Hardcastle and McCormick

Hardcastle And Mcormick is of the forgotten shows of the 80's, and while The A Team, Knight Rider and Airwolf are more remembered Hardcastle and Mcormick had it all great story lines, two great leading characters, a awesome car and a catchy theme tune. I'ts the story of a retired judge who teams up with ex con to go after the criminals who got away when he was a judge, its a typical 80's style action series that I enjoyed and grew up with. Along with the actors though the car was definitely the star of the show, OK maybe it didn't talk like kitt but the red coyote was one hot car. I would really like to see one of the TV channels repeat this great show as most other 80's shows have been constantly repeated.

This show pretty much was an update on classic legends like the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid with a little bit of Dirty Harry thrown in. This also came out at a time when shows like "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Knight Rider", which featured good looking young men with fast cars were all the rage. Brian Keith pretty much buried his old character of "Uncle Bill" with his wild characterization of Milton Hardcastle. He made this show fun to watch and it was one of those shows from the mind of Stephen J. Cannell that had lots of action but really didn't take itself too seriously. Also, Daniel Hugh Kelly provided enough beefcake to keep the ladies interested. This was definitely one of the wildest shows of the 1980's.

I liked this show too when I was younger. I would go over to my grandma's and watch it all the time when it was on TV on the nights it was on. I liked the judge, the one abiding by the law even after he retired, Mc Cormick breaking the law to get the job done. I think the episode I liked the best was the first 2 when his friend built the Coyote, which I found out later was a Porsche 917, which on the racing circuit is an awesome car, and his friend's daughter wanted it back, so he went to the warehouse and stole it back. Then after he stole it, he ran from the cops and jumped the fence, which was some major air. They had it on Family Channel back in 1996, but didn't run for long, but I got excited and watched it anyway when it was on. That show was bad. Out of the Dukes and Knight Rider and this show, they all had their unique characteristics, like this show had the action of the cops chasing after Mc Cormick if he broke his probation like the time he got sent to Nevada, and had to be back in L.A. to meet his P.O. I give this show a 10, and wish it was on again. I loved it!

I loved the series, even with the continuity problems, when it first aired and my opinion hadn't changed over the years. When VEI released the first season in Canada, I was overjoyed. I highly recommend this series and the DVD set to any and all fans of relationship series. Although HARDCASTLE & McCORMICK is a typical Cannell production with car chases galore, at the heart the theme of the series was friendship, that between Milton Hardcastle and Mark McCormick. It was where the series was heading when it was cruelly cancelled, despite being more than high enough in the ratings to be renewed. It has truly aged well and can be enjoyed again and again.

Along the same lines of wacky 80s shows like A-team and Dukes of Hazard, this was one of the funnest (albeit not very realistic) shows of the decade! Comedy and action ensue as retired Judge Hardcastle (Brian Keith) and semi-retired convict Mccormick (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) solve cases in the same buddy style as 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon. This show is great for both kids and adults; there is some violence, but it is unrealistic violence, such as car explosions. I don't think anyone ever gets shot or killed. They just don't make great shows like this anymore!