Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle (Brian Keith) has the characterstics of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood: strong, silent, and stoic with a tough exterior and a strong sense of justice. Mark "Skid" McCormick (Daniel Hugh Kelly) has the traits of James Rockford, but with the looks of David Hasselhoff: an easygoing, likable ex-con who can talk -- and charm -- his way of anything, but he can "Drive" thanks to his years as a race car driver. As a modern-day Lone Ranger & Tonto, Hardcastle & McCormick fights crime and injustice: going after the 200 defendants that walked out of Hardcastle's courtroom on legal loopholes and technicalities.
By the mid-1980s, Stephen J. Cannell was at his peak as writer, creator, and executive producer with The A-Team (1983-87), Riptide (1984-86), Hunter (1984-91), Stingray (1985-87), and now Hardcastle & McCormick (1983-86). Though never earning the critical acclaim The Rockford Files had back in the mid-1970s, these shows continues to have a place in pop culture thanks to reruns in syndication, books, fan sites, and DVDs that can be found online at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
Switching Gears
The original premise was the duo going after bad guys that beaten the system and bring them to justice in the Coyote X, but in the format of Rockford, season three of Hardcastle & McCormick became more character-driven -- focusing on the two male protagonists with episodes that includes the opener "She Ain't Deep But She Sure Runs Fast", "The Career Breaker", and "Do Not Go Gentle". The writers and producers went in a different direction, with the judge and McCormick coming helping out family and friends as well as finding trouble unexpectedly in episodes such as "Mirage a Trois".
A Coyote-Less Season?
Near the end of season two, car chases were started to declined, and the DeLorean Coyote made only one jump in the episode "The Birthday Present". The Coyote made an appearance every now and then, but there were less car chases in season three due to production costs and expenses. The writers used stock footage from the pilot "Rolling Thunder" for the chase scene in "Faster Heart" and the end chase for "The Yankee Clipper". They even made the mistake of slowly wrecking -- and then blowing up -- the Coyote in "When I Look Back On All The Things", the episode where Hardcastle & McCormick first met.
Like the General Lee was to The Dukes of Hazzard, the Ferrari was to Magnum PI, and KITT was to Knight Rider, the Coyote X was an integral part to Hardcastle & McCormick.
Before CSI
Today, Carol Mendelshon is one of the head writers, co-executive producers, and co-creators of CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY. But it is during Hardcastle & McCormick's third season that she began her career as a prolific television writer with "Games People Play" and the series finale "A Chip Off The 'Ol Milt", with McCormick following the footsteps of his mentor Hardcastle. Mendelshon then went on to write for Stingray, Wiseguy, and 21 Jump Street.
She even a wrote an unproduced script for season three with the judge involved in a romance with a woman on the run from the mob, but Brian Keith was against it, and the story was shelved. However, the script can be found in its entirely in the book Hardcastle & McCormick: A Complete Viewer's Guide to the Classic Eighties Action avaiable online at www.hardcastleandmccormickbook.com or Amazon.com.
Pop Culture Influence
Hardcastle & McCormick even paved the way for the late-night CBS crime drama Dark Justice (1991-94) featuring a pre-Matrix Carrie Anne-Moss about Nick Marshall (Remy Zada, Bruce Abbott), a man who dedicated his life to the system as first a cop, a prosecutor, and now a judge. When his wife and young daughter was killed in a car explosion, Marshall spents his nights as a motorcycle-riding vigliante hunting those above the law in the name of justice.
Conclusion
Though having less action and not having one last car chase in the finale, the relationship between Hardcastle & McCormick comes full circle with season three currently available online at Amazon.com.
