Hard Knocks (1987 TV series)

Last updated
Hard Knocks
Hard Knocks (1987 TV series) Title.png
Hard Knocks opening title card
Created by Chris Thompson
Starring Bill Maher
Tommy Hinkley
ComposersDan Foliart
Howard Pearl
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers Gary Nardino
Chris Thompson
Running timeapprox. 30 min.
Production companiesGary Nardino-Chris Thompson Productions
Paramount Television
Original release
Network Showtime
ReleaseApril 20 (1987-04-20) 
August 6, 1987 (1987-08-06)

Hard Knocks is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on the Showtime Network. It featured Bill Maher and Tommy Hinkley as ideologically opposed private detectives looking to make money by solving the problems of their wealthy clients.

Contents

Synopsis

Gower Rhodes and Nick Bronco open a private detective agency in the back of a restaurant to make money by solving cases. However, nothing seems to go their way.

Cast

Main characters

Recurring and Guest Roles

Episodes

TitleDirected by:Written by:Air date
1"Pilot"Jules Lichtman Chris Thompson July 23, 1987 (1987-07-23)
2"Play Mr. Tambourine Man for Me"Don Barnhart Rob Dames,
Bob Fraser
April 20, 1987 (1987-04-20)
Gower and Nick go on a double date
3"What Becomes a Legend Least" Shelley Jensen Marjorie Gross May 8, 1987 (1987-05-08)
4"The End of the World" Rob Dames Don Reo May 15, 1987 (1987-05-15)
Gower and Nick release a deadly chemical
5"Bronco's Rib" Shelley Jensen Ron Zimmerman May 29, 1987 (1987-05-29)
6"Fallen Idol"Jules Lichtman Don Reo June 5, 1987 (1987-06-05)
7"Luck be a Dead Gangster Tonight" Chris Thompson Marjorie GrossJune 12, 1987 (1987-06-12)
8"If You Knew Nancy" Shelley Jensen Ron Zimmerman June 19, 1987 (1987-06-19)
9"Highway to Hard Knocks" Shelley Jensen UnknownJune 26, 1987 (1987-06-26)
10"The Hits" Shelley Jensen Don ReoJuly 9, 1987 (1987-07-09)
11"Captain Justice" Shelley Jensen Marjorie Gross,
Don Reo,
Chris Thompson,
Ron Zimmerman
July 16, 1987 (1987-07-16)
12"Sap Cops" Shelley Jensen George BeckermanJuly 30, 1987 (1987-07-30)
13"Hammerhead Is Out" Shelley Jensen UnknownAugust 6, 1987 (1987-08-06)

Reception

Critical reception

John J. O'Connor of the New York Times called the show "something truly different." [1] The show has also been reviewed in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal as "hard to watch," [2] and in the Chicago Tribune as having woeful writing, unappealing characters, an infantile premise, and as "making programmers at the three networks look like charter members of Mensa." [3]

Awards and nominations

Hard Knocks was nominated for a CableACE Award in 1988 [4]

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick and Nora Charles</span> Fictional characters in the novel The Thin Man and adapted for film

Nick and Nora Charles are fictional characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. The characters were later adapted for film in a series of films between 1934 and 1947; for radio from 1941 to 1950; for television from 1957 through 1959; as a Broadway musical in 1991; and as a stage play in 2009.

The Skatebirds is an American live-action/animated package program produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on CBS from September 10, 1977, to January 21, 1978.

<i>Whos the Boss?</i> American television sitcom (1984–1992)

Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom television series created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984, to April 25, 1992. Produced by Hunter-Cohan Productions in association with Embassy Television and Columbia Pictures Television, the series stars Tony Danza as Tony Micelli, a former Major League Baseball athlete who strives to raise his daughter, Samantha Micelli, outside of the hectic nature of New York City and relocates her to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he works as a live-in housekeeper for a beautiful single advertising executive named Angela Bower. The series' cast also includes Katherine Helmond as Angela's mother, Mona Robinson, and Danny Pintauro as Angela's young son, Jonathan Bower.

<i>Midnight Caller</i> Television program

Midnight Caller is an American drama television series created by Richard DiLello, which aired on NBC from October 25, 1988, to May 10, 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias Koteas</span> Canadian actor (born 1961)

Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Alvin "Al" Olinsky in the Chicago franchise, as well as appearing in lead and supporting roles in numerous films. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film Ararat (2002). He appeared in such films as Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), The Adjuster (1991), Exotica (1994), The Prophecy (1995), Crash (1996), Living Out Loud (1998), Fallen (1998), The Thin Red Line (1998), Harrison's Flowers (2002), Collateral Damage (2002), Shooter (2007), Zodiac (2007), Skinwalkers (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and Shutter Island (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Brown</span> American actress

Olivia Brown is an American actress, best known for her role as detective Trudy Joplin in the NBC crime drama series Miami Vice (1984–1989).

<i>Mr. Rhodes</i> American television sitcom

Mr. Rhodes is an American television sitcom which was aired by NBC as part of its 1996–97 lineup.

Hard Knocks may refer to:

<i>The Law & Harry McGraw</i> American mystery crime drama television series

The Law & Harry McGraw is an American mystery crime drama television series created by Peter S. Fischer and a spin-off of Murder, She Wrote that aired on CBS from September 27, 1987, to February 10, 1988.

Seán McGinley is an Irish actor. He has appeared in about 80 films and television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Baldwin (director)</span> American actor and film director (1931–2017)

Peter DuBois Baldwin was an American actor and director of film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Hinkley</span> American actor

Hiram Thomas Hinkley is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in the comedy Back to the Beach (1987), and subsequently appeared in the Academy Award-winning short film Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall. The same year, he appeared as a lead character opposite Bill Maher in the short-lived Showtime series Hard Knocks.

Bagdad Cafe is an American television sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton that aired on CBS. The series premiered March 30, 1990, and ran two seasons before being cancelled in winter 1990. The last two episodes aired in July 1991. The show is based on the 1987 Percy Adlon film Bagdad Cafe.

<i>Nick Carter, Master Detective</i> (film) 1940 film by Jacques Tourneur

Nick Carter, Master Detective is a 1939 film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Walter Pidgeon. It is based original stories created for the screen featuring the Nick Carter character from the long-running literary series.

<i>Mystery Girls</i> American sitcom

Mystery Girls is an American sitcom starring Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth that aired on ABC Family on June 25 through August 27, 2014. The series follows Holly and Charlie, former stars of the fictional 1990s TV detective series Mystery Girls who reunite to solve actual mysteries.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the first overall episode of the series and is written by series creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 17, 2013.

"Chocolate Milk" is the second episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 24th overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Gabe Liedman and directed by Fred Goss. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2014.

"Ava" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 53rd overall episode of the series and is written by Matt O'Brien and directed by Tristram Shapeero. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 22, 2015.

"Yippie Kayak" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 55th overall episode of the series and is written by Lakshmi Sundaram and directed by Rebecca Asher. It aired on Fox in the United States on December 13, 2015.

References

  1. O'Connor, John (April 20, 1987). "TV Review; 'Hard Knocks,' Sitcom". NYT . Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  2. Edelstein, Andrew (April 26, 1987). "'Hard Knocks' is hard to watch". Spartanburg Herald-Journal . Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  3. Terry, Clifford (April 20, 1987). "'Hard Knocks' Doesn't Earn Its Keep For Creative Laughs". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  4. "Hard Knocks (1987– ) Awards". IMDb . Retrieved January 14, 2015.