Simon & Simon 

Two brothers of disparate tastes and manners run a private detective agency.

Creator:

Philip DeGuere Jr.

Stars:

Jameson Parker, Gerald McRaney, Mary Carver

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Jameson Parker	...	A.J. Simon / ... 156 episodes, 1981-1989
Gerald McRaney	...	Rick Simon 156 episodes, 1981-1989
Mary Carver	...	Cecilia Simon 153 episodes, 1981-1989
Tim Reid	...	Lt. Marcel 'Downtown' Brown 79 episodes, 1983-1987

Storyline

A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency. The series chronicles their exploits.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | character names as series title | punctuation in series title | surnames as series title | private detective agency | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The show was originally called "Pirates Key", and the pilot was shot in South Florida. It was moved to California (set in San Diego, filmed mainly in Los Angeles) after the pilot was filmed.

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Goofs

Although the series is set in San Diego, California, it's abundantly clear during many of the outdoor scenes that it was filmed in the Los Angeles metro. In several episodes the San Gabriel Mountains, which are outside of Los Angeles, can be clearly seen in the distance.

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Quotes

[Rick & A.J. are trying to talk Town into letting them look at a car in the police impound]
Rick Simon: Town, now this assignment you got, it's probably gonna be very tiring, right? And you could use a rest... well we're gonna be doing a big celebration when this is all over, y'know, we're gonna do a kind of a blow-out weekend over in Vegas... why don't you kinda tag along with us, y'know, we'll comp you to the Robert Goulet show... it'll be great.
Lt. M.P. 'Downtown' Brown: Robert Goulet? If you're gonna bribe me, at least make it ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Michael Shannon/Andrew Rannells/Father John Misty (2018)

User Reviews

Fun and interesting

Didn't watch this series that often when it ran in the '80s, but did catch a few episodes then and saw nearly all when A&E replayed it. It is one of the best action, detective series ever. Some shows are better than some Rockford Files episodes.

The relationship and interaction between the brothers seemed real and genuine. The acting and directing was top notch and the locations are special as one can get a taste for that time period in San Diego or Florida (my favorite episode when they went back to where they started, it was a two-parter) or where ever the guys were.

The acting was the best as this series easily tops Magnum for quality and enjoyment... well except for guys, seeing the sights in Hawaii ; ) and a Ferrari Testarossa and for women, Tom Selleck.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pirate's Key

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1