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 | detective | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rick's (Gerald McRaney's) truck in the show was a "Macho Power Wagon", a series of specialty 4x4 trucks manufactured by Dodge from 1977 through 1981, part of the "Adult Toys" campaign to appeal to younger buyers. The main truck used in the show was a 1979 model long bed, in sierra red, with special Macho paint job and decals. Midway through the first season, a second truck was added, a 1980 Dodge long bed 4x4 cloned to look like the '79 Macho. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two trucks is in the roll bar. The '79 Macho roll bar is padded and has perfectly straight diagonal supports. The '80 Macho clone uses an after-market roll bar that isn't padded. Also, the diagonal supports bend horizontally before adjoining the main bar. Shots often alternate between the two trucks in the same scenes.

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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. seek a restraining order against an ex-con they helped put in jail]
A.J. Simon: Town, the guy is clearly here to make trouble, and he's carrying a grudge the size of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Rick Simon: Tell him about the cantaloupe.
A.J. Simon: Oh, yes! Somebody broke into my house yesterday and sliced up a cantaloupe that I had in my refrigerator.
Lt. M.P. 'Downtown' Brown: This *is* serious.
A.J. Simon: Town, we can take care of ourselves, but when it comes to threatening our mother, yes it is serious.
Lt. M.P. 'Downtown' Brown: OK look, let's go over the evidence here. Now your ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Jesse Jackson/Andrae Crouch, Wintley Phipps (1984)

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.