"B.J. and the Bear" (1979) TV series 1979-1981

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Creators:

Christopher Crowe
Glen A. Larson

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Release Date:

10 February 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A trucker and his pet monkey travel the highways of America, getting into various adventures and misadventures along the way.

Plot Keywords:

Road | Chimpanzee | Character Name In Title

Cast

Greg Evigan

...

B.J. McKay / ... (46 episodes, 1979-1981)

Runtime:

60 min | 60 min (46 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Riding with Death (#9.14)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

B.J. and the Bear

B.J. and The Bear,another nostaglic look at the trucking craze that swept the mid-70's

Synopsis: A trucker and his pet monkey travel the highways of America,getting into various adventures and misadventures along the way within the watchful eyes of the very pesky and law-abinding county sheriff.

"B.J. and The Bear",came out during the craze of the truck-driver shows that exploded during the mid-1970's and this show was a mixture of several formulas:It was part "Smokey and the Bandit",part "Every Which Way But Loose",part "Dukes Of Hazzard",and part "Convoy",with a mixture of three-fourths of "Hee Haw" for good measure. This show had a original premise since it was a mixture of the good ol'boy farce,romance with lots and lots of gorgeous girls,non-stop action,and of course,his pet monkey who was the sidekick and comical relief. The plot basically stayed the same during the show's run which lasted only two seasons. The show features B.J. McKay(Greg Evigan) who worked as a truck driver who constantly dealt with inept lawmen Sheriff Lobo(played Claude Akins who ineventually went on to get his own series,"The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo"),his lame deputy(Mills Watson) who were one step ahead of B.J. who would lose them in several of the episodes. Along the way,B.J. dealt with crooked truckers,outlandish hillbillies,and usually lots of beautiful women in tight clothes,which to some extent that this show was very sexist since the women worked so well especially when one of them were the object of every man's fantasy each week,who remembers the Borough sisters,Candi and Randi? How remembers Judy Landers?

The series was helmed by the TV maestro Glen Larson(of "It Takes A Thief","Alias Smith and Jones","Switch","Quincy,M.E.", "Battlestar Galactica","Buck Rogers","Mangum,PI","Murder,She Wrote","The Fall Guy")knew what basically worked in a series and kept the action going strong along with the tough guys and beautiful women in each episode,along with the monkey for comical support. However,in some syndicated markets

"B.J. and The Bear",would run alongside "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" on a weekly basis,and during the series original run from 1978-81 it was shown at least once with one series coming after the other.