recipe-would have the partners on the lookout for a suspected car thief,or a purse-snatching tow truck driver preying on stranded female motorists. In one oddball episode a menacing mud-throwing lunatic causes no end of roadside(which would be today's version of uncontrollable road rage against motorists on the highway)drama. Another episode dealt with a sadistic lunatic who takes a family hostage through a chase on the freeway. And those were the serious crimes. The series,especially early on,pushed the slapstick button pretty frequently:Ponch meets up with a spilled truckload of glue or a leaking canister of nitrous oxide. The rest of it dealt with both Jon and Ponch going after the looneys who cause chaos on the highways and freeways of greater Los Angeles. The results kept the show in the top ten of the Nielsens during its run.

score /10

raysond 4 August 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1705909/