1 9 8 7 – 1 9 8 8 (USA)
1 x 120 minute episode
29 x 60 minute episodes
City-slicker Joey La Fiamma (Michael Pare) and country boy Levon Lundy (Michael Beck) are undercover sergeants with the Houston, Texas, Police Department. La Fiamma has been reassigned to Houston from his native Chicago because of a case that exploded in the Windy City in which his partner was killed by the mob.
Sherina McLaren (Leigh Taylor-Young) is a lieutenant with the Major Crime Unit of the Houston Police Department.
Joey, Levon and Sherina join forces, and stories relate their efforts to solve complex murder cases. Lundy’s slow, friendly approach to investigation is miles away from La Fiamma’s brash, sometimes belligerent, methods.
Lundy drives a Jeep and likes to play country music while he thinks. He also likes hanging around greasy spoons and shooting the breeze with the locals.
La Fiamma cares nothing about the Jeep or the music or the locals and is prone to barge into the circumstances of a case, whereas Lundy would rather take a more leisurely approach.
Although, as detectives, they have each other’s backs, the irritation factor between the pair is high.
Other regular characters include Captain Scully (James Hampton); Detectives Lipscombe (Bill McKinney) and McCandless (James Crittenden); Annie (Madlyn Rhue), a wheelchair-bound cop; Chicken (John Hancock), the owner of the Alamo Bar (the local hangout); “Legs” (Nancy Everhard), Chicken’s waitress; and Sara Kelsey (Cindy Harrell), Annie’s niece.
Lt. Joanna Bennett (Robyn Douglass) replaced Sherina in later episodes.
This CBS crime drama debuted with a two-hour film in March 1987, and episodes aired on Wednesdays. CBS cancelled the series but gave it another try in the summer on Tuesdays at an earlier time.
Sgt. Joseph Anthony “Joey” La Fiamma
Michael Pare
Sgt. Levon Elmer Lundy Jr.
Michael Beck
Lt. Sherina McLaren
Leigh Taylor-Young
Lt. Joanne Beaumont
Robyn Douglass
Chicken
John Hancock
Annie Hartung
Madlyn Rhue
Captain John Scully
James Hampton
Det. Dale Lipscomb
Bill McKinney
Det. Joe-Bill McCandless
James Crittenden
Carol “Legs” O’Brien
Nancy Everhard
Sara Kelsey
Cindy Harrell