240-Robert
240-Robert is an American drama television series that ran on ABC from August 28, 1979, to March 21, 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams.
Synopsis
The series chronicles the missions of "240-Robert", a specialized unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, that utilized four wheel drive vehicles and a helicopter. Most of the assignments were sea/air/land search and rescue operations in the extensive jurisdiction. The show's creator was Rick Rosner, who created the hit series CHiPs two years earlier for NBC.The vehicles used at that time were 1979 Ford Broncos, while the helicopter was a Hughes HA-500C.
The series was based on real life cases encountered by the LASD's Emergency Services Detail. The real life ESD is actually headquartered in East [Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]. Rick Rosner took artistic liberty and portrayed the headquarters as a beach-side station. The actual filming location was at a State of California ranger station located at Sycamore Cove in Ventura County, California. The series was inspired, in part, on the experiences of Officer Charles Thibaudeau of the Hermosa Beach Police Department.
Cast
- John Bennett Perry as Deputy Theodore Roosevelt "Trap" Applegate III
- Mark Harmon as Deputy Dwayne "Thib" Thibideaux
- Joanna Cassidy as Deputy Morgan Wainwright, the unit's helicopter pilot
- Stephan W. Burns as Deputy Brett Cueva, who replaced Thib
- Pamela Hensley as Deputy Sandy Harper, the new pilot of the unit
Matthew Perry's first credited role was a small part in the show, where he played a child actor in a 1979 episode.