Mission casse-cou

...This series wasn't so bad. I used to hate it, when shown during the mid '80s. But seeing it again on one of the UK satellite channels at the moment, I realise how good they were. Almost comparable to The Professionals, in style and content, as that show also had two leads ((both male) who antagonised one another. I especially like Dempsey's sexist bit of banter towards Makepeace. Spikings makes for a good Cowley too.

I remember one episode title (Makepeace, Not War) very clearly.

This little 80's-era cop series was elevated by the performance and (obvious) skillful additional writing done by the cast. It was one of the earlier U.K. imports to be played on commercial TV for U.S. audiences (as opposed to public TV like PBS). Those that saw it loved the over-the-top action and smooth, seductive style of Michael Brandon's no-nonsense Brooklyn cop, Dempsey. His counterpart, Makepeace, is the Sloaney skirt who is annoyed by the brash New Yorker's style, but can't quite seem to hate him because he's not only witty, but has good police skills. The chemistry between the Bensonhurst Badboy and the Upper Crusty Lady Makepeace heats up as the seasons progress. The other critical ingredient to the success of this project was (Ray Smith) Gordon Spikings character who is consistently yelling and dropping the hammer on one person or another, as the commander of the unit. Lots of gunplay, explosions, and stunts. Character-wise, it has a flavor not wholly unlike Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which is of a similar vintage. Ironically, the Brits espouse an anti-gun sensibility and create a cop character that fires his .357 revolver at absolutely EVERYTHING - even if he doesn't have a clean shot. As of 2010, there is no region 1 (USA) DVD commercially available from the series. An unfortunate oversight on the part of the owners, since even a small fan base here in the U.S. is as big as a large fan base in another country. They are overlooking the opportunity to re-purpose this content.

Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber made a great team as they played Dempsey and Makepeace in this exciting cop show from the 1980's.

Dempsey was the tough and streetwise American cop, Makepeace was the educated Detective Sergeant based in England. They were total opposites but that's what made the show great.

The music from this show was one of the best from the 1980's and the action scenes were just brilliant. British criminals just couldn't stand up to the tough Dempsey who was a brilliant fighter and who didn't really get hurt much. Makepeace could also hold her own against the bad guys. They worked for the intense Chief Superintendent Spikings played by the late Ray Smith and aiding them on cases was Detective Sergeant Jarvis played by Tony Osoba.

Brilliant series-especially the pilot episode.

I used to love this show as a kid and recently I've been re-watching some of it and I still think it's as good as I used to.

Micheal Brandon and Glynis Barber are great as James Dempsey and Harry Makepeace. The chemistry is amazing and because it was real all the more interesting to watch.

It's a shame that they only made 3 seasons - although its great to re-watch them all again.

My only complaint is that they never got together romatically and I think that they should have.

Go you You tube and Google Dempsey and Makepeace and you will find all 30 show available to watch...