The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979–1981) User Reviews

memories of lobo

[pspielman73 · 7/10 · 24 April 2009]

i was probably around 6 when this show came out but my family watched it every week and i have very fond memories of it. i knew even back then that it was a spin off of bj and the bear. the weird thing is that in bj and the bear, sheriff lobo was a badguy in the boss hog vein. when he got his own show, suddenly hes a good guy.

my main memories of the show are it being similar to dukes of hazard. small, out of the way hick town constantly being bombarded by various city slicker bad guys. sheriff lobo would clean up the town with his bumbling deputy perkins(who i thought was way funnier than rosco p. coltraine). i remember there being two hot chick sidekicks with cool cars. i think one may have been a corvette.

for whatever reason, pieces of the theme song are still clear in my head, even though i haven't seen this show since about 1981. being a huge simpsons fan, i delight in all of their pop culture references and this show was referenced close to a half dozen times. its worth checking out for that reason alone, i think.

Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

[chasnbbw · 7/10 · 13 July 2007]

I was 11 years old when this show came on the air. I thought it was appropriately funny for anyone - I was 11 give me a break- but looking back now yes i would watch it again. The interactions within the cast were very good. Sheriff Lobo ( Claude Akins ) was a little crooked. In case you could not tell he was crooked you merely had to wonder why a Sheriff is driving a brand new CADILLAC SEVILLE???? This was the most expensive personal car in the Cadillac Line of cars $15,000 msrp give or take, and that is in 1979 dollars. Imagine being pulled over by a Cadillac Police car in 2007 Wouldn't you feel nervous ??? The 2007 Cadillac Seville now called simply "STS" is in the starting price range of $50,000. Can anyone say " I need a lawyer, and not a local public defender either". LOL Deputy Perkins (Mills Watson) was so funny also, he was practically joined at the hip to Lobo-LOL I guess he should since they were brothers-in-law. "I'll show you college boy" was always his favorite line when speaking to deputy "Birdie" Birdwell Hawkins (Brian Kerwin)the Mayors son, who was college educated. This usually had me ready to pee my pants, because you just knew whatever he was going to do would blow up in his face. (This is akin to watching Wiley Coyote purchasing Acme products to catch Roadrunner- LOL) In the first season Lobo and the usual gang of crooked outlying county Sheriffs were kings in the fiefdoms of their counties. They all new the others were just as crooked; but don't mess with mine and I wont mess with yours seemed to rule. The show was a spin off from BJ and The Bear (about a Vietnam War soldier saved by a chimp while a POW ) he brings the chimp home to the US. The chimp is his friend -pet and he becomes an owner-operator long haul trucker. In an episode he runs into Orly county and is given the usual harassment money making tickets for being over-weight, speeding etc etc. This gives us an understanding of Orly County politics and policing. All the usual parodies on what we assume crooked cops to be. In one remarkable episode, BJ actually hauls goods for Lobo. Then after off loading and driving out of town, Perkins asks him "are we just gonna let him go sheriff ?" Lobo replies " let him get just outside of town, then give him a ticket for speeding" LOL

I love this show as a kid!

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

I loved this show as a kid. Well we have a character driven series where a Southern town has Sheriff Lobo who is crocked, with many faults, which uses his wit, and charm to solve many mysteries. Usual flawed Lobo always ends up doing the right thing. Atkins is the Sheriff vs of Jim Rockford. Their is the young deputie who idolizes Lobo as an honorable man, and the goofball Perkins Lobo's partner in crime who goofs and stumbles around. Much like Dukes of Hazzard mixed with the Rockford files. Formulate, and predictable. 7 out of 10 stars.

Why don't they put this one back on the air as reruns?

[rbenson · 28 September 2002]

I used to really enjoy watching Lobo and Perkins they were a great comedy team. Sheriff Lobo was a most exquisitly delightful television series I am most sad not to see it on the television at this time I long to see it in reruns in the future. Ten thousand thank yous for the many laughs that I have experienced having wathed this fine show

Underrated

[safenoe · 7/10 · 30 December 2021]

I enjoyed B. J. and the Bear, and this spinoff The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. Actually, Lobo is a common surname in India, so if there's ever a reboot to feature an Indian actor, this is it.

Anyway, there was some humor in TMOSL which warranted more than two seasons. Sadly it got axed, but I still have fond memories of TMOSL.

Much Better Than Its Reputation

[tgibbs279 · 9/10 · 2 November 2001]

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.

I Loved This Show. I Wish It Would Air Again and Be Released on DVD

[voicemaster71 · 8/10 · 27 February 2007]

I haven't seen this show in years, but I saw the old intro on youtube.com. I originally saw this show when I was a little kid and I think it came on Tuesday nights on NBC. I never realized that Sheriff Lobo was originally a spin off of BJ and the Bear nor that Lobo himself was originally a villain. From what others have said, ole Elroy P. Lobo was a corrupt Sheriff but on his own series, he was a Protagonist who was corrupt, but not evil like he was when he debuted as BJ McKay's major adversary. I liked Claude Akins and felt he did very well as the comically corrupt Sheriff Lobo. Mills Watson was the funniest one of all as Deputy Perkins who had a battle axe for a wife named Rose. I've recently seen Mills Watson in a couple of episodes of the Six Million Dollar Man in bad guy roles and as a sheriff in the second Incredible Hulk TV movie as kind of a pre Perkins role. But I remember he was unbearably funny as Perkins. And then there's Birdwell Hawkins (or Birdie as he was best known). The only competent cop on the Orly County Police Force. He was the true blue good guy and had the sex appeal to attract the women. I liked Birdie and he was who I wanted to be like when I watched the show.

The first season was truly the best, but I will admit when the show changed its title to Lobo and the characters moved to Atlanta Georgia to be country cops in the big city, that sucked, but I still watched them. I was amazed to see a slightly smaller and slightly pudgy Nell Carter on that series (Pre Gimme a Break)as well as character actor, Nicholas Coaster as the Chief Carson and I vaguely remember two very hot looking but snobbish undercover cops named Peaches and Brandy. I also recall the hot, sexy Heather Thomas appearing on this show once or twice.

As far as I'm concerned, Sheriff Lobo was a copycat of the Dukes of Hazzard in terms of corrupt, but comically inept police. I love the Dukes of Hazzard and Sheriff Lobo was more like the Dukes than BJ and the Bear was. I wish this show would air on TV Land or be released on DVD. I would also like to see BJ and the Bear as well.

No regrets

[Jose E · 13 February 2002]

Ok, I was only ten or so when I saw this show in my country, but, in spite of what some people can say, it used to make me laugh a lot. I barely remember much about the show, but the fact that sheriff Lobo and his relative (I think he was brother-in-law) most of the times ended up in some wacky situation or failing to success.

Despite the possible flaws it might have, Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo was better than most of the crap nowadays airing anywhere in the world.

Although TV shows cannot be rated like movies here, I would give this show a seven or so.

Bobo

[mellemel66 · 10/10 · 6 August 2021]

Bobo. Bobo day one of the big things that happened to me when the big man comes in to do the Avengers next time.

Was this really funny, or was I just young?

[knsevy · 16 December 2003]

All I know is that my family watched Sheriff Lobo and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's been so long since I've seen an episode that I can't bring any real specifics to mind, but I know I always looked forward to Perkins' antics, week by week.

Of course, my taste in television wasn't critically-acclaimed, by any means. I watched the Dukes of Hazzard, religiously, but I never had much feeling for B.J. and the Bear. It was only recently I found out this show was a B.J. spinoff.

It would be nice to have this on TVLand (since there's no longer a TNN to show reruns of hick shows) so I could see if it really WAS any good.

Not great, but funny

[Jose E · 14 February 2002]

Alright, I was barely ten when they aired this show in my country, but I do recall I used to laugh everytime this show was on. Not that I remember a lot more, but the fact that Sheriff Lobo and his deputy (that chubby man with a moustache) always used to scheme something against the other cop (Played by Brian Kerwin as far as I know) but they usually screwed up. The one scene I do remember is that at the end of the opening titles, when the police cars ended up piled one upon another. So amusing.

Perhaps this show was not a must see, but nevertheless was better than most of the crap that stinks TV everywhere.

...Pure fun, may it's obsolete today, but we want Lobo back on air!

[alexvampirrata · 3 September 2012]

...Yeah...too young i was when in open TV Lobo was aired in the fresh 80's, for many years LOBO was the almost stellar night TV show and in Thursdays too many kids stop which they would to make it for watch almost an hour comic outrages courtesy of Chieff LOBO&officers (Perkins the best...)Almost Glenn A Larson prods. wasn't to targeted for "critic tastes" or to get rank of "fine art TV show" , just 9-10 night o'clock entertainment or i must say, a bit of laughing before get on bed to stand the entire day dealing with a bunch of idiots with use to fight everyday yet wasn't used the term "bullying" but in my personal case, i get enough inspiration to solve this drawbacks using fists, with entirely style of LOBO's watermark...kicking assholes whit a smile

It's Back...Kinda

[FPilot · 5 January 2009]

Hey.

RTN is showing this series (perhaps along with B.J. & The Bear?) on Sunday afternoons/evenings.

When it was running the first time, the NBC affiliate for Tampa Bay refused to air it in its network-mandated time slot for something else (I forget just what) and put it on some horrible late-night slot on Sunday night/Monday morning. So I saw the tail end of an episode for the very first time yesterday.

I don't know if I would have liked it back in '79~'80 when I was turning teenager and was beginning to get overloaded on car chase genre action shows. This show is just so TYPICAL. You have the old man Sheriff, the goof-ball deputy, the pretty-boy deputy, and then the usual Central Casting darlings you see in all these shows. The writing and production values are standard-level, neither all that great or all that awful. No wonder it never clicked like some of the others had at that time.

Okay...I'll say one thing in defense of this series--it was better than "Border Pals."