| Hard Knocks | |
|---|---|
_Title.png) Hard Knocks opening title card | |
| Created by | Chris Thompson |
| Starring |
Bill Maher Tommy Hinkley |
| Composers | Dan Foliart Howard Pearl |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
Gary Nardino Chris Thompson |
| Running time | approx. 30 min. |
| Production companies | Gary Nardino-Chris Thompson Productions Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | April 20 – August 6, 1987 |
Hard Knocks is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on the Showtime Network. It featured Bill Maher and Tommy Hinkley as ideologically opposed private detectives looking to make money by solving the problems of their wealthy clients.
Synopsis
Gower Rhodes and Nick Bronco open a private detective agency in the back of a restaurant to make money by solving cases. However, nothing seems to go their way.
Cast
Main characters
- Bill Maher as Gower Rhodes
- Tommy Hinkley as Nick Bronco
Recurring and Guest Roles
- Judith-Marie Bergan as Maggie
- Babette Props as Terry
- James Vallely as Silky
- Gracie Harrison as Sheila Jesswalters
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Jules Lichtman | Chris Thompson | July 23, 1987 | |
| 2 | "Play Mr. Tambourine Man for Me" | Don Barnhart |
Rob Dames, Bob Fraser | April 20, 1987 | |
|
Gower and Nick go on a double date | |||||
| 3 | "What Becomes a Legend Least" | Shelley Jensen | Marjorie Gross | May 8, 1987 | |
| 4 | "The End of the World" | Rob Dames | Don Reo | May 15, 1987 | |
|
Gower and Nick release a deadly chemical | |||||
| 5 | "Bronco's Rib" | Shelley Jensen | Ron Zimmerman | May 29, 1987 | |
| 6 | "Fallen Idol" | Jules Lichtman | Don Reo | June 5, 1987 | |
| 7 | "Luck be a Dead Gangster Tonight" | Chris Thompson | Marjorie Gross | June 12, 1987 | |
| 8 | "If You Knew Nancy" | Shelley Jensen | Ron Zimmerman | June 19, 1987 | |
| 9 | "Highway to Hard Knocks" | Shelley Jensen | Unknown | June 26, 1987 | |
| 10 | "The Hits" | Shelley Jensen | Don Reo | July 9, 1987 | |
| 11 | "Captain Justice" | Shelley Jensen |
Marjorie Gross, Don Reo, Chris Thompson, Ron Zimmerman | July 16, 1987 | |
| 12 | "Sap Cops" | Shelley Jensen | George Beckerman | July 30, 1987 | |
| 13 | "Hammerhead Is Out" | Shelley Jensen | Unknown | August 6, 1987 | |
Reception
Critical reception
John J. O'Connor of the New York Times called the show "something truly different." [1] The show has also been reviewed in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal as "hard to watch," [2] and in the Chicago Tribune as having woeful writing, unappealing characters, an infantile premise, and as "making programmers at the three networks look like charter members of Mensa." [3]
Awards and nominations
Hard Knocks was nominated for a CableACE Award in 1988 [4]
Sources
- Hard Knocks (1987) on TV.com
- Hard Knocks (1987 TV series) on imdb.com
- Hard Knocks- Series Overview on nytimes.com
- TV Review; 'Hard Knocks,' Sitcom on nytimes.com
- US Copyright Office on copyright.gov
References
- ^ O'Connor, John (April 20, 1987). "TV Review; 'Hard Knocks,' Sitcom". NYT. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Edelstein, Andrew (April 26, 1987). "'Hard Knocks' is hard to watch". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Terry, Clifford (April 20, 1987). "'Hard Knocks' Doesn't Earn Its Keep For Creative Laughs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ "Hard Knocks (1987– ) Awards". IMDb. Retrieved January 14, 2015.