Riptide

I was around 13 or 14 when this series came out and it had a huge influence on me. I just loved it. It was and will always remain my favorite all time TV series. Joe Penny, Perry King and Thom Bray were just superb and I have always followed there acting careers(well Thom did not do too much acting after this series). This show had great entertainment value and there was never a dull episode. My biggest gripe was that it was only on for three seasons, but it was 3 great seasons. I am glad this show is coming out on DVD, it will really bring back some great memories for me. Who knows maybe one day a reunion show may happen(fingers crossed).

Sure, there was Magnum PI, the A-Team, Remington Steele and Simon & Simon, but to get your PI fix you had to get with Riptide. No show during the PI era captured our imagination and entertained our wit better than Riptide. You know all those personal slave robots we were promised way back in the 1980's? It's here on Riptide. Ever wanted to be a freelance PI living on a yacht, driving a convertible vette', scoring with the Cali beach chicks and running a chopper around Southern California? It's all here. In this show we see the immortal and genius acting of Perry King. We see Joe Penny before he was Jake next to the Fatman. We see Thom Bray before he fell off the face of the earth or joined a cult and changed his name to Sunflower. This was absolutely my favorite show when I was 14, and when you're 14 your favorite show means something to you. You identify with it, you even kind of embody it. Riptide was for the discerning PI fan whereas A-Team was for moronic, mindless action-junkies infatuated with Mr. T. Only chicks watched Magnum, and Simon & Simon was but a mere blip on the PI radar. When will Hollywood realize I will never pay $75 for the Full House DVD but will gladly part with the funds for my childhood?

What I was familiar with this show gave me the sense that this Stephen J.Cannell-produced show--created hard on the heels of past successes such as "Rockford Files" and "The A*Team"--was supposed to be somewhat of a expansion of the "LAid-back Vietnam Vets become P.I.s in Warm Climes" dynamic that was first floated out by the much more successful "Magnum P.I.". As such,it was an easy to watch(though not particularly an improvement upon the much more viscerally satisfying "A*Team")hour of TV that didn't,alas,register as strong as the show(or shows)it was cribbed from. The trio of vets(Joe Penny,Perry King and Thom Bray,all securely locked into careers now as guest stars and/or TV-movie staples)live by a Marina,operate a helicopter and take on varying cases. I'm figuring this show will pop up on TVLAnd before too much longer,assuming it hasn't already.

We have seen detective and pi series over and over, but this one has a certain wit to it. Just don't take it too seriously.

I remember this show when was around 12 years old. I loved the Screamin Mimi helicpoter and the robot that Murray created/manned. I also loved the characters of Nick and Cody. It was definitely on par with Magnum PI and Simon & Simon. Every week they would have a challenging case to solve, of course with the help of Murray and his robot. One of the first TV shows to include a robot/computers. Too bad it only lasted two seasons. I loved the premise of this show. The actors went on to other TV shows (Jake & the Fatman, Melrose Place, etc.) It's too bad Murray (Thom Bray) didn't have much of a career after the show ended, aside form the occasional movie of the week...