MacGruder and Loud is an American crime drama from Aaron Spelling Productions that aired on ABC from January 20 to April 30, 1985.
| MacGruder and Loud | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Police procedural |
| Created by | Lane Slate |
| Starring | John Getz Kathryn Harrold |
| Composer | Paul Chihara |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Aaron Spelling |
| Producer | Robert H. Justman |
| Production location | Los Angeles |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Aaron Spelling Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | January 20 – April 30, 1985 |
Premise
editThe series stars John Getz and Kathryn Harrold as married police officers Malcolm MacGruder and Jenny Loud in a Los Angeles Police Department-styled police agency (where strict anti-fraternization policies were in effect). They fought a battle every day to keep it a closely guarded secret from their boss, Sgt. Hanson (played by veteran actor Lee de Broux).[1]
Malcolm and Jenny lived in a duplex-type apartment complex where there was a secret door behind the grandfather clock in her apartment, where Malcolm could sneak in and enjoy her company.[1]
Cast
edit- John Getz as Det. Malcolm MacGruder
- Kathryn Harrold as Det. Jenny Loud MacGruder
- Ted Ross as Det. Sgt. Debbin
- Frank McCarthy as Sgt. Myhrum
Episodes
edit| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Jerry London | Lane Slate | January 21, 1985 |
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | "The Violation" | Jerry London | Unknown | January 22, 1985 |
| 4 | "The Inside Man" | Richard Compton | Unknown | January 29, 1985 |
| 5 | "Odds Favor Death" | Stan Lathan | Unknown | February 5, 1985 |
| 6 | "On the Wire" | Victor Hsu | Steve Kreinberg & Andy Guerdat | February 12, 1985 |
| 7 | "Cop Killer" | Richard Compton | Unknown | February 26, 1985 |
| 8 | "Under Special Circumstances" | Stan Lathan | Unknown | March 5, 1985 |
| 9 | "Sanctuary" | Richard Compton | Stephen Kandel | March 12, 1985 |
| 10 | "Stepover Man" | Bill Duke | Unknown | March 19, 1985 |
| 11 | "For Better or for Worse" | James L. Conway | Unknown | March 26, 1985 |
| 12 | "The Price of Junk" | Charlie Picerni | Unknown | April 9, 1985 |
| 13 | "The Very Scary Man" | Richard Compton | Mike Robe | April 16, 1985 |
| 14 | "Act of War" | Rick Wallace | Unknown | April 23, 1985 |
| 15 | "Tarnished Blues" | James L. Conway | Jaysen D. Hayes | April 30, 1985 |
Production
editThis was one of the relatively few failures from Aaron Spelling's production company in its history, since it was picked by ABC to debut right after the Super Bowl in 1985 and was heavily promoted during the game. The promotion resulted in high ratings at first, but the series was cancelled three months into its run.[2] The ratings decline was blamed on ABC's repeated changing of the show's timeslot before settling on Monday nights at 10:00 p.m., known as "the graveyard slot". It ranked 36th out of 77 shows with a 14.9 rating and a 23 share.[3]
Because of the frequent commercials during the Super Bowl, the following night Johnny Carson asked rhetorically during his monologue on The Tonight Show, "Did you see that new show, 'Frequent and Loud'?"[citation needed]
The series was rushed into production by ABC in order to capitalize on the popularity of another crime drama at that time, Cagney & Lacey (which aired on CBS).
References
edit- ^ a b Zoglin, Richard (January 21, 1985). Autumn Goofs, Winter Repairs, TIME.
- ^ McIntee, Michael Z. (January 13, 2003). Show #1934 Recap, Late Show with David Letterman.
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide: 1984-85 Ratings History".