CHiPs

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"CHiPs"
CHiPs' cast (from left to right): Erik Estrada, Robert Pine, Larry Wilcox
Genre	Action // Drama
Running time	45 minutes per episode (excluding commercials)
Creator(s)	Rick Rosner
Starring	Erik Estrada Larry Wilcox Robert Pine et al.
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	NBC, Syndicated
Original run	September 15, 1977–July 17, 1983
No. of episodes	139
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

CHiPs was a American television series through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios running on NBC from September 15, 1977 to July 17, 1983. A light-weight crime drama created by Rick Rosner, it starred Erik Estrada (Officer Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello) and Larry Wilcox (Officer Jon Baker) as Highway Patrolmen of the Central Los Angeles office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

The program ran for 139 episodes over six seasons. In season 5, Estrada was occasionally replaced by Bruce Jenner (Officer Steve McLeish) due to a contract dispute. Prior to season 6, Wilcox fell out with Estrada and left to be replaced by Tom Reilly (officer Bobby Nelson), and Bruce Penhall (probationary officer Bruce Nelson, Bobby's brother). Due to falling ratings through seasons 5 and 6, the show was cancelled in the spring of 1983.

Other regular actors were Michael Dorn (Officer Jebediah Turner), Brodie Greer (Officer Barry Baricza), Paul Linke (Officer Arthur Grossman), Robert Pine (Sgt. Joseph Getraer), Lou Wagner (Harlan Arliss), Brianne Leary (Sandy Cahill), and Randi Oakes (Officer Bonnie Clark). Officer Clark was a "Chippie," a term used for any officer of the California Highway Patrol in real life, but on the show it applied only to female officers.

Filming locations were generally in the San Fernando Valley of California. Freeway crashes were performed on recently constructed highways that were about to open to the public. For the first season, the Glendale Freeway (Highway 2) in Montrose, California was used. After the first season, the intersection of the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) and the Simi Valley Freeway (Highway 118) in Sylmar, California were used. For the racing scenes in the episode Drive, Lady, Drive they used the Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

Estrada and Wilcox lampooned their roles in the 1993 spoof movie Loaded Weapon 1. They appear in the shootout scene in the hotel.

In 1998, a made for television movie sequel entitled CHiPs '99 was created by TNT, as the network's parent company owns the rights to the show.

In 2005, a theatrical release motion picture version of the show was announced, starring Wilmer Valderrama as Ponch.^[1] Valderrama was featured along with That 70's Show co-star Danny Masterson in a parody of the show on Mad TV in 2002. The movie is tentatively set to be released in 2008.

The only character on the series to ever draw their firearm on camera was Baricza (Brodie Greer). He did so twice: Once (his radio car's Ithaca Gun Company shotgun) in the episode, "Rainy Day"^[2], where the CHiPs conduct a felony traffic stop of a motorhome-based rolling casino; the second time while being attacked by a karate-trained vehicle burglar named Billy (played by Danny Bonaduce) in the episode, "Karate".^[3] In that episode, Danny (armed with nunchucks), gains the upper hand on Officer Baricza, at which point Baricza feels he has no other choice but to draw his weapon (a large framed Smith & Wesson revolver). Danny then runs in retreat to a waiting getaway van.