‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Meet the New Guy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say, that television fans all hope for one particular thing when it comes to their favorite shows. In that, they want said shows to end on a high note and understandably so. After all, they’ve invested a lot of time into a particular show and seeing it go out with a bang makes for one satisfying experience. But while there are some shows that have come to a close in a dynamic and wonderful manner, that is sadly… not the norm. For a great many shows simply disappear from the airwaves due to cancellation, or they don’t stick in the landing and leave fans dissatisfied. Or… as is the case with today’s Retro Recap, the show in question can make some serious mistakes and fall to pieces right before our very eyes.
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Because we have at long last, reached the sixth and final season of CHiPs, which is a year of storytelling that featured all kinds of missteps from the franchise from beginning to end and this is a season that I’ve been hesitant to start… for several reasons. First and foremost, because sometimes you need to ‘read the room’ in regard to police serials and the political climate and also because… I knew deep down this was going to be a supremely rough watch. One that would engender a fair chunk of criticism and that’s just not fun, since we watch shows akin to this one to be entertained and find a little joy in our day, and we definitely try to keep things positive here at NTG. But alas, season six and its mistakes cannot be changed, and I did promise a detailed examination of what brought this popular series to its cancellation point and what’s wild… is that the season six premiere didn’t take long in exposing what kinds of foundational problems, helped to push this show off the airwaves.

Take the casting for instance. Because season six saw the departure of just about every single cast member outside of Erik Estrada, Robert Pine, Paul Linke and Lou Wagner and that’s problematic since so many members of the supporting cast that were featured in prior seasons were absolute fan favorites. But that’s not the only casting problem we run into in ‘Meet the New Guy’. Because this is also the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature Larry Wilcox as Jon Baker, who opted to not renew his contract and well, not doing enough to retain a series lead that was beloved by legions of fans… obviously had a major impact on the show’s ratings down the line and quite frankly, it’s quality as well. Since Larry and Erik had wonderful on-screen chemistry and the lack of that here, definitely has an impact on the tone of the new season.

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Because the best friend vibe that permeated the first five seasons is completely gone here, instead replaced with a double dose of machismo. Because Bobby Nelson is another hot dog, hot shot rookie cop that wants to be a star and well… the show already has that, in Frank Poncherello and while Ponch mellowed out and matured over the course of the series, it was his desire to do things loose and Jon’s ability to ground him that made the series work so well. So, it feels quite strange to not have that present in an episode of this series and to complicate the characters further, Bobby is about as one dimensional as they come. Which is supremely problematic since the show wasted no time back in season one, establishing depth in Ponch and Jon, and he’s not the only one suffering from this particular problem.

For even the Creeps of the Week in this tale, and a troubled teen named Amy Kent have zero depth to them as well. Because we don’t even learn the names of the health club thieves or any of their motivations, they just show up, whip out a gun and rob the joint. And as for Amy, she’s just a mess. Because it would be one thing to introduce us to a troubled teen that’s eager to stay away from the cops because she’s naïve and thinks that she will be facing jail time for ‘stealing’ her own baby. But instead, this teen just does things for shock value, and there’s no rhyme or reason to her woefully strange actions and that makes her forgettable to say the least, and it makes the moment that Ponch and Bobby help her out, feel hollow, because we just aren’t invested in her story or her, in the slightest.

In the end, this is just a messy tale through and through. One that has the look of a classic CHiPs episode but doesn’t quite feel like one. An issue further compounded by the fact that there are also a lot of gimmicks to be found in this tale. Such as cameos and a push to up the sex appeal factor by having Ponch run around shirtless and well… this premiere just feels lost. As though the show no longer has any heart to offer the audience and, in a way, that’s one-hundred percent true. Because Jon was a huge reason that this series worked so well, and his absence weighs heavy on this tale and what’s worrisome about this premiere… is that we have twenty-one more episodes to go in season six and if the storytelling stays this hollow, then this re-watch is going to be a sour affair. So, here’s to hoping the stories find a way to become tolerable and if all else fails, at least we can focus upon the fact that this final season is going to feature police officers that don't abuse their power and make helping others a genuine priority. Until next time.

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