Adam-12


Adam-12 is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol Los Angeles in their police cruiser, assigned the call sign "1-Adam-12". Adam-12 stars Martin Milner and Kent McCord, with several recurring co-stars, the most frequent being William Boyett and Gary Crosby. The series ran over seven seasons from September 21, 1968, until May 20, 1975, airing 174 episodes.
Like Webb's other series, Dragnet and Emergency!, Adam-12 was produced in cooperation with the actual department it was based on; in this case, the LAPD. Adam-12 aimed to be realistic in its depiction of policing and helped familiarize the American public with police procedures and jargon. A syndicated revival by The Arthur Company aired from 1990 to 1991 for two seasons, featuring new characters and an updated setting.

Premise

Set in the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division, Adam-12 follows police officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol Los Angeles. The plots of most episodes follow Malloy and Reed as they handle the various calls for service that they are assigned to or come across, ranging from intense incidents such as pursuits, standoffs, shootouts, hostage-takings, gang violence, terrorism, and undercover assignments, to the mundane routine happenings like traffic stops, disputes, disturbances, narcotics crimes, DUI arrests, fights, and thefts.
At the start of the series, Malloy, seeking to resign after the death of his previous partner, is assigned to field train Reed, an inexperienced rookie. After Reed disobeys Malloy's orders but singlehandedly arrests a group of armed suspects during a high-risk shooting call, Malloy sees potential in Reed and decides to remain on the force to guide him through his nine-month probationary period. The first and second seasons are not chronological, with Reed's stated time in the LAPD varying in each episode. Starting with the third season, the series was organized chronologically, and Reed completed his probationary period, with him and Malloy remaining partners. Throughout the series, and especially in later seasons, Malloy and Reed began patrolling other divisions and working on different assignments, occasionally explained as them filling in for other officers or being part of police experience programs. Malloy sometimes fills in for Sergeant William MacDonald as the watch commander in the show's final season. At the same time, Reed finds himself partnered with probationary officers, mirroring Malloy's original role as his field training officer. In the series finale, Reed receives the Medal of Valor for saving Malloy's life and completes an examination to become a detective, while Malloy is set for a promotion to sergeant.
The personal lives of Malloy and Reed came up on occasion and were often tied into their duties, though they rarely extended past conversations, episode subplots, or brief scenes. Malloy is a bachelor who has at least five girlfriends over the course of the series. Reed is married to a woman named Jean ; in the second season, they are shown to have a son, Jim Jr.. Occasionally, Malloy and Reed are depicted socializing outside their work, but such scenes are rare. Although both characters are serious-minded and “by-the-book” officers, Malloy is more realistic when dealing with non-violent offenders while Reed is more rigid.

Vehicles

The police cars used in the series were central to the show; Webb "wanted the vehicle itself to be considered a character". As patrol officers, Malloy and Reed spent most of their time in their cruiser, and scenes set in or relating to their cruiser were central to the series. Most officers in the series drove recent-model sedans, while Sergeant MacDonald always used a station wagon version of Adam-12's vehicle.
In the pilot episode, Adam-12 used a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere; for the rest of the first season, a 1968 Plymouth Belvedere was used instead, later updated to a 1969 Plymouth Belvedere for the second and third seasons. In the fourth season, Adam-12 used a 1971 Plymouth Satellite. Starting with the fifth season, and for the rest of the series, Adam-12 used a 1972 AMC Matador.

Title

"1-Adam-12" is an LAPD call sign that combines three elements: the unit's patrol division, the type of patrol unit, and the daily assigned reporting district.
The "1" means the patrol car operates in Division 1, serving Downtown Los Angeles. The LAPD assigns two-officer patrol units the letter "A"; in the LAPD phonetic alphabet, the letter "A" is spoken as "Adam". The "12" comes from the daily assigned reporting district, or beat. Adam-12's "shop number"—a fleet vehicle identification number custom to the city government, located below the city seal on the front doors—was "80817" on the Belvedere, "83012" on the Satellite, and "85012" on the Matador.
Though the "1-Adam-12" radio call sign identified it as a Central Division unit, the police station Malloy and Reed worked from belonged to Rampart Division, which serves sections west of Downtown and uses "2" as its prefix number. There was also never a standard patrol unit with the call sign of "1-Adam-12", as all LAPD reporting districts are odd-numbered.

Cast

  • Martin Milner as Officer Pete Malloy: A veteran police officer who initially plans to resign from the LAPD, but remains on the force to guide Reed through his probationary period. He is acquainted or familiar with many officers in Central Division, as well as some citizens in Adam-12's usual patrol areas. By season 7, he is preparing for a promotion to Sergeant and spends time working as a watch commander. He is a bachelor but seeking, and the subplots of several episodes revolve around his dating life. His badge number is 744.
  • Kent McCord as Officer Jim Reed: A rookie police officer assigned Malloy as his field training officer. After his probationary period, he remains Malloy's partner. Malloy does not trust him to drive the cruiser, a recurring joke throughout the series. At the end of season 7, he applies to become a detective. He is married and has a wife, Jean, and a son, Jimmy. His badge number is 2430.
  • Shaaron Claridge as herself: A police dispatcher and desk clerk. Working alongside an unnamed male dispatcher, Claridge appears in voice only in almost every episode. She only physically appears briefly in season 5, episode 20. Claridge was an actual LAPD dispatcher who acted as a side job until her retirement in 1990.
  • William Boyett as Sergeant William "Mac" MacDonald: The watch commander of Central Division. He is responsible for commanding and organizing the officers under him, including Malloy and Reed, who report to him and are sometimes assigned to cases by him. Mac is issued a station wagon and a Federal Riot Gun capable of firing tear gas rounds, which he and other officers are authorized to use in standoffs. In the field, his call sign is 1-Lincoln-20. He is mentioned to have a wife named Mary, a son named William "Billy", a daughter named Elizabeth, and a brother named Bryan.
  • Gary Crosby as Officer Ed Wells: A police officer and one of Malloy's friends. In his first appearance in season 1, he is depicted as hot-headed and reckless, though this behavior is toned down in later seasons where he mostly serves as comic relief. He often pulls pranks and makes jokes at the expense of his fellow officers. Although he is frequently annoying and irritating to the other officers, especially Reed and Malloy, he is generally considered to be a good police officer. Throughout the series, he is seen with numerous different assigned partners. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season of Adam-12 that ultimately never materialized.
  • William Elliott as Motor Officer Gus Grant: A motorcycle officer introduced in later seasons. He is laid-back but dedicated to his work and knows Malloy and Reed well. His use of a motorcycle is a factor in several incidents, with Adam-12 usually called in to support him with their cruiser. He is one of the only African American characters in the series to have a recurring role.
  • Jack Hogan as Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller: A detective who handles investigations that Malloy and Reed assist with or are involved in, most prominently in the earlier seasons. Miller is often depicted in different detective divisions, such as homicide and internal affairs, similar to Joe Friday from Dragnet. Hogan also plays Lieutenant Fred Benson, an LAPD Air Support Division helicopter pilot.
  • Art Gilmore as Lieutenant Moore: The commanding officer of Central Division. Dialogue in the pilot episode suggests he was Malloy's field training officer when he was a rookie. His role is greatly minimized between seasons 2 and 7, where he makes very few appearances, with Mac mostly taking up his role as the commander of Central Division. By season 7, he had been promoted to captain.
  • Michael Warren as Officer Larry Carter: A rookie police officer who, at the time of his first appearance, is only two days out of the police academy. In season 4, episode 15, Carter is assigned to Malloy while Reed goes undercover in a narcotics ring. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
  • Mark Harmon as Officer Gus Corbin: A rookie police officer. In season 7, episode 21, Reed is assigned to field train Corbin while Malloy fills in as watch commander for Mac. Corbin is shown to be inexperienced as well as clumsy and frequently puts himself at risk. However, he is still capable of effectively handling situations himself when necessary. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
  • Jo Ann Pflug as Officer Dana Hall: A female police officer who, unusually for the time, is assigned to patrol duty. In season 7 episode 22, Hall is assigned to Reed while Malloy fills in as watch commander. Though Hall is initially met with derision by the other officers for her gender, Reed respects her and shows she is just as capable of frontline policing as male officers. She was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
  • Steve Franken as Officer Albert Porter: A reserve police officer and one of Reed's friends. Outside the LAPD, he works as an electrical engineer.
  • Marco Lopez as Officer Sanchez: One of Wells's assigned partners. Lopez also plays other recurring officers, mostly unnamed background characters.
  • Fred Stromsoe as Officer Jerry Woods: Another police officer who. Although Woods does not appear in every episode, he is always listed in the closing credits sequence for unknown reasons.
  • Claude Johnson as Officer Brinkman: A recurring police officer. Johnson also plays other recurring officers, including Officer Norm Green and Officer Johnson.
  • William Stevens as Officer Jerry Walters: A recurring police officer. Stevens also plays Officer Lou Walters, another recurring officer.
  • Robert Patten as Detective Sergeant Stone: A recurring detective. Patten also plays other detectives and officers, including Detective Fremont, Detective Sergeant Benson, Detective Speer, Sergeant Baron, and Sergeant King.
  • Chuck Bowman as Detective Cole Edwards: A recurring detective. Bowman also plays other characters, including Harold Thompson, Officer Rogers, Officer Miller, Lieutenant Andrews, and Sergeant McCall.
  • Mikki Jamison and Kristin Nelson as Jean Reed: Jim Reed's wife. She dislikes that Reed is a police officer due to the dangers of his work, and fears for his safety, though she is otherwise supportive of him. She has a son, Jimmy.
  • Jed Allan as Reno West: A cat burglar active in the Los Angeles area. He was previously caught by Malloy, but was released four years later, after which he attempted to return to burglaries; however, he was caught again by Malloy and Reed. He plays a significant role throughout season 6.
  • Robert Donner as T.J.: A street informant, appearing in six episodes over several seasons.
  • Aneta Corsaut as Judy: One of Malloy's girlfriends, first appearing in season 7.