TJ HOOKER SEASONS 1-2
This series stars William Shatner(Star Trek: TOS, Boston Legal)
as a no nonsense cop on the streets of, well, they never say!!
However, in a shot in episode 17, "The Fast Lane", there is a
shot of a billboard that says 94.7 - KMET which was a L.A.
station at the time when this was aired!! Also here is Adrian
Zmed & Heather Locklear(Dynasty, Spin City)! Late in the second
season, they added James Darren(Star Trek: DS9 [Vic Fontaine],
The Time Tunnel, Singer[Goodbye Cruel World, Her Royal Majesty],
also was in the three Gidget movies)!! Also in several episodes
is Richard Herd(Star Trek: TNG[L'Kor] & Voyager[Admiral Paris,
Tom Paris' father!])
Shatner's character is divorced, a Vietnam Vet, and a trainer
of upcoming newbies!!!
Bill, Adrian & Richard do a bang up job in this!!
One more tidbit, the backs of the DVD cases are not correct!!
SEASON ONE
EPISODE # 1: THE PROTECTORS(PILOT)(Mar. 13, 1982):
A couple of thugs are going around robbing and killing
apparently for no reason other than being asses! Hooker
is training new cops, but because there is so much crime
they are put to the test on the streets!!
This is extremely hard to get into at first, but it does get
better!!!
Guest stars in this first episode include David Hedison
(Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) B
EPISODE # 2: THE STREETS(Mar. 20, 1982):
This starts out with a woman getting assaulted by knife
by a dude that leaves a bible after the attacks!! The call
comes across to TJ and his partner, also being
intercepted by a nosey news crew!! B+
EPISODE # 3: GOD BLESS THE CHILD(Mar. 27, 1982):
A girl is seen running from a man, then later it appears
that she has been using drugs and jumped off a roof!!
Just happens to be someone that Hooker's daughter knows!!!! A
EPISODE # 4: HOOKER'S WAR(Apr. 3, 1982):
While making a routine traffic stop, Hooker and Romano
stumble upon a gun runner!!!
This guest stars Vic Tayback(Alice) & Richard Moll(Night
Court)!! A
EPISODE # 5: THE WITNESS(Apr. 10, 1982):
A man is shot while two thugs are robbing his house, and
the only witnesses are a milkman and a couple who are
leaving her house(he's married!)! The milkman sees the
license on the car of the couple and give it to Hooker and
Romano!!
This guest stars Michael O'Hare(Babylon 5!!)!! A
SEASON TWO
EPISODE # 6: SECOND CHANCE(Sept. 25, 1982):
A guy is going around killing dancers and cutting off a lock
of their hair!! There's a new girl in on the force, she's the
daughter(Heather Locklear) of the captain(Richard Herd)!! A
EPISODE # 7: KING OF THE HILL(Oct. 2, 1982):
While attempting to rob a store, three thieves take a
hostage!! During the chase that ensues, they throw the
hostage from the vehicle, which injures her severely!!!
This introduces James Darren as a guest star!! He later
becomes a part of the regular cast!! A
EPISODE # 8: THE EMPTY GUN(Oct. 16, 1982):
After a liquere store robbery, there's a chase after the
perps, and Romano corners one of the thieves and,
after counting the shots, he chooses to cuff him and
take him in and not shoot him!! And now he has to
live with others who question his abilities!!
Guest starring here is Herbert Jefferson Jr.(Battlestar
Galactica!)!
Also, this features one of the all-time greatest songs
ever recorded, Moonlight Serenade by Glen Miller!!!! A
EPISODE # 9: BLIND JUSTICE(Oct. 23, 1982):
Dudes are robbing box offices and while doing a job are
"seen" by a blind woman!! She's reluctant to tell what she
knows but Hooker persuades her to help out!!
Guest stars include The Beach Boys!! A
EPISODE # 10: BIG FOOT(Oct. 30, 1982):
A large man is raping woman!! B
EPISODE # 11: TERROR AT THE ACADEMY(Nov. 6, 1982):
We have here a man who's ditched out of the service to
join the boys in blue, just to kill as many cops as possible!!! A
EPISODE # 12: THE SURVIVAL SYNDROME(Nov. 13, 1982):
Car jacking is the theme here!! A young dude boosts a
woman's car out of a grocery store parking lot, a young
chicken(!) blocks traffic and Hooker and Romano just
happen to be at the same place!! Romano gets shot, along
with the thief!! A
EPISODE # 13: DEADLY AMBITION(Nov. 20, 1982)
A security guard, who is a friend of Hookers, is shot
during diamond exchange robbery!! All of the evidence
points to the guard being in cahoots with the thieves!!
The detective in charge is not exactly a team player and
is after a collar no matter what!!
Special guest star in this is Jerry Lee Lewis!! A
EPISODE # 14: A CRY FOR HELP(Nov. 27, 1982):
A drug deal goes bad!! A man gets killed!! A deaf boy gets
busted for it, but didn't do it, but he does lead Hooker
and Romano on a merry chase away from the real culprits!
Henry Darrow(on both Star Trek: TNG & Voyager as a guest
star!) guest stars in this as Dr. Frank Martinez!! A
EPISODE # 15: THIEVES' HIGHWAY(Dec. 4, 1982):
Truckers are having trouble with a high falootin' new
owner of a trucking company who's trying to keep them
from organizing!! Several bad accidents happen, and of
course Hooker and Romano get involved!! Also going on
is a new commissioner who's certain that Hooker's methods
are out dated, and out to prove it!! A
EPISODE # 16: THE CONNECTION(Dec. 18, 1982):
A girl is on PCP and tries to jump off her school roof, but
Hooker and Romano stop her!! It angers them a bunch
and they decide to lean heavily on the drug dealers!! A
EPISODE # 17: THE FAST LANE(Jan. 8, 1983):
From PCP in the last episode, to booze in this one!! A kid
buys some alcohol for some younger kids, and while joy
riding and drinking, there's a bad accident, and two of
the kids are killed!! Turns out that the dude who bought
the booze is the son of a friend of Romano's!! A
EPISODE # 18: TOO LATE FOR LOVE(Jan. 15, 1983):
A couple of thugs, with the help of a girl working with
them, try to rob a furrier and take a "hostage", a former
flame of Romano's!! A
EPISODE # 19: THE DECOY(Jan. 22, 1983):
A woman being kidnapped is thrown out of the car
when Hooker and Romano happen upon the dude!
The woman involved is a policewoman!! And the dude
is a tennis bum!!
Stacey volunteers to be a decoy to try to capture
the perp, despite the objections of Captain Sheridan
and Hooker!!
This show was directed by Leonard Nimoy!!! A
EPISODE # 20: THE MUMBLER(Jan. 29, 1983):
An attempted armored car robbery goes awry, but there
are leads that take Hooker and Romano to a pigeon keeper,
which in turn leads them to another keeper!! It turns out
there's a young girl who's brother is involved in the whole
mess!!!
This laughingly uses the exact same chase scene in it
through a culvert that was in a previous episode!!!! A
EPISODE # 21: VENGEANCE IS MINE(Feb. 5, 1983):
Guest starring Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy!! Leonard
plays an old cop friend who, along with Hooker, catch a gnag
pulling off a liquer robbery! Next they take on a rape case
together! Turns out the rape victim is Nimoy's daughter, and
he decides to take matters in his own hands!!!
There's a line in this where Shatner says to Nimoy "I owe
you my life from 17 years ago"!! Possibly referring to the
fact that Star Trek started in 1966, 17 years prior to this
show!!! A
EPISODE # 22: SWEET SIXTEEN...AND DEAD(Feb. 12, 1983):
Some working girls are trying to be turned around by
a shelter for working girls!!! While talking to one of the
girls, a councilman's assistant is spotted taking money
from a pimp and they suddenly are in a lot of danger!!
Clarence Williams III(Mod Squad) is a guest star in this!! A
EPISODE # 23: RAW DEAL(Feb. 19, 1983):
Bad man running a gambling establishment preys on those
with gambling problems and gets them to do even worse things
for them??
Former football great Jim Brown guest stars in this!! A
EPISODE # 24: REQUIEM FOR A COP(Feb. 26, 1983):
A young man sets an explosive device which sets off a
fire in a tenement building, which in turns kills a couple!!
This is another in a series of arson cases and Hooker is
all over it!! The name of the episode comes from the P.I.
that use to be a cop, but was dismissed for alcoholism,
and the fact that Hooker feels he deserves a cops funeral!! A
EPISODE # 25: THE HOSTAGES(Mar. 5, 1983):
After a blown robbery attempt by a family of thieves, the
father is shot and put in the hospital!! Visiting a sick girl,
Stacey gets caught up in an attempt to spring their father
by the sons!! Hence the name, "The Hostages"!! A
EPISODE # 26: PAYDAY PIRATES(Apr. 30, 1983):
Basic story is about robbers who specialize in hitting mini
marts that are known for cashing payroll checks on paydays!!
Hooker's ex-wife happens to be in one of the stores when it's
hit, and they injure her in the process of the robbery and
steal a ring that Hooker had given to her!! And of course
that becomes the target of Hooker and crew!!
James Darren returns, this time as a cop, and takes his
place as a permanent fixture in the series!! Stacey is now
out on the streets, and she's been partnered up with
Darren!! Darren, as one would expect, is excellent in
this!! A
EPISODE # 27: LADY IN BLUE(May 7, 1983):
Bad guys robbing a gun store takes a hostage to try to
get away, blocked by Hooker, Romano and another
squad!! One of the other officers, a female, is shot
and is in very bad shape, and Hooker blames himself,
as usual!!!
Guest starring Percy Rodriguez(Star Trek: TOS episode
"Court Martial", many, many other guest starring roles!!) A
SPECIAL FEATURES:
DISC 6:
The only special features here are TV spots for
TJ Hooker: Episodes 1-19, 21-26!
From a reviewer at IMDb.com:
T.J. Hooker reminds me of Dirty Harry in some respects.
Like DH, Hooker is tough, especially on the bad guys.
He's a no-nonsense cop, but at least he still has some
sense of humor.
This is one of the most underrated cop shows. It may
not be the best police drama ever made, but it has its
moments. Plus, it's good to see William Shatner having
success outside Star Trek. And this series shows that
he could (and still can) do exactly that. - 4-Kane