Author ●
Editor ● Journalist ● Ghostwriter ● Television Historian ●
Radio Host
William
Shatner is Sergeant T.J. Hooker, a hard-nosed police detective
who returns to the streets in this fast-moving Saturday night action hit
of the early 1980s.Suspended
from duty following a questionable shooting incident, Hooker is
temporarily assigned to train recruits at the Los Angeles County Police
Academy.When his name is
cleared, the dedicated cop nonetheless continues to teach rookies as
only he can (“I’ve seen the past, people, and it works!”).In the 90-minute pilot, Hooker leads his young charges in the
search for two sadistic armed robbers.
Although
clearly a star vehicle for Shatner, T.J. Hooker didn’t start
out that way.Originally
conceived as a soap opera called The Protectors (a cross between Dallas
and The Rookies), the show was supposed to focus on the lives of
eight young police cadets, with Shatner in the supporting role of their
ramrod drillmaster sergeant.But
when test audiences responded to Shatner’s characterization more than
anything else,
the concept became an action show about the exploits of T.J. Hooker.Other than
Adrian Zmed as Vince Romano (the headstrong young stud who became
Hooker’s patrol partner), all of the cadets disappeared, while the
police academy gradually faded into the background.Needless to say, the changes
worked.The five episodes that aired in Spring 1982 landed in the Top
30, securing a spot for T.J. Hooker
in the fall.
