# Simon & Simon (1981)

> Two brothers with contrasting styles run a San Diego private detective agency, solving cases while bickering their way through them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1993

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 156
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Philip DeGuere Jr.
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Jameson Parker, Gerald McRaney, Mary Carver, Joan McMurtrey, Jeannie Wilson, Eddie Barth, Tim Reid, John McCook
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081930/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: nostalgic, cheerful, amused, suspenseful, breezy, warm

## What critics say

Viewers remember Simon & Simon as a warm, lighthearted detective series whose sibling chemistry was its main draw, though its uneven ratings across seasons kept it from broader acclaim.

## Synopsis

Simon & Simon (1981-1989) is an American crime drama series created by Philip DeGuere Jr. for CBS, produced by Universal Television. It follows polished A.J. Simon (Jameson Parker), who loves classic cars and tailored suits, and his older brother Rick Simon (Gerald McRaney), a less refined man who favors cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. Together they run a private detective agency in San Diego, taking on clients whose cases pull them into everyday schemes and small-scale trouble. Their sibling chemistry is the heart of the show, with the two squabbling and needling each other while still sticking together when it counts. Each episode is built around a self-contained case, giving the series the feel of a case-of-the-week format rather than a continuing mystery. Supporting figures such as Cecilia Simon (Mary Carver) round out the family world around the brothers. The tone is breezy and affectionate, with suspense kept light and humor warm, and the series carries a distinctly eighties sensibility of sunny California locations and classic American television craft. Fans of Magnum, P.I., Hart to Hart and Remington Steele will find a familiar kind of pleasure here, a comfortable detective series built on the rapport between its leads. Running eight seasons and 156 episodes, it stands as a fondly remembered example of the genre.

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