Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)In the fall of 1983, TV producing mogul Stephen J. Cannell and ABC premiered this slam-bang, action-comedy series featuring Brian Keith as the gruff, retired Judge Milton C. (Hardcase) Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh-Kelly as his wisecracking parolee, the fast-driving ex-con, Mark (Skids) McCormick.
THE PREMISE:
For three TV seasons, this unusual crime-fighting duo combined the judge's significant wealth, extensive law enforcement contacts, and his shotgun with ex-racing star McCormick's driving expertise to chase down the bad guys inhabiting the Los Angeles area.
THE SERIES (A SUMMARY):
In the pilot episode entitled "Rolling Thunder," the 66-year old Judge Hardcastle (a former cop), known by his defendants as the fearsome 'Hardcase' who showed them little or no mercy, has now just retired from the bench.
Immediately thereafter, he intends to hunt the 200+ lowlifes who somehow escaped his court over the years on legal technicalities and are presumably still pursuing criminal activities (for which he could finally send them to prison for). It is soon established that Hardcastle's program of enlisting paroled ex-cons as his associates in his war on crime has had at best mixed results so far.
Enter former racing star Mark McCormick, age 29-30, a former Hardcastle defendant now on parole for grand theft for stealing his own car (from an ex-girlfriend). Mark has been enlisted by an old friend and car designer, Flip Johnson, to test-drive the red hot Cody Coyote sports car for ruthless industrialist Martin Cody (a co-owner of the Coyote with Johnson).
Shortly thereafter, Cody has Johnson killed to obtain full ownership of the Coyote. To help Johnson's daughter obtain proof of her father's murder, Mark steals the Coyote from the villain's warehouse, but quickly winds up back in jail and becomes Hardcastle's last defendant before entering retirement.
Seizing the perfect opportunity, Hardcastle offers Mark a shot at immediate redemption: either work indefinitely for the judge on his mission to bust the bad guys on his Top 200 list, or get a second all-expenses paid trip to San Quentin prison. Mark reluctantly takes the deal after learning their first case is taking down Martin Cody, whom they manage to capture in a 'sting' operation by offering the Coyote as elusive bait. Mark then receives the Coyote as a gift from Johnson's daughter for helping bring Cody to justice.
After the first several episodes, Hardcastle's 'hit list' (presumably, this concept would provide enough villains for syndication purposes) was dropped in favor of focusing on average TV-style criminals as they generally encountered the judge and McCormick by chance.
By the spring of 1986 (the end of Season Three), McCormick's parole has been completed. As the last episode concludes, Hardcastle loses (perhaps deliberately) a scrimmage basketball game, which means he will pay for his friend's law school tuition. "Now, you're cooking." the Judge tells him. Appropriately enough, the last episode was entitled "A Chip off the ol' Milt." In those three years, a reformed Mark's begrudging respect for the judge has developed into where Hardcastle has become the caring father he never really had, and Mark has essentially matured into his surrogate son.
TWENTY YEARS LATER:
On its surface, 'Hardcastle & McCormick' was not by any means extraordinary TV viewing for its time, as its plots and most of its guest characters tended to be generic and and could even be considered somewhat forgettable for the extensive 'cops and robbers' genre.
Instead, the crux of why this series endures is really the bickering comedic chemistry between stars Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh-Kelly. It is this unique sparring partnership that makes this show still so much fun to watch twenty years later, as Keith and Hugh-Kelly brought vibrant life to a somewhat ordinary series that combined elements of other similar genre shows such as 'Magnum P.I.', 'Knight Rider', and 'The Rockford Files.' If this show had been cast differently, the charm and fun of 'Hardcastle & McCormick' would likely have been gone.
OVERALL RATING:
The 66 or 67 episodes were at least consistently entertaining enough to merit between 3 and 5 stars each. The terrific chemistry of stars Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh-Kelly, however, deserves a 5+! Hence, our rating is based on what makes this show worth watching over and over again.
At long last, fans will be rewarded with the late 2006 release of the show's first season. Hopefully, a new generation will soon discover and enjoy Hardcastle & McCormick's banter, as they chase after crooks through the streets of L.A. If so, we can likely expect to see Seasons Two and Three cruise into stores in the near future. We're counting on it.
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