"S.W.A.T." (1975) TV series 1975-1976

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Creators:

Robert Hamner
Lee Stanley

Seasons:

1 | 2 | unknown

Release Date:

17 February 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Plot:

The missions of the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Vietnam Veteran | Acronym In Title | Special Forces | SWAT Team

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Steve Forrest	...	Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson (36 episodes, 1975-1976)
Robert Urich	...	Officer Jim Street (36 episodes, 1975-1976)
Mark Shera	...	Officer Dominic Luca (36 episodes, 1975-1976)
James Coleman	...	Officer T.J. McCabe (36 episodes, 1975-1976)
Rod Perry	...	Sergeant David 'Deacon' Kay / ... (35 episodes, 1975-1976)

Runtime:

60 min (34 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Trivia:

Although the series was popular in the ratings, the show was canceled into its second season due to the controversy it provoked concerning its violence.

Movie Connections:

Featured in S.W.A.T. (2003)

Soundtrack:

Theme from S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.P. it for something else!

In 1975 I was still in the army.

We'd been through "Mod Squad" and similar 'groovy' attempts at television showing us that it was awkward to be a Vietnam vet - because ALL of them were either cops or robbers. What the medium at the time was NOT showing, was that things hadn't changed since the First World War: when the troops come home, they are not the same people they were when they went away.

OK. That's something best discussed on another day.

SWAT is crap because the actors make the notion of watching paint dry exciting. It might be an early Spelling production, but it's as terrible as the 'seventies Hannah Barbera cartoons. 'Wooden' is an insult to trees.

There is NO attempt to be 'real' or even occasionally-accurate when it comes to weapons per se and why people steal/use them.

Occasional 'through-the-scope' sniper views make me want to weep. Trust me, you don't want to know.

Stories/scenarios are as hackneyed as the characters. Let's face it: pneumonic plague (?!) is not got rid of as easy as "We've been inoculated, therefore you're safe". That particular episode with 'Little Billy' surviving is, indeed, a classic.

Did I offer 2/10? I must be dreaming...