CHiPs

Lighthearted look at the adventures of two Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorcycle officers always on the street to save lives.

CHiPs (1977-1983) is an American NBC police drama series created by Rick Rosner, a lighthearted action show spanning six seasons and 139 episodes. Larry Wilcox plays motorcycle officer Jon Baker and Erik Estrada plays his partner Frank Poncherello, two California Highway Patrol officers who spend their shifts on the freeways and streets of Los Angeles. Robert Pine appears as their superior Joseph Getraer, anchoring the squad around them. The engine of the show is simple: each episode delivers a fresh stream of traffic emergencies, roadside rescues, pursuits and stranded motorists, and the partners handle them with quick reflexes, banter and a steady sense of duty. Its seasons are built from self-contained cases rather than one continuing storyline, so the format is easy to dip into. The look is sunny and open, with motorcycles weaving through Los Angeles traffic and a warm camaraderie between the leads. Fans of Adam-12, Starsky & Hutch and Miami Vice will find a similar blend of California police action and buddy chemistry. Its tone stays breezy and hopeful, with action treated as an adventure rather than a grim ordeal, which makes it a nostalgic, comforting watch for viewers who grew up with television from that era.

Audiences broadly regard CHiPs as a lighthearted, action-packed buddy cop series whose later seasons were rated higher than its first.

• Miami Vicelighthearted buddy cop partnership, highway patrol action, episodic case-of-the-week format
• Starsky & Hutchbuddy partnership with light tone and vehicle-based action, 1970s-80s police series
• Adam-12lighthearted police procedural with feel-good banter and everyday heroics
• The Dukes of Hazzardlighthearted action series built on a duo of officers and stunt-driven set pieces

Created by

Rick Rosner

Release Date

1977-09-15

Episode runtime

48 min

Rating

6.5 / 10 (155)

What is CHiPs about?

Two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers in Los Angeles handle traffic emergencies and rescues with lighthearted buddy banter.

What is CHiPs like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of CHiPs as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is CHiPs violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in CHiPs as mild.

What did critics think of CHiPs?

Audiences broadly regard CHiPs as a lighthearted, action-packed buddy cop series whose later seasons were rated higher than its first.

Which shows are like CHiPs?

Shows with a similar feel include Miami Vice, Starsky & Hutch, Adam-12, and The Dukes of Hazzard.

How long is CHiPs?

CHiPs: 6 seasons, 139 episodes.

Is CHiPs still running?

No, CHiPs has ended.

Where can I watch CHiPs?

In United States, CHiPs streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.