Released by Visual Entertainment Inc. (VEI) on Valentine's Day 2006, Hardcastle & McCormick's season one consists of all 23 episodes, including the series premiere "Rolling Thunder". Aired on ABC from 1983 to 1986, the series was co-created by Stephen J. Cannell, who's best known for shows like The Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, and Wiseguy. Hardcastle & McCormick might not had the same impact these shows had on viewers, but it has found a niche in pop culture today thanks to websites, YouTube clips, and the book Hardcastle and McCormick: A Complete Viewer's Guide to the Classic Eighties Action Series, which you can order online at Amazon.com.
Premise
Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle (Brian Keith) has dedicated his life to the law: first as a cop, and then as a judge. Now retired, he decides to track down 200 defendants that walked out of his courtoom due to legal technicalites, such as a cop failing to reading the suspect his Miranda rights. Though fit in his mid-60s, Hardcastle knows he's need assistance, which is why he enlists the services of Mark "Skid" McCormick (Daniel Hugh Kelly) -- because "it takes one to know one". Mark agrees to be his fast gun and faster driver, as Hardcastle & McCormick becomes a modern-day Lone Ranger and Tonto -- not unless they kill each other first before the bad guys do.
Drive! Push It To The Floor 'Til The Engine Screams!
What fans remembered about Hardcastle & McCormick is the original theme song "Drive" that defines the show, and most of all, the Coyote X. Though the series debuted during The Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider, this wasn't another plot-driven detective/adventure series with a hot car. The first season definitely lays the groundwork of the premise with episodes like "Rolling Thunder", "Man in a Glass House", "The Black Widow", "Once Again with Vigorish", and "Killer B's", but Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh centered the series on our two heroes.
Now You're Cookin'! - Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle
The creators and writers of Hardcastle & McCormick used the same elements that made Rockford and The A-Team a hit: character arcs mixed with action, comedy, and drama. The first season finds Hardcastle & McCormick learning to work together when they're not fighting, and as the series progressed, they slowly become the best of friends, with Hardcastle becoming the father McCormick never had, and McCormick becoming the son he lost -- even if they're not ready to admit it to each other.
Hardcastle & McCormick: The Complete First Season is currently available on Amazon.com.
