CHiPs 

The adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers.

Creators:

Rick Rosner, Paul Playdon

Stars:

Erik Estrada, Larry Wilcox, Robert Pine

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Robert Pine	...	Sgt. Joseph Getraer 139 episodes, 1977-1983
Erik Estrada	...	Officer Frank Poncherello 139 episodes, 1977-1983
Larry Wilcox	...	Officer Jon Baker 117 episodes, 1977-1982
Paul Linke	...	Officer Arthur Grossman / ... 116 episodes, 1977-1983
Brodie Greer	...	Officer Barry Baricza 112 episodes, 1977-1982
Lou Wagner	...	Harlan Arliss 81 episodes, 1978-1983
Randi Oakes	...	Officer Bonnie Clark / ... 69 episodes, 1977-1982
Michael Dorn	...	Officer Jebediah Turner / ... 60 episodes, 1977-1982

Storyline

"CHiPs," which stood for California Highway Patrol, followed the daily beats of two state motorcycle patrolmen as they patrolled the freeway system in and around Los Angeles. Officer Jon Baker was the straight, serious officer while Frank "Ponch" Poncherello was the more free- wheeling member of the duo; both reported to Sgt. Joe Getraer, who gave out assignments and advice in handling the cases. Each episode saw a compilation of incidents, ranging from the humorous (e.g., a stranded motorist) to criminal investigations (such as hijackings) and tragic incidents (such as a fiery multi-car pile-up with multiple deaths. Other aspects of Ponch and Jon's daily work were highlighted as well; the social lives of both officers (they were both single) often provided the lighter moments. On occassion, Ponch and Jon were assisted by a female "Chippie" at first, the very beautiful Sindy Cahill; and later, the more wholesome Bonnie Clark. In 1982, Ponch got a new partner, Bobby Nelson (series star...

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Plot Keywords:

highway patrol | california | motorcycle cop | police protagonist | los angeles california | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

CHiPs Patrol

Filming Locations:

California Highway Patrol Central Station Los Angeles, 777 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGM Television, Rosner Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (139 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lou Wagner is also part of the Star Trek connection, having appeared on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

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Goofs

Throughout the series and regularly in later seasons, car crashes were shown involving vehicles getting airborne after rear-ending another vehicle. This does not happen in actual crashes. In some scenes the ramps used to launch the vehicles are visible.

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Quotes

[Jon announces his proposal for a trail bike task force]
Officer Jon Baker: I'd like to nominate my partner, Frank Poncherello.
Officer Francis Llewellyn 'Ponch' Poncherello: Hey, that's great. 'Cause when we first met, I was on a dirtbike.
Officer Jon Baker: Uh, no, Ponch. When we first met, you had just fallen off a dirtbike.

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Alternate Versions

After completing five seasons, CHiPs was sold into syndication in the fall of 1982. To help avoid viewer confusion between reruns and new episodes, MGM re-titled it CHiPs Patrol. This was redundant, as "CHP" is an acronym for "California Highway Patrol," making the complete series name California Highway Patrol Patrol.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Walter Matthau (1978)

User Reviews

One of the best TV-series of all time!

I may say that "CHiPs" is part of my life. It was a wonderful TV-series, that influenced my childhood, that of my friends, and that of people all around the world. It was very entertaining and we always have tried to imitate them when we're playing. "CHiPs" is a reference point on the entertainment history!