Reviving CHiPs - the Starbuck factor - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Esprit · 10-20-2014, 01:08 AM

Hi folks,

I'm new to this forum, and I just wanted to post some thoughts on the possibility of a revival.

It would be really interesting if Hollywood did revive "CHiPs" with an all-new show with an all-new cast of characters and a fresh concept.

I don't have access to MeTV, so I haven't seen the show in a while. But I do remember the original "CHiPs" well, and here are some observations.

1: It's too easy to say they "CHiPs" was just another "police procedural" show like "Dragnet", "Adam-12", and others. There was an element of that, but the characters, the atmosphere and the bikes made "CHiPs" significantly different. "CHiPs" was more character-oriented. (Of course, "CHiPs" was no "Hill Street Blues", which was even less about crime and more about the personal lives and challenges of the characters.) Hollywood being what it is, doesn't like to try new things. There were too many crashes and they made the show too formulaic. Check out the Wikipedia article on the show to see how someone summarized the show's standard formula. It's both hilarious and sad at the same time. If there is a revival, "CHiPs" will have to re-invent themselves again.

2: If it's just a "Battlestar Galactica" re-imagining of the show, I would not be hopeful. The world already has one Jon & Ponch. We don't need them to be reincarnated to look like "beefcake". We need them to look more like realistic cops than what we saw in the original. But one idea might be good for the show: borrowing what Ronald D. Moore did with Kara Thrace / Starbuck (not the specifics, just the notion of a re-imagined character being a woman instead of a man) could be a great idea. What if, instead of Larry Wilcox's Officer Jon Baker being the experienced senior partner, we instead saw a female CHP motorcycle patrol officer helping out a new CHP recruit? I'm not aware of that ever having been tried before.

3: One thing that never worked well for dialogue between characters in the original "CHiPs" was the fact that Jon & Ponch would have to ride side-by-side in order to communicate, and also radioing in to their dispatcher required taking one hand off the handlebars in order to operate the Motorola. If the CHP officer had to maneuver, this wouldn't work. I read that newer CHP bikes use Bluetooth headsets, no doubt built-into the operators' helmets. This would have to make it much easier for CHP officers to communicate, both with each other and the dispatcher.

4: If there is a revival, I hope that whoever is responsible for writing/producing the new stories will give them more realism and depth. Cops must be part of the communities they operate in. There need to be other, non-police characters that the CHPs have relationships with.

5: To that end, the old action-adventure formula will have to be rethought. If whoever is talking about reviving "CHiPs" gives us nothing but younger actors playing the same characters in the same kinds of stories, it won't work. We live in a post-"Hill Street Blues", post-"Law and Order", post-Ferguson world. Old-fashioned action-adventure will likely not succeed with a current audience, and could draw critical fire. If a "CHiPs" revival is going to depict officers in the California Highway Patrol of the here and now, the revival is going to have to combine the original series with lessons (and grown-up drama) from the likes of "Hill Street Blues" and "Law & Order".

This is all just my hair-brained opinion, of course...

If it were me reviving "CHiPs", I might take a very interesting course. Erik Estrada would be invited back to play the Sarge, just like what Robert Pine did in the original. Even with Ponch's 15-year hiatus, Ponch would still be experienced enough to qualify for the job, although likely nearing retirement.

Paralleling the original, there would be a female patrol officer, probably in her 30s. She would be today's Jon. We'll call her Jan, just for something to do. Jan needs a young rookie, a new Ponch, to take under her wing. We'll call the young kid Stan. (Jan & Stan is catchier than Jon & Ponch, isn't it?) The show would be about more than just Ponch supervising Jan & Stan. It would be about an ensemble of characters, some regulars and some recurring, who, like "Hill Street Blues", show us a grown-up side of southern California.

Mace Dolex · 10-20-2014, 01:59 AM

Yeah I figure that audiences now accustomed to real gritty explicit crime drama like Law & Order, NYPD Blue and all the CSI spinoffs wouldnt take kindly to the lightheartedness of CHiPs.

And if a CHiPs revival done today were done realistic then it would never work because CHiPs was never meant to be taken so serious and gritty.

Bonniegirl · 10-20-2014, 01:52 PM

I like the idea if they did that to bring in Erik Estrada as the new Sarge.

He is 65 years old now. I just saw him in Chupacabra vs. the Alamo. He played a DEA agent who was in charge. He was really funny. Not really supposed to be funny, he was tough but lovable. It was a campy movie, more funny than scary.. I think he would play a good Sarge.

, I don't know if Erik would want to commit to a TV show. I wish! Of course he is older now, wow a senior citizen, but he doesn't really look 65, he could pass for late 50's. He isn't as Hot as in back in the day, but to me he still is hot!

10-20-2014, 01:08 AM	#1
Esprit Member Forum Hawk Join Date: Oct 19, 2014 Location: Somewhere in the hills Posts: 3	Reviving CHiPs - the Starbuck factor Hi folks, I'm new to this forum, and I just wanted to post some thoughts on the possibility of a revival. It would be really interesting if Hollywood did revive "CHiPs" with an all-new show with an all-new cast of characters and a fresh concept. I don't have access to MeTV, so I haven't seen the show in a while. But I do remember the original "CHiPs" well, and here are some observations. 1: It's too easy to say they "CHiPs" was just another "police procedural" show like "Dragnet", "Adam-12", and others. There was an element of that, but the characters, the atmosphere and the bikes made "CHiPs" significantly different. "CHiPs" was more character-oriented. (Of course, "CHiPs" was no "Hill Street Blues", which was even less about crime and more about the personal lives and challenges of the characters.) Hollywood being what it is, doesn't like to try new things. There were too many crashes and they made the show too formulaic. Check out the Wikipedia article on the show to see how someone summarized the show's standard formula. It's both hilarious and sad at the same time. If there is a revival, "CHiPs" will have to re-invent themselves again. 2: If it's just a "Battlestar Galactica" re-imagining of the show, I would not be hopeful. The world already has one Jon & Ponch. We don't need them to be reincarnated to look like "beefcake". We need them to look more like realistic cops than what we saw in the original. But one idea might be good for the show: borrowing what Ronald D. Moore did with Kara Thrace / Starbuck (not the specifics, just the notion of a re-imagined character being a woman instead of a man) could be a great idea. What if, instead of Larry Wilcox's Officer Jon Baker being the experienced senior partner, we instead saw a female CHP motorcycle patrol officer helping out a new CHP recruit? I'm not aware of that ever having been tried before. 3: One thing that never worked well for dialogue between characters in the original "CHiPs" was the fact that Jon & Ponch would have to ride side-by-side in order to communicate, and also radioing in to their dispatcher required taking one hand off the handlebars in order to operate the Motorola. If the CHP officer had to maneuver, this wouldn't work. I read that newer CHP bikes use Bluetooth headsets, no doubt built-into the operators' helmets. This would have to make it much easier for CHP officers to communicate, both with each other and the dispatcher. 4: If there is a revival, I hope that whoever is responsible for writing/producing the new stories will give them more realism and depth. Cops must be part of the communities they operate in. There need to be other, non-police characters that the CHPs have relationships with. 5: To that end, the old action-adventure formula will have to be rethought. If whoever is talking about reviving "CHiPs" gives us nothing but younger actors playing the same characters in the same kinds of stories, it won't work. We live in a post-"Hill Street Blues", post-"Law and Order", post-Ferguson world. Old-fashioned action-adventure will likely not succeed with a current audience, and could draw critical fire. If a "CHiPs" revival is going to depict officers in the California Highway Patrol of the here and now, the revival is going to have to combine the original series with lessons (and grown-up drama) from the likes of "Hill Street Blues" and "Law & Order". This is all just my hair-brained opinion, of course... If it were me reviving "CHiPs", I might take a very interesting course. Erik Estrada would be invited back to play the Sarge, just like what Robert Pine did in the original. Even with Ponch's 15-year hiatus, Ponch would still be experienced enough to qualify for the job, although likely nearing retirement. Paralleling the original, there would be a female patrol officer, probably in her 30s. She would be today's Jon. We'll call her Jan, just for something to do. Jan needs a young rookie, a new Ponch, to take under her wing. We'll call the young kid Stan. (Jan & Stan is catchier than Jon & Ponch, isn't it?) The show would be about more than just Ponch supervising Jan & Stan. It would be about an ensemble of characters, some regulars and some recurring, who, like "Hill Street Blues", show us a grown-up side of southern California.

10-20-2014, 01:59 AM	#2
Mace Dolex Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 12, 2013 Posts: 2,670	Yeah I figure that audiences now accustomed to real gritty explicit crime drama like Law & Order, NYPD Blue and all the CSI spinoffs wouldnt take kindly to the lightheartedness of CHiPs. And if a CHiPs revival done today were done realistic then it would never work because CHiPs was never meant to be taken so serious and gritty.

10-20-2014, 01:52 PM	#3
Bonniegirl AKA Hazel Horvath Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 10, 2014 Posts: 66,073	I like the idea if they did that to bring in Erik Estrada as the new Sarge. He is 65 years old now. I just saw him in Chupacabra vs. the Alamo. He played a DEA agent who was in charge. He was really funny. Not really supposed to be funny, he was tough but lovable. It was a campy movie, more funny than scary.. I think he would play a good Sarge. , I don't know if Erik would want to commit to a TV show. I wish! Of course he is older now, wow a senior citizen, but he doesn't really look 65, he could pass for late 50's. He isn't as Hot as in back in the day, but to me he still is hot!