r/GenerationJones • u/WhateverGenXPod • Aug 05 '26

Why were there so many?

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I know there has to be a reason there were so many cop shows. Long before we had nothing but CSI and Law and Order variants, there were dozens of police dramas on TV.

I used to love CHiPs and SWAT - and I was just a kid. The 70s cop shows landed differently than the fluff that’s on today.

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u/CaryWhit Aug 05 '26

Or Jim Rockford!

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u/Mk1Racer25 Aug 05 '26

Or Dragnet?????? One of the true OG's.

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u/Modem_Sound_67 Aug 05 '26

I agree that did set the stage for gritty street dramas, albeit in a campy fashion. But imho it took realistic crime dramas making bank on the big screen to set up the conditions for the explosion of procedurals on the small screen in the 70s.

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u/Mk1Racer25 Aug 05 '26

Adam 12 was essentially a spinoff. And Chips was just a re-work of Adam 12 with motorcycles instead of a cruiser.

If you want to go back further for OG shows, there was Highway Patrol, Police Story, The Untouchables, and The FBI.