T.J. Hooker

^{Review by Sunday Simmons}

When he wasn’t boldly going where no man had gone before, William Shatner was also (amongst other things) playing hard ball with the bad guys as veteran cop, T.J. Hooker. First airing in the US in March 1982, and running for 5 seasons, this was arguably one of the best action police dramas to cross the pond, and was essential evening viewing for 80s kids all over the UK. It came with a swathe of other essential viewing, such as The A Team, Airwolf, and CHiPS. Amusing, action packed, often gritty, sometimes silly, and shockingly underrated. That just about sums it up.

And so to the storyline. When Detective T.J. Hooker’s partner is tragically killed whilst trying to stop a bank robbery, Hooker realises the only way he can really make a difference and rid the streets of lowlife criminals is to demote himself to uniformed beat cop. As a Vietnam veteran and with 15 years in the force under his belt, Hooker is one tough cookie. Paired with wise cracking rookie partner, Vince Romano played by Adrian Zmed (Grease 2), bad guys start falling thick and fast.

What works about this series is the camaraderie between the characters, and that’s one of the things I love about it. Hooker, angry and determined, partnered with hot headed Romano, is an unlikely combination that develops into a strong partnership of friendship and trust. A clever extra dimension came in the form of Sgt Jim Corrigan, played by the late James Darren (Time Tunnel and much loved Vic Fontaine of Deep Space 9 story Holosuite fame), and Stacy Sheridan (Heather Locklear – Dynasty), adding another layer of interest to the series rather than focusing solely on Shatner’s character.

It’s worth noting that James Darren wasn’t the only Star Trek link in this action packed series. Hooker’s boss, Captain Sheridan, was played by Richard Herd (Admiral Paris – Star Trek: Voyager). The series also boasted appearances from Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Judson Scott (Wrath of Khan, Next Generation, and Voyager), Michael Cavanaugh and Thalmus Rasulala (Next Generation), and George Murdoch – who not only appeared in Star Trek – The Final Frontier, but is also one of only a few actors to have appeared in Star Trek and Doctor Who. The series also aired during the peak of Star Trek’s re-emergence, around the Wrath of Khan/Search for Spock era – which no doubt helped boost viewing figures.

To me, TJ Hooker managed to take everything good about 80s action TV and roll it into one sometimes gritty, sometimes goofy hour-long cop show. The hard-faced cop meets wild card rookie works so well for this series, and they even threw in some romance for good measure, because why not. Far more accessible than Hill Street Blues, it was a shame that the final season was given a darker plot and later slot, which led to Adrian Zmed (Romano) leaving the series and scuppering the dynamic. Unfortunately, this all went a long way towards the show meeting its demise in 1986.

To sum up, it’s a really good watch, and if you like cop shows, car chases, the 80s, William Shatner’s acting, or you just fancy something you might not have seen before, T.J. Hooker is streaming now (at the time of writing) on Prime Video.