Written by John Edward Betancourt Something that we’ve talked about a lot in regard to season five of CHiPs, is what exactly the fall of a successful television show looks like. Because this series would only survive another season after enjoying five years as a ratings darling, and we’ve seen warning signs all season long that some kind of trouble is on the horizon, by way of Erik Estrada’s contract holdout and some outright dubious choices storytelling wise. But thus far we haven’t really seen an outright defining moment or episode that signals the transition from beloved prime-time series to a show that’s heading into decline. But as it turns out, the next episode in this storied franchise, changes all of that. For ‘K-9-1’ is the moment where CHiPs officially begins its downward spiral, simply because all of the warning signs and issues that we’ve discussed over the course of this season, manage to come together in this particular tale. For example, we’ve talked a lot about how taking the focus off of the series leads can engender a little disdain and boredom from the audience and that’s something this particular tale excels at. For Ponch and Jon take the backseat in this story. All so we can hang out with two K9 officers who are competing for the last spot in their unit and well, spending a lot of time with a pair of sour and boring two-dimensional characters really pulls you out of the episode and has you eagerly awaiting Ponch and Jon’s return. But while boring characters can be overlooked, if there’s one element above all that we have identified as a key reason for a series to fall to pieces, it would have to be bad writing and that is on display at every turn in this tale. Because the Creeps of the Week are an afterthought in this story. They’re just there to make the final act work. Plus, the K9 units go into ridiculously dangerous situations without an ounce of back up and that leads to another cardinal writing sin, in that; animals get hurt in this episode. Because one of the K9 units deals with a bomb threat, one that is legit and said bomb goes off, hurting one of the dogs by making him blind. Which is just silly and unnecessary since there are other ways to engender dramatic tension outside of hurting animals, especially on a family friendly, lighthearted series such as this one. Yet while we’ve talked about one ugly and flawed episode, we really haven’t pinned down exactly why this story serves as the true genesis for the decline of this series. And really, what it all boils down to, is that the mistakes present here set the foundation for the future. Because the show would commit to doing something it only toyed with over the course of season five and tinker with the cast roster further down the line. Which is a no-no for a series in this vein. For the support characters and the leads were beloved by all. Yet, this would be the final appearance for Officers Clark, Turner and Baricza, who have been on this journey since day one. And to make matters worse, this is the final full episode appearance of Larry Wilcox as Jon Baker, since a contract dispute would see him exit the series in season six, and having to get to know a whole new crew in a short period of time was undoubtedly a turn off for audiences. Plus, the bad writing would only get worse, and well, it’s just a shame to finally stumble upon the first nail in the coffin of a series that had proven itself to be quite the entertaining and intelligent ride. But that’s okay, because these things happen and soon, we will get an up close and personal look at more mistakes when we dive into season six. But before we get ahead of ourselves, it is best to look at something positive in regard to this tale since it wasn’t a total loss. After all, John Vernon has a bit part in this episode that he plays with glee, and it has dogs. Which is nice since they’re so pure, and well, all that’s left to do now, is dive into the season five finale. And if by chance you’re still in disbelief that this is the starting point of a grand decline, well don’t worry. The finale will hammer that fact home and that is where we will pick up, next time. Until then.
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