‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘CHiPs ‘99’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It turns out, that our grand re-watch of the once popular police serial CHiPs, yielded some fascinating discoveries about this classic show. Such as the fact that this series was actually ahead of its time. Since it often examined topics and real-world issues that other shows wouldn’t touch in the slightest. Plus, we also came to learn that bad storytelling decisions, did this series dirty in its sixth and final season, since a push to make gimmicks and timely fads a focus of the series helped to move it into the realm of cancellation. But while it was fascinating to uncover those little tidbits along the way, what matters most when it comes to this show… is that despite its sour series finale, it was able to figure out how to resurrect itself just long enough to give this saga a proper ending.
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A feat that was accomplished by way of outright nostalgia. For reruns of this series were commonplace on TNT back in the 1990s, and the positive reception that all of those classic episodes brought forth, motivated the network and a fair chunk of the original cast and crew to reunite for a T.V. movie entitled CHiPs ’99. Which saw Francis ‘Frank’ Poncherello and Jon Baker return to the Los Angeles highways after fifteen years of not riding together, in order to bring down a group of car thieves that were using a retrofitted tour bus to move their stolen loot down Mexico way. Which is a classic CHiPs plot, one that is more or less repurposed for this story from the ‘Pilot’ episode. But while it is wonderful to see these two men riding the highways again and doing what they do best, it is the little things present in this true finale, that allow for it to shine.

Such as the fact that it takes the time to show us how these characters have grown since the last time, we saw them. For Artie Grossman is now a detective with the CHP, Bruce Nelson is now a sergeant and while Barry ‘Bear’ Baricza isn’t moving up the ladder, he’s still doing his job well and is a more seasoned officer now. Plus, we come to learn in this tale that Joe Getraer is now the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol, which is damn fitting for certain. And of course, Jon Baker is now a captain that is happily married and Ponch ended up falling in love and marrying the woman he just so happened to save in the Pilot episode, and they even had a son before she passed away and it is her death that is central to a great many things in this story. 

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In fact, it is safe to say that her passing is exactly what serves as the catalyst for this movie to serve as the true series finale. Because once characters begin to reflect upon their fictional life journey and look ahead to the future, it signals the end of a particular story, and Ponch and Jon do that here no problem and that allows for a genuine sense of finality to hang over this particular tale, one that is of course… supremely satisfying. Since eventually we are secure in the knowledge that Captain Jon Baker and Officer Frank Poncherello continued their careers in happiness and contentment long after this story came to a close. And speaking of that dynamic duo, how this finale handles the strain to their long-standing friendship/biffleship (best friends for life), is what makes this particular story so absolutely perfect through and through.
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Because their frustrations with one another here, allows for the show to once again to examine and explore a notion that was once again ahead of its time. For these two, brothers really, stopped talking to one another over some baseline machismo bullshit. The kind where they felt the need to internalize their feelings instead of being open and honest with one another. Which was the true male mantra of the 70s, 80s and most of the 1990s. So, to see them take the time to feel their feels here and be honest with one another, and repair their biffleship in the process, is something that was simply unheard of on television at the time and it was definitely visionary since that wouldn’t be a commonplace discussion in popular media until really the last couple of years. Only because modern society is just now starting to realize that letting men feel their emotions and express them is a healthy thing.

If anything, all of these elements really do recapture the magic of the first few seasons of this series, and every element we’ve discussed today, sucks you into the story and leaves you hanging on every word and moment. Because this is what fans wanted in season six and we finally got our wish, some fifteen years later and well… it really is wonderful to close out these Retro Recaps on a high note. Because it doesn’t always end that way for television shows, but thankfully, CHiPs received the happy ending it absolutely deserved. Because a feel-good show should end on a feel-good note and it doesn’t get more feel-good than knowing that we leave this universe as we found it, with Ponch and Jon keeping the highways safe while Joe Getraer guides them on how to do it the right way, and well, that’s it my fellow Chippies. We’ve reached the end of this long and winding journey, and I certainly do hope you enjoyed revisiting every waking moment of one of my favorite television shows, as much as I did.

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Seven-Mary-Three & Seven-Mary-Four. On the road, one more time.