by Connie Francisco

Created on: July 03, 2009

Nobody could do a cop show quite like Jack Webb, and he never did a better one than Adam- 12. I've read they still use some episodes at the LAPD training academy!

Adam- 12 was, and still is, unique. It followed approximately the same format as Webb's long-running Dragnet, inasmuch as it strove to be realistic as far as actual police procedures of that day (late 60's and early 70's). The writers used actual case files from the LAPD to build their stories around. But there were some very key differences.

For one, it followed the activities of two ordinary, uniformed patrol officers, not detectives, or special-unit cops. For another, it was a true ensemble piece, not the traditional "star with sidekick" format found on Dragnet, Hawaii 5-O, etc. The end credits had the same badge-on-background as Dragnet, but both of the lead character's badges were displayed side by side. Unlike Dragnet, there was no "wrap" at the end of the show displaying how each case was resolved... some of the cases remained unresolved, or were obviously were not going to end as the cops would have liked. Also, these two cops made mistakes from time to time. They were human, good cops, but not supermen.

The ensemble format was a major element in the show. A lot of film was shot of just our two cops, Malloy and Reed, riding around in their car, talking. The genuine chemistry between McCord (Reed) and Milner (Malloy) was obvious, and it gave the show depth. The car itself was almost a character.

There were plenty of the obligatory car chases, shootouts, etc, but as in the real experience of cops in two-man units, those weren't the entire focus of the show. The personalities, experiences, and the relationships of the men, and how their jobs impacted them, was. Malloy, the veteran cop and confirmed bachelor, showing the family man and police rookie Reed the ropes in the first season or two, grew smoothly into two experienced partners who worked together instinctively. There was even actual, noticeable character growth over the course of the series, especially for Reed's character... a rarity in TV period, much less cop shows, then and now alike.

Adam-12 managed to show us how life on a police beat can go from zero to sixty (and up) far faster than their black-and-white muscle car ever could. As Lt. Randy Sutton says in his anthology of true cop stories, "True Blue: To Protect and Serve", Malloy and Reed often had to "switch from being Officer Friendly to Rambo in about an eighth of a second".

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