The American crime series Hardcastle & McCormick, produced between 1983 and 1986 focuses on the adventures of Milton C. Hardcastle (portrayed by Brian Keith), a retired judge at the Los Angeles Supreme Court and Mark McCormick (portrayed by Daniel Hugh-Kelly), a former race car driver.

As a retired judge, Hardcastle does not plan to spend the rest of his life playing golf, attending tea parties or engaging in what he considers meaningless activities. Quite the contrary, he has set himself to fulfill a task that he could not previously pursue due to time constraints. Now and again, criminals are not arrested and convicted. It is these criminals that judge Hardcastle wants to punish.

Since he cannot handle this task alone, he asks for the not quite voluntary help of former race car driver Mark McCormick. McCormick was also already in court and was convicted two years in prison for car theft. After Hardcastle's retirement he was placed under his custody and must now work as some kind of detective for him.

The starting point for the Hardcastle & McCormick investigations is the Gulls Way mansion, 26800 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, 90265, the residence of the judge. Firstly, the series was brought to life thanks to the two starring characters both of completely different age and personality. The real main star of the series, however, was the unique bright red sports car, which McCormick drove during wild chases.

The Coyote was initially a sports car with normal doors that were, however, only rarely opened. Since the window openings were very generous, one could step in and out without opening the doors. Later this Coyote was replaced by a model featuring then ultra-cool double doors.

Hardcastle & McCormick is one of the typical detective series of the 80s, featuring many stunts, especially the then popular ones with motorboats, which is why they occurred not only in Hardcastle & McCormick, but also in such shows as Riptide, The Fall Guy and Simon & Simon.

In addition to these, there were a large number of stunts that took place on the road. A recurring element of the series were the last sequences of each episode, which they always shot in Hardcastle's Gull Way mansion in Malibu, where the two crime fighters passed the just-completed fall in review.

Overall a remarkable series with an investigative team that not only frightens criminals, but also fits together perfectly.

See also

    Milton C. Hardcastle

    Mark McCormick

    The Cars from the Series

You may find all episodes of the TV series Hardcastle & McCormick here.