Sledge Hammer! is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character. Al Jean and Mike Reiss, best known for their work on The Simpsons, wrote for the show and worked as story editors.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
The commissioner personally assigns Sledge to guard Captain Trunk in order to ensure the Captain's safety until he is able to provide critical testimony before a grand jury.
A bevy of bikini-clad 'terrorettes' steal a nuclear warhead and threaten to blow up the city unless their billion dollar demand is met. Sledge and Dori trace the suspects to a health spa operated by aerobics video magnate Jill Tay...
Violence-prone Sledge Hammer is assigned to head up the investigation when the mayor's daughter is abducted, but he predictably objects to a requirement that he work with female detective Dori Doreau.
Sledge and Dori investigate the murder of a history student who was studying Hitler's Third Reich. Suspects include her burly quarterback boyfriend and her kindly, old history professor.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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