Sledge Hammer!

Sledge Hammer! is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character. Al Jean and Mike Reiss, best known for their work on The Simpsons, wrote for the show and worked as story editors.

Sledge Hammer! (1986-1988) is an American satirical police sitcom created by Alan Spencer for ABC and produced by New World Television. David Rasche plays Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the hard-boiled cop on the edge, working alongside Anne-Marie Martin as Dori Doreau and Harrison Page as Captain Trunk. The engine of the show is the gap between Hammer's swaggering certainty and the chaos he leaves in his wake, as he tackles street crime in San Francisco with flamboyant overconfidence and absurd gadgetry. Each twenty-five-minute episode is a self-contained case-of-the-week built from the tropes of 1970s and 1980s detective films and television, skewered with deadpan timing and escalating set pieces. Across two seasons and forty-one episodes it stays a short-lived, bright, irreverent spoof, with a breezy, joyful tone and a sharp eye for genre clichés. Writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, known for The Simpsons, contributed as story editors, lending the satire a sharp, writerly edge. Fans of Police Squad!, Hot Shots! and Barney Miller will find resonance in its blend of parody, workplace comedy and affectionate mockery of police procedure. Its cult reputation rests on a short run that critics still remember as brilliant.

Critics and viewers remember Sledge Hammer! as a brilliantly funny parody of 1970s and 1980s tough-cop shows, though it was cut short after two seasons.

• Police Squad!shared satirical police parody tone, cop tropes played for laughs
• Hot Shots!shared absurdist cop comedy with a deadpan lead and over-the-top set pieces
• Barney Millershared workplace comedy built on a self-important protagonist and sitcom structure

Created by

Alan Spencer

Release Date

1986-09-23

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (184)

What is Sledge Hammer! about?

A preposterous San Francisco inspector plays the cop-on-the-edge archetype to absurd extremes in this satirical 1980s police sitcom.

What is Sledge Hammer! like to watch?

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

Is Sledge Hammer! violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Sledge Hammer! as mild.

What did critics think of Sledge Hammer!?

Critics and viewers remember Sledge Hammer! as a brilliantly funny parody of 1970s and 1980s tough-cop shows, though it was cut short after two seasons.

Which shows are like Sledge Hammer!?

Shows with a similar feel include Police Squad!, Hot Shots!, and Barney Miller.

How long is Sledge Hammer!?

Sledge Hammer!: 2 seasons, 41 episodes.

Is Sledge Hammer! still running?

No, Sledge Hammer! has ended.

Where can I watch Sledge Hammer!?

In United States, Sledge Hammer! streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.