Mod Squad

Its premise was exactly this: Three teenagers who get into trouble with the law and help out others out of trouble by solving crimes with the help out the Lieutenant(played by Tige Andrews) who keeps one step ahead of everything they do. Out of all the Aaron Spelling shows that he ever produced this was one of the best ever(which is second to "Starsky and Hutch" and his earlier works too including the long forgotten detective show "Burke's Law"). Three teenagers from different backgrounds were basically detectives in their own way in getting the bad guys. The concept of this show was just that: kids ratting on kids,and going undercover to break up drug busts or sometimes save a girl from great danger. Pete, Linc,and Julie were the kids of their generation and it will never be a show like it ever. The show itself had some of the grooviest fashions ever from that period along with the stylings of the Afro and its standard of unity for all. The show was a top ten hit when it ran on ABC from 1968-1973. The executive producers were Danny Thomas(of Make Room for Daddy fame),and Sheldon Leonard(who was also producing I Spy and Andy Griffith at the time)and they kept the story lines with great action and one of the best crime drama shows ever to come out of that era. The guest stars who appear on the show were making their mark during its run with stars like Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Pryor, Michael Douglas,and Karen Black. Was one of the hippest ever....catch the episodes on videocassette if you can..

As a teenager I thought that Mod Squad was one of the coolest shows around. The three friends with their youth, enthusiasm, and beauty fighting crime. They were young people who got in trouble with the law, who got themselves out of trouble and now helped others in the same situation. Michael Cole (General Hospital) "Pete Cochran" stole a car; Clarence Williams III (Twin Peaks) "Linc Hayes"was arrested during riots and gorgeous "Julie Barnes" Peggy Lipton (Twin Peaks) ran away from her San Francisco home. I was fascinated by their fashionable counterculture outfits and the entire idea of the show. It was the sixties and that a cool way to be. There have been movies made for the big screen based on the series. I never cease to be amazed to see how many series Aaron Spelling has produced that had such an impact on my teenagers and young adult years. I enjoyed that type of series as an adolescent.

When this show first premiered in 1968, little did anyone know that over the next three decades that there would be several youth oriented shows. Shows like "21 Jumpstreet", "Starsky and Hutch" and "David Cassidy-Man Undercover" were all cop shows aimed at the youth market, but this was the granddaddy of them all. Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III were perfectly cast and this show will always come to represent the era that it was produced in.

I was to young to relate to Mod Squad when it was on TV but I've been watching it again and I kinda like it now. The show was sponsored by Chrysler and they drive a Dodge Challenger. My first car in the 70s was a Plymouth 'Cuda so im a Mopar guy through and through and really enjoy shows with Chrysler products. Mannix and the Brady Bunch was also sponsored by Chrysler. Mod Squad is a ride down memory lane.

I could see why Peggy Lipton became a star from this television show. She captures the role of Julie perfectly with a range of vulnerability and innocence in the role. Peggy Lipton's performance as Julie is believable in this somewhat unbelievable series. Anyway the series may be dated but there are plenty of surprise guest appearances. The other actors like Michael Cole, Clarence Williams, and Tige Andrews complete the male dominated cast. Each episode features a mystery to solve but without the gore and violence of today's crime dramas. The Mod Squad is largely more character driven than plot and action driven. Plenty of guests are familiar faces on television. The Mod Squad are three very different individuals whose lives are turned around by a police captain. He gives them a second chance in redemption and becoming unlikely police officers. I love the California scenery. The show was a hit largely because of the chemistry among the cast members and the time period for audiences. To see African Americans and Caucasians interact was still a new experience on television but not in reality. This show was caught up in the hype of the late sixties and early seventies of the counterculture. This show didn't shy away from controversial issues as well.