1 9 8 1 – 1 9 8 8 (USA)
156 episodes
A.J. and Rick Simon were brothers, but you’d never have known it by looking at them. A.J. (Jameson Parker) was conservative, dedicated, clean-cut, and ambitious while Vietnam vet Rick (Gerald McRaney) was eccentric, grubby, and laid-back to the point of being lazy.
A.J. drove an immaculate convertible and kept his apartment (located behind their office) in spotless condition. Rick bummed around San Diego in a beat-up pickup truck, lived like a slob on a houseboat, and was more interested in his guitar than working.
Despite their different lifestyles, A.J. and Rick were partners in a small, struggling detective agency.
There was much sibling rivalry, Rick tended to exasperate his younger brother, as well as occasional disapproval from their mother, Cecilia (Mary Carver), who wasn’t thrilled when they took cases that didn’t pay much.
Across the street from their office was a rival agency run by crabby Myron Fowler (Eddie Barth). Myron’s daughter, Janet (Jeannie Wilson), who worked for her dad as a secretary, got an occasional chance to play detective by helping Rick and A.J. on some of their cases, much to Myron’s consternation.
After graduating from law school Janet became a local assistant district attorney, which strained her relationship with the Simons when she was prosecuting one of their clients.
Myron, meanwhile, had closed his agency and retired, only to show up as a part-time legman for Rick and A.J.
Undercover police detective “Downtown” Brown (Tim Reid), whose unorthodox techniques for dealing with criminals and obtaining information appealed to Rick, and appalled A.J., was around to help out, as long as he got something out of it.
TRIVIA
Simon & Simon was originally supposed to be called Pirate’s Key. At its most successful the series was a top-five Nielsens performer.
A.J. Simon
Jameson Parker
Rick Simon
Gerald McRaney
Cecilia Simon
Mary Carver
Janet Fowler
Jeannie Wilson
Myron Fowler
Eddie Barth
Det. Marcel “Downtown” Brown
Tim Reid
Officer Nixon
Scott Murphy
Lt. Abigail Marsh
Joan McMurtrey
Officer Susie
Donna Jepsen
