B.A.D.C.A.T.S.

1 9 8 0 (USA)
10 x 60 minute episodes

Nick Donovan (Asher Brauner) and Ocee James (Steve Hanks) were ex-racing drivers who had been recruited by the Los Angeles Police Department for its B.A.D. C.A.T. squad (Burglary Auto Detail/Commercial Auto Thefts).

Bystanders went running for cover as Nick and Ocee went chasing criminals down the streets of Los Angeles in their souped-up Nova (code ‘Cat 1’).

Helping them were gorgeous female cop Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen (Michelle Pfeiffer before she became mega-famous) who had the code ‘Cat 2’, crusty Captain Nathan (veteran star of Combat!, Vic Morrow), restaurant owner Ma (LaWanda Page), and Rodney Washington (Jimmie Walker), a comic car thief turned auto repo man and snitch.

The show was so lamentable that it was cancelled after a mere 10 episodes. This early death caused producer Everett Chambers to complain that all the cars bought for pyrotechnical screen smash-ups were left unused:

“We bought $40,000 worth of cars to smash up, and we never got a chance to smash them up. I think that’s kind of immoral, $40,000 worth of cars to smash up when people are starving in India”.

He added: “It was an ill-conceived and ineptly executed series. The network is responsible for some of it and I’m responsible for some of it,” before concluding, “I’m not putting this on my credits”.

Officer Nick Donovan 
Asher Brauner
Officer Ocee James 
Steve Hanks
Officer Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen 
Michelle Pfeiffer
Captain Eugene Nathan 
Vic Morrow
Rodney Washington 
Jimmie Walker
Ma 
LaWanda Page

Episodes

Pilot | The Good-Time Girls | I Want It or You Die | Life and Death of a Beauty Queen | Semi-Paradise | Let’s Put Sam Away | Bomb! | Die, Cheerleader, Die! | Death Car | Running Home