The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979– )

Sheriff Lobo's the corrupt sheriff from Orly County who appeared in several episodes during the first season of _"B.J. and the Bear" (1979)_ , as B.J.'s occasional nemesis. He now stars in ... See full summary »

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Stars:

Claude Akins, Brian Kerwin, Mills Watson

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Claude Akins	...	Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo (38 episodes, 1979-1981)
Brian Kerwin	...	Deputy Birdwell 'Birdie' Hawkins (38 episodes, 1979-1981)
Mills Watson	...	Deputy Perkins (38 episodes, 1979-1981)
Janet Curtis-Larson	...	Margaret Ellen (21 episodes, 1979-1980)
Leann Hunley	...	Sarah Cumberland (17 episodes, 1979-1980)
Tara Buckman	...	Brandy (16 episodes, 1980-1981)
Cydney Crampton	...	Rose Perkins (16 episodes, 1979-1980)
Nell Carter	...	Sgt. Hildy Jones (15 episodes, 1980-1981)
Nicolas Coster	...	Chief J.E. Carson (15 episodes, 1980-1981)
Amy Botwinick	...	Peaches (15 episodes, 1980-1981)

Storyline

Sheriff Lobo's the corrupt sheriff from Orly County who appeared in several episodes during the first season of _"B.J. and the Bear" (1979)_ , as B.J.'s occasional nemesis. He now stars in his own series. He is not as corrupt as he was on B.J.'s show, but he is still trying to make a buck by cooking up schemes or hoping to be given the reward money for property he recovers or criminals he apprehends. He is foiled either by the bumbling antics of his deputy, Perkins, or the integrity of his other deputy, Birdie Hawkins. During the show's second season, the naive Governor, who was visiting Orly, was impressed by Lobo's unorthodox methods, appoints him to his crime fighting task force and sends Lobo, Perkins, and Birdie to Atlanta. Now the chief of detectives, whom Lobo reports to, is incredulous as how Lobo can help him, especially after meeting Perkins, so he doesn't aassign them to anything important. So Lobo has to steal or grab a case on his own and hopes that the Chief will be ...

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Plot Keywords:

police | police corruption | sergeant | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lobo

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (37 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

This show was a quick spin-off of B.J. and the Bear, when that show was an instant hit. However, ratings quickly dried up, and neither show lasted long. To make a more compelling product for syndication, all episodes of both shows were packaged as a bundle titled "The B.J./Lobo Show".

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Behind the Laughter (2000)

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Soundtracks

"The Ballad of Sheriff Lobo"
Sung by Frankie Laine
Words and Music by Glen A. Larson

User Reviews

Much Better Than Its Reputation

I admit it -- I like "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo." And I don't consider myself a fan of lowbrow TV. I hate stuff like "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Baywatch," and I don't watch wrestling. "Lobo" was the show critics loved to hate when it was on the air. And since then, the word "Lobo" itself has become synonymous with bad TV.

But it's not a bad show. First, the cast had a genuine chemistry. Claude Akins and Mills Watson had a terrific rapport. If they had been on any other show, critics would have praised them as a terrific comic team. They really clicked. (On any other show, Watson would have become a superstar.) The rest of the cast was solid, and the show had good guest stars, including Pat Paulsen, Sid Caesar, and Larry Storch.

And while it wasn't Shakespeare, the writing was much better than the critics would have you believe. Unlike "The Dukes of Hazzard," the show did have different story lines. It wasn't the same show every week, like the Dukes. (And it didn't have anywhere near as many chases as the Dukes.)

I believe that the "Dukes" connection is the main reason critics hated the show. "Lobo" came along at the same time as the Dukes, it was also set in the South, it also had car chases, and it also had scantily-clad women. It was easy to dismiss "Lobo" as a Dukes clone because of some similarities on the surface.

But look closer, and you'll see the two shows were very different. "Lobo" had better scripts, better performances, better production values, etc.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying "Lobo" is a great show; I'm not suggesting it didn't have problems. There were too many car crashes. The show's writing could have been sharper. It should have made more of an attempt to SATIRIZE police shows. And the move to Atlanta in the second season was a mistake. It was much better in Orly County.

But it's not junk, as some critics would have you believe. It's better than most of the stuff on TV today. And I'll say it again: Akins and Watson were a terrific team.

And the first season theme song -- sung by Frankie Laine -- was fantastic. I'd love to hear it on a TV theme song CD.