| Hardcastle and McCormick | |
|---|---|
| Format | Action/Drama |
| Created by | Stephen J. Cannell, Patrick Hasburgh |
| Starring | Brian Keith Daniel Hugh Kelly |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 67 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes per episode |
| Production company(s) | Stephen J. Cannell Productions |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 18, 1983 – May 5, 1986 |
Hardcastle and McCormick is a 1980s action/drama television series from Stephen J. Cannell Productions, shown on ABC from 1983–1986, starring Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and race car driver Mark "Skid" McCormick.
The show's premise involves the retirement of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle. With file drawers filled with 200 criminals who got off on technicalities, he takes a page from his childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, and makes plans to go after these criminals. Mark McCormick is a smart-mouthed, streetwise car thief who is looking at hard time for his latest theft, a prototype sports car, called the Coyote X, designed by his murdered best friend. Together they strike a deal: Hardcastle helps Mark catch the murderer; Mark agrees to be released as the Judge's right hand man. In addition, Mark is allowed to keep the Coyote, which proves to be an excellent pursuit vehicle for their needs.
Hardcastle's character was given great credibility in an episode where it was reported on a newscast that he was on the "short list" of judges up for a United States Supreme Court opening/nomination.
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The car that McCormick drove, the Coyote X, was not built from a Manta Montage kit car, itself a replica based on the McLaren M6GT.[1] The original was molded, modified and assembled by Mike Fennel. The nose, windshield doors and lower body are faithful representations of the McLaren;[2] the cut down rear deck, however, was a custom component, that became a feature on many Montages with damaged or removed rear windows. The most noticeable differences between the Coyotes and Mantas, are the wheel wells, roll pan height and shape and the fact that the Coyote has a one piece front clip that terminates about an inch before and surrounding the windshield. Most of the cars for the show were molded and assembled by either Mike Fennel or Unique Movie Cars. Like many kit cars of the time, the car uses a chassis from a Volkswagen Beetle and its engine from a Porsche 914.[3] For the second and third seasons, producers used a different Coyote, which was based on a De Lorean DMC-12, as Brian Keith had difficulty getting in and out of the original Coyote.[4]
One significant difference in the Season 2 and Season 3 DeLoreans, compared to the Season 1 car, is that the car's appearance does not resemble the Manta, as the front is larger than the original, making the car resemble a front-engined car. A season one car that was used in the production of Hardcastle and McCormick is currently owned by a private owner in southern New Jersey. The stunt car was reconfigured for the Knight Rider 2000 television pilot, then consequently turned into Jay Ohrberg's show car "Taz-Mobile". In April 2011, the car was sold and shipped to Texas where it will be re-bodied back to its "Coyote" configuration, retaining as many of the original Coyote pieces as possible. A season two car appeared briefly on the sixth episode of season five of Married... with Children.
The opening theme song during season one of this series was entitled "Drive". It was composed by Mike Post and Stephen Geyer and sung by David Morgan. For the first part of season two, the theme song was "Back to Back", also composed by Post and Geyer but sung by Joey Scarbury (who also sang Post's theme for The Greatest American Hero). Public demand, however, resulted in the "Drive" theme being reinstated and kept through season three. Post and Pete Carpenter scored the music for the series.
Ratings courtesy of TVTango.com's ratings archive
Visual Entertainment has released all 3 seasons of Hardcastle and McCormick on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only). VEI also released Hardcastle & McCormick: The Complete Series on DVD on September 3, 2008.[5]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 23 | February 14, 2006 |
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| The Complete Second Season | 22 | August 15, 2006 |
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| The Complete Third Season | 22 | October 30, 2007 |
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| The Complete Series | 67 | September 3, 2008 |
It is unknown if Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release any seasons of Hardcastle and McCormick in the U.S.
Hardcastle and McCormick Virtual 4th Season
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