Riptide

What I was familiar with this show gave me the sense that this Stephen J.Cannell-produced show--created hard on the heels of past successes such as "Rockford Files" and "The A*Team"--was supposed to be somewhat of a expansion of the "LAid-back Vietnam Vets become P.I.s in Warm Climes" dynamic that was first floated out by the much more successful "Magnum P.I.". As such,it was an easy to watch(though not particularly an improvement upon the much more viscerally satisfying "A*Team")hour of TV that didn't,alas,register as strong as the show(or shows)it was cribbed from. The trio of vets(Joe Penny,Perry King and Thom Bray,all securely locked into careers now as guest stars and/or TV-movie staples)live by a Marina,operate a helicopter and take on varying cases. I'm figuring this show will pop up on TVLAnd before too much longer,assuming it hasn't already.

I haven't seen the show since it aired back in '84, but that was the era when personal computers was being introduced. The 'computers' and geek-speak on Riptide fascinated me, as we were already using the IBM PC at our business, and Riptide tried to use computers as a supporting element in the show.

Unfortunately, the world of real computers was just a little too new for the writers. I recall Boz explaining how he'd obtained some vital bit of information to the guys: "Well, I downloaded it using ASCII..." But, hey, they tried.

I don't think one mystery was ever explained: where did these Magnum/Airwolf wanna-be PIs get the cash to run both a yacht AND a helicopter?

Sure, there was Magnum PI, the A-Team, Remington Steele and Simon & Simon, but to get your PI fix you had to get with Riptide. No show during the PI era captured our imagination and entertained our wit better than Riptide. You know all those personal slave robots we were promised way back in the 1980's? It's here on Riptide. Ever wanted to be a freelance PI living on a yacht, driving a convertible vette', scoring with the Cali beach chicks and running a chopper around Southern California? It's all here. In this show we see the immortal and genius acting of Perry King. We see Joe Penny before he was Jake next to the Fatman. We see Thom Bray before he fell off the face of the earth or joined a cult and changed his name to Sunflower. This was absolutely my favorite show when I was 14, and when you're 14 your favorite show means something to you. You identify with it, you even kind of embody it. Riptide was for the discerning PI fan whereas A-Team was for moronic, mindless action-junkies infatuated with Mr. T. Only chicks watched Magnum, and Simon & Simon was but a mere blip on the PI radar. When will Hollywood realize I will never pay $75 for the Full House DVD but will gladly part with the funds for my childhood?

We have seen detective and pi series over and over, but this one has a certain wit to it. Just don't take it too seriously.

This detective show was one of my favorite shows. The exploits of Vietnam vets turned detective team Cody, Nick, and Murray (the computer expert) were followed in this fun, action packed show which I watched regularly. Adding to the fun, they lived on a yacht! I liked it.