Bob Grogan, one of the detectives who worked on the Hillside Strangler case in Los Angeles, was hired as a technical advisor for the show, but was fired when he criticized re-writes of his ideas.
Was originally to be titled The Protectors, which would be the title of the show's pilot. Creator Rick Husky originally developed the show as a newer version of his previous series The Rookies, and intended the show as an ensemble series. Noting William Shatner's prominence in the pilot, it was decided to make Hooker the focus of the show, and title the series after the character.
Frequently when Hooker and Romano are in a pursuit or doing some other type of performance driving, a lot of smoke is seen coming from the tailpipe of their patrol car as it accelerates. The car is a 1977 Dodge Monaco, which as of the 1982 debut was over 5 years old. The cars used in the series were high mileage surplus units from police agencies and the smoke was oil burning due to the high mileage. Circa 1982, the LAPD did not use cars of that age for patrol work, they had shifted to the newer Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Gran Fury, the Ford Crown Victoria, or the Chevrolet Caprice.
The name Hooker was an homage to Civil War Union General Joseph (Fighting Joe) Hooker.
The basic sequence of events for shows often involved a crime taking place, with Hooker then getting into a car chase and losing the suspect due to Hooker's poor driving skills. This was followed by Hooker and his uniform cohorts performing detective work while the criminal remained at large and committed more crimes until eventually being again chased by Hooker, this time resulting either in an arrest or the death of the suspect.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
