The pilot of CHiPs concerns a series of heist operations where a trio successfully pose in various disguised roles (such as valets) and steal six cars each time they score, storing the vehicles in a Bushnick delivery van. California Highway Patrol Motorcycle Police Officers, Frank "Ponch" Poncherello(Erik Estrada) and Jon Baker (Larry Wilcox) could be just the ones to bring these criminals to justice. Estrada, working those pearly whites, absolute confidence, and total belief in his abilities as an officer, would become a star, his Ponch under probation for having a large "jacket" in his boss' filing cabinet. Robert Pine would be the third memorable character on the show, as Sgt. Joseph Getraer, constantly at odds with Ponch who is a showboat and blowhard, but tolerates his behavior because he is a damn fine patrolman. Baker gets a kick out of Ponch and seems to really love his job as a motorcycle cop, at one point "pulling over" a kid so that he could tell the boy to ride his bike safely down the hill. We see in the pilot that Ponch and Getraer are at odds because of the number of citations that have accrued for the young patrolman over a two year tenure motorcycle patrolling the streets and highways of San Francisco. We see a nice scene for Ponch when he calms a worried accident victim (Brooke Bundy, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET III & IV) whose VW bug was ran off the highway by a jerk on a motorcycle. There's also a humorous scene featuring Hoke Howell as a truck driver named Tex whose vehicle turned over in a wreck spilling glue all over the highway, causing a traffic jam, with Ponch having an icky mishap with his Patrol bike when it gets stuck! The storyline with the heists seems secondary to everything else going on in the episode (the activities of Ponch and Baker, on and off the street). The pilot opened with a nice, spirited pursuit as one of the thieves the police are looking for had stolen a convertible and was trying to evade Ponch and Baker, able to escape their clutches. Some mighty fine camera-work really gets in close and personal with the characters and on the roads where Ponch and Baker drive, looking to keep the highways and streets safe. This first episode really sets up Ponch as the comic foil and Baker the straight man, along with Pine as the frustrated superior who just wants his officers to keep out of trouble. Hilarious climax has Ponch really snookering the thieves by driving them literally to jail. Ponch spends most of the pilot counting down the days until his probation will be lifted as his boss reminds him to not screw up.
Review of Pilot
