TV to Watch

Nash (Don Johnson) is a smart-alecky police inspector, who's seen fighting crime on the streets of San Francisco, California, while driving around in his screaming yellow 1970ish Plymouth Hemi Barracuda. He's the typical super-cop on the beat, who always wins in the end. Unfortunately, his personal relationships leave much to be desired. He has two ex-wives, a sixteen-year-old daughter needing a lot of supervision, and a father with Alzheimer's disease who keeps getting kicked out of retirement homes and dropping by to visit.

Lt. Theo Kojak is the main character in this popular television police drama. Kojak is a tough cop, but his trademark is a fondness for lollipops. Despite his difficult work, he tirelessly brings criminals to justice while staying upbeat and good-natured.

Cases, based on real FBI files, were handled by Inspector Lewis Erskine and several coworkers over the years. Erskine reported to Arthur Ward, assistant to the director of the FBI.

Television series about a wealthy mystery man who runs a detective agency via a speakerphone and his personal assistant, John Bosley. His detectives are three beautiful women, who end up in a variety of difficult situations. The cast changed substantially over the life of this show, as actresses left for various movie, television, and modelling deals.

Harry Orwell is a world-weary private investigator who was forced to leave the San Diego Police Department after a bullet became lodged near his spine. He lives on the beach, and when he's not working on cases he spends his time fixing up his boat, "The Answer." Harry O is unusual in that he doesn't own a flashy car in which to conduct high-speed chases, preferring to ride the bus.

Considered one of the most violent television series of its era, this show followed the adventures of Los Angeles, California private investigator Joe Mannix, who first worked for a detective agency known as Intertect, which relied heavily on computers and a large network of operatives. In the second season, Mannix opened his own agency, with police widow Peggy Fair working for him as his secretary. Each episode featured plenty of fistfights, car chases, and shoot-outs.

Ironside is confined to a wheel chair (an attempted assassination left him paralyzed). With his former assistants Brown and Whitfield (later Belding) and former delinquent (and later lawyer) Mark, he combats crime for the San Francisco police from his mobile office (a van) while leaving a pot of chili cooking back at headquarters.

Frank and Joe Hardy were the teenage sons of world-renowned private investigator Fenton Hardy. Snooping must have been in the Hardy blood, since Frank and Joe were always stumbling across mysterious goings-on, usually of the non-violent kind. Kidnapping, smuggling, robbery, missing persons and haunted houses were the norm in the Hardy hometown of Bayport, although their adventures often took the boys to other cities or even countries. Frank was the sensible, older brother, while Joe was impulsive and a budding pop singer. Gertrude was Frank & Joe's sometimes nagging aunt, Callie was Frank's cute girlfriend and Harry a government agent the Hardy boys occasionally worked with.

This series features the missions of the fictional W.C.P.D.'s Special Weapons and Tactics team. They are a team of highly trained and heavily armed police officers who's purpose is to make coordinated assaults on armed and dangerous criminals in sensitive situations and defensible locations.

The weekly adventures of Frank Cannon, an overweight, balding ex-cop with a deep voice and expensive tastes in culinary pleasures, who becomes a high-priced private investigator. Since Cannon's girth didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles (although there were many), the series substituted car chases and high production values in their place.

Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) was a self-made millionaire, the C.E.O. of Hart Industries, a global conglomerate. His gorgeous wife Jennifer (Stefanie Powers) was a freelance journalist. They were both amateur sleuths, and in every episode found themselves up to their eyeballs in murder, smuggling, theft, and international espionage. They also managed to find time to snuggle together, as they loved each other very much. Max (Lionel Stander) was their loyal, gravelly-voiced butler, cook, and chauffeur, and Freeway their pet canine.

Robert McCall is "The Equalizer", a private detective with a lot of contacts who is available for hire if you have a problem that you don't know how to solve. His no-nonsense attitude, compassion, and experience with dealing with a wide variety of situations makes him a powerful and useful detective.

In television's first prime-time series starring a female private eye, Honey West would take on any tough case. She could handle herself mingling with millionaires just as well as scaling a 30-foot wall. Along with colleague Sam Bolt, Honey West was sure to solve the case.

Classic anthology series, which details the personal lives of the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The stories ranged from highly dramatic to extremely funny. Even though there weren't any real regulars, Don Meredith and Tony LoBianco were often seen throughout the run of the show as detectives Bert Jameson and Tony Calabrese respectively.

Filmed in a film noir atmosphere and featuring Henry Mancini music that could tell you the action with your eyes closed, Peter Gunn worked in style. Known as Pete to his friends and simply as Gunn to his enemies, he did his job in a calm cool way. He got his tips and cautions from Lieutenant Jacoby, a coffee drinking pal from the police. Also providing tips was "Mother" of her self-titled nightclub. Working at the nightclub as a singer was Edie Hart, his girlfriend.

Young people in trouble with the law (wealthy Pete stole a car; Linc arrested during Watts riots; Julie ran away from her San Francisco prostitute mother) can avoid jail by infiltrating the counter culture and exposing badguys who prey on other kids.

Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer were the wisecracking, womanizing private detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. Stu and Jeff worked out of an office located at 77 Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California, right next door to a snazzy restaurant where Kookie worked as a valet. The finger-snapping, slang-talking Kookie occasionally helped Stu and Jeff with their cases, and eventually became a full-fledged member of the detective agency. Rex Randolph and J.R. Hale also joined the firm, and Suzanne was their leggy secretary.

Sam McCloud is a marshal from Taos, New Mexico, who takes a temporary assignment in the New York City Police Department. His keen sense of detail and detecting subtle clues, learned from his experience, enable him to nab unsuspecting criminals despite his unbelieving boss.