‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Country Action’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ten. That’s exactly how many regular season episodes (including this one, and the reunion special) remain in our journey through the police serial CHiPs and being this close to the end definitely brings about a point of inflection. Because this grand re-watch of this once wildly popular series was designed to be more than a mere nostalgic run. It was set up to be a grand analysis as to whether or not a show this old and this niche could withstand the test of time and it was also going to examine what can bring a hit series to its knees and lead to its cancellation. And with the finish line in sight, now seems like the perfect time to reflect upon those goals and whether or not this grandiose re-watch has provided us with the answers we seek.

As it turns out, it most certainly has, since we’ve come to learn that for the most part, this series has held up quite well. Because its desire to engender good vibes in just about every tale and attempt to explore topics that were somewhat taboo in the 70s and 80s has allowed for it to withstand the test of time and offer up some wholesome entertainment for certain. To the point where one can easily overlook any glaring issues that reflect its host era. But most important of all, this journey through six seasons of the series has indeed revealed what it was that brought about the end of this series and the finest example of what brought this about, was put on full display in the next episode of this storied saga. 

For ‘Country Action’ sees Ponch and Bobby investigate some crimes of a bovine nature. Since a bunch of creepy cattle rustlers are snatching up whatever cows they can find in order to sell them to the highest bidder, and in order to bring them to justice, our dynamic duo has to go undercover at a country/western bar with a pet orangutan and well… that’s ridiculous. Because trying to capitalize on the country craze of the early 1980s, whilst making a reference to Any Which Way You Can (three years too late) just isn’t something that one would expect to find in an episode of CHiPS. But it is here, and it is all, as awkward and out of place as it sounds. But what makes this supremely weird plot worth our while, is the sheer fact that it offers up a simple explanation as to why this show went off the air after the season six finale.

In essence, it all boils down to the fact, that this series abandoned what made it great. Because when this show started out, it was about two down-to-earth police officers that went above and beyond to help the public and solve highway related crimes in a realistic or dynamic manner. And it also focused on what made these officers and the criminals they chased after, tick, allowing for accessible and dynamic storytelling, the kind that did indeed explore mental health issues and the like. But in season six, it’s all about gimmicks and cool things that the audience likes to do on the weekend and that just doesn't translate well to television. Because it’s boring to sit through multiple country music numbers on a TV show (in fact, those segments ate up nearly a third of a forty-eight minute episode) and focusing on all of that, instead of the good stuff, brought about all kinds of messy episodes that clearly turned people off. 

Plus, it’s equally as silly to have an orangutan running around, helping to solve crimes, regardless of how cute it is, and now we know it was episodes in this vein that truly motivated fans of this series to begin to step away from it. Because no one wants to sit through gimmicks of this manner when they're tuning to see good and honest cops try and make the world a better a place and that really is tragic for certain. Because had the show stayed the course, it might have made it a few seasons longer, even with the cast changes, since Bobby and Bruce aren’t so bad after all. But alas, this was the course the producers took and as we inch closer to the finale, it is a safe bet that we will be seeing more outlandish episodes in this vein. Because once a show breaks out the cute animal sidekick, it’s gone all in on the gimmicks. Until next time.    

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