Adam-12

A scene from an episode, in which Malloy and Reed comfort a boy whose sister was the victim of a hit and run driver

Set in the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division, Adam-12 follows police officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) as they patrol Los Angeles. The plots of most episodes follow Malloy and Reed as they handle the various calls for service that they are assigned to or come across, ranging from intense incidents such as pursuits, standoffs, shootouts, hostage-takings, gang violence, terrorism, and undercover assignments, to the mundane (and far more common) routine happenings like traffic stops, disputes, disturbances, narcotics crimes, DUI arrests, fights, and thefts.

At the start of the series, Malloy, seeking to resign after the death of his previous partner, is assigned to field train Reed, an inexperienced rookie. After Reed disobeys Malloy's orders but singlehandedly arrests a group of armed suspects during a high-risk shooting call, Malloy sees potential in Reed and decides to remain on the force to guide him through his nine-month probationary period. The first and second seasons are not in chronological order, with Reed's stated time in the LAPD varying in each episode. Starting with the third season, the series was organized chronologically and Reed completed his probationary period; Malloy and Reed remain partners. In later seasons, Malloy and Reed began patrolling other divisions and working in different assignments, occasionally explained as them filling in for other officers or being part of police programs. In the show's final season, Malloy fills in for Mac as the watch commander from time to time, while Reed finds himself partnered with probationary officers, mirroring Malloy's original role as his field training officer. In the series finale, Reed receives the Medal of Valor for saving Malloy's life and completes an examination to become a detective, while Malloy is set for a promotion to sergeant.

The personal lives of Malloy and Reed came up on occasion and were often tied in to their duties, though they rarely extended past conversations or brief scenes. Sometimes the pair engage in playful banter as they patrol. Malloy is a bachelor who has at least five girlfriends over the course of the series. Reed is married to a woman named Jean (played by several actresses, including Mikki Jamison and Kristin Nelson); in the second season, they are shown to have a son, Jimmy (Jim, Jr.).

Martin Milner as Pete Malloy (left) and Kent McCord as Jim Reed (right)

• Martin Milner as Officer Pete Malloy: A veteran police officer who initially plans to resign from the LAPD, but chooses to remain on the force to guide Reed through his probationary period. He is acquainted or familiar with many officers in Central Division, as well as some citizens in Adam-12's usual patrol areas. By season 7, he is preparing for a promotion to Sergeant, and spends time working as a watch commander. He is single but seeking, and the subplots of several episodes revolve around his dating life. His badge number is 744.
• Kent McCord as Officer Jim Reed: A rookie police officer who is assigned Malloy as his field training officer. After his probationary period, he remains Malloy's partner. Malloy does not trust him to drive the cruiser, a recurring joke throughout the series. At the end of season 7, he applies to become a detective. He has a wife, Jean, and a son, Jimmy. His badge number is 2430.
• Shaaron Claridge as herself: A police dispatcher and desk clerk. Working alongside an unnamed male dispatcher, Claridge appears in voice only in almost every episode in the series. She only physically appears briefly in season 5 episode 20. Claridge was an actual LAPD dispatcher who acted as a side job until her retirement in 1990.
• William Boyett as Sergeant William "Mac" MacDonald: The watch commander of Central Division. He is responsible for commanding and organizing the officers under him, including Malloy and Reed, who report to him and are sometimes assigned to cases by him. Mac is issued a station wagon and a Federal Riot Gun capable of firing tear gas rounds, which he and other officers are authorized to use in standoffs. When he goes into the field, his call sign is 1-L-20. He is mentioned to have a wife named Mary, a son named William "Billy", a daughter named Elizabeth and a brother named Bryan.
• Gary Crosby as Officer Ed Wells: A police officer and one of Malloy's friends. In his first appearance in season 1, he is depicted as very hot-headed and reckless, though this behavior is toned down in later seasons, with him mostly serving as comic relief instead. Though he acts cocky and makes jokes at the expense of other officers, he is also fairly dimwitted, and several of his jokes and actions fall flat or backfire. At least once, his cockiness landed him in the hospital with gunshot wounds and Reed and Malloy had to come to his aid. Over the course of the series, he is seen with numerous different assigned partners. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season that ultimately never materialized.
• William Elliott as Motor Officer Gus Grant: A motorcycle officer introduced in later seasons. He is laid-back but dedicated to his work. His use of a motorcycle is a factor in several incidents, with Adam-12 usually called in to support him with their cruiser. He is one of the only African American characters in the series to have a recurring role.
• Jack Hogan as Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller: A detective who handles investigations that Malloy and Reed assist with or are involved in, most prominently in the earlier seasons. Many of his appearances depict Miller in different detective divisions such as homicide and internal affairs, similar to Joe Friday from Dragnet. Hogan also plays Lieutenant Fred Benson, an LAPD Air Support Division helicopter pilot.
• Art Gilmore as Lieutenant Moore: The commanding officer of Central Division. Dialogue in the pilot episode suggests he was Malloy's field training officer when he was a rookie. His role is greatly minimized between seasons 2 and 7, where he makes very few appearances, with Mac mostly taking up his role as the "boss" of Central Division. By season 7, he has been promoted to captain.
• Michael Warren as Officer Larry Carter: A rookie police officer who, at the time of his first appearance, is only two days out of the police academy. In season 4 episode 15, Carter is assigned to Malloy while Reed goes undercover in a narcotics ring. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
• Mark Harmon as Officer Gus Corbin: A rookie police officer. In season 7 episode 21, Reed is assigned to field train Corbin while Malloy is filling in as watch commander for Mac. Corbin is shown to be inexperienced and clumsy, and frequently puts himself at risk, but he is still capable of effectively handling situations himself when necessary. He was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
• Jo Ann Pflug as Officer Dana Hall: A female police officer who, unusually for the time, is assigned to patrol duty. In season 7 episode 22, Hall is assigned to Reed while Malloy is filling in as watch commander. Though Hall is initially met with derision by the other officers (especially Wells) for her gender, Reed respects her, and she is shown to be just as capable of frontline policing as male officers. She was proposed as a potential successor to Malloy for a planned eighth season.
• Steve Franken as Officer Albert Porter: A reserve police officer and one of Reed's friends. Outside the LAPD, he works as an electrical engineer.
• Marco Lopez as Officer Sanchez: One of Wells's assigned partners. Lopez also plays other recurring officers, mostly unnamed background characters.
• Fred Stromsoe as Officer Jerry Woods: A recurring police officer. He appears in the credits sequence of every episode, even those he does not appear in, for reasons unknown.
• Claude Johnson as Officer Brinkman: A recurring police officer. Johnson also plays other recurring officers, including Officer Norm Green and Officer Johnson.
• William Stevens as Officer Jerry Walters: A recurring police officer. Stevens also plays Officer Lou Walters, another recurring officer.
• Robert Patten as Detective Sergeant Stone: A recurring detective. Patten also plays other detectives and officers, including Detective Fremont, Detective Sergeant Benson, Detective Speer, Sergeant Baron, and Sergeant King.
• Chuck Bowman as Detective Cole Edwards: A recurring detective. Bowman also plays other characters, including Harold Thompson, Officer Rogers, Officer Miller, Lieutenant Andrews, and Sergeant McCall.
• Mikki Jamison and Kristin Nelson (actor varies between seasons) as Jean Reed: Jim Reed's wife. She dislikes that Reed is a police officer due to the dangers of his work, and fears for his safety, though she is otherwise supportive of him. She has a son, Jimmy.
• Jed Allan as Reno West: A cat burglar active in the Los Angeles area. He was previously caught by Malloy, but was released four years later, after which he attempted to return to burglaries; however, he was caught again by Malloy and Reed. He plays a significant role over the course of season 6.
• Aneta Corsaut as Judy: One of Malloy's girlfriends, first appearing in season 7.

Universal Studios co-produced the show with Mark VII Limited. The series' first episode, "Log 1: The Impossible Mission", was filmed in September 1967, a year before the pilot was picked up.[10]

The production of Adam-12 involved showing all aspects of correct police procedures. Police cruisers played a central role, as "Webb wanted the vehicle itself to be considered a character".[4] The show's common use of police radio communications and jargon helped reinforce "the sound of radio as an anti-crime technology."[11] The police vehicles used in the production of the show were purchased from local dealerships and outfitted by the prop department to accurate LAPD cruiser specifications.[5]

The driving scenes were filmed on public streets using a dedicated camera platform mounted to the hood of the cruiser, which was towed by a station wagon. The platform held three cameras: the center camera would film both Milner and McCord in one shot, while the left and right cameras would film Milner and McCord, respectively, on a cross-angle. All three cameras were remote-controlled and would roll simultaneously. For the pilot, Webb did not like the reflections of the sky on the windshield (which made Milner and McCord difficult to see), so the windshield of the vehicle was removed; however, this made the actors' hair blow and caused issues with the audio recording equipment. The prop department's solution was to reinstall the windshield and build an overhead shield that extended over the hood and windshield of the car to block the reflections. Sides were added to create a large "black box" over the front of the car with both ends "open", which allowed for more controlled filming circumstances.[10] During filming, the script supervisor would lie on the floor in the back of the car to read script dialogue for the voices coming from the police radio, which Milner and McCord would respond to. The director and the sound man would sit in a rear-facing seat in the back of the station wagon towing the police car.

Most scenes in the older seasons were filmed at the Universal Studios Lot, mostly in Courthouse Square and Colonial Street. Starting with the third and fourth seasons, the series gradually shifted to filming in actual locations in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The garage used tow trucks from the LAPD's North Hollywood Division, which was close to Universal Studios.

The police station used in the series was the Rampart Police Station, located at 2710 West Temple Street. The station was built in 1966, two years before the series began, and could thus be considered "state of the art" for most of the series' run. Rampart Police Station was closed in 2008, and Rampart Division moved to the newer and larger Rampart Community Police Station. The old station was renovated to serve as the headquarters for the LAPD Metropolitan Division. The renovated building, now known as the LAPD Metropolitan Division Facility, opened in 2016.[12][13]

In 1974, during the production of the seventh season, Martin Milner signed to play Karl Robinson on the short-lived television series The Swiss Family Robinson, taking him off Adam-12. Several options were tested over the course of this season which would allow the series to continue should production of a proposed eighth season move forward. Jo Ann Pflug, Mark Harmon, and Michael Warren were tested for their potential to replace Milner in episodes where McCord served as their training officer or partner. Another idea proposed that the series be continued with Officer Ed Wells, played by Gary Crosby, replacing Malloy, who would be written off with a promotion to Sergeant at another division. However, the birth of Kent McCord's son three days before the seventh season's finale aired took McCord off the show as well, forcing the series to end with the seventh season.[14]

The police vehicles were central characters in that "mobile patrol units [became] associated with the black and white units made famous in such television shows as Adam-12".[15] It was one of the shows that portrayed "the professionalism of the officers and police departments".[16] Ronald Wayne Rodman pointed out that the theme of Adam-12 referred to a "military style topic while portraying a sense of contemporary action".[17] Douglas Rushkoff noted, "Adam-12 also marked [the] last gasp of the righteous style of cop TV." Their set was not a squad room or an office, but the actors "watched the changes in American culture through the windshield of their squad car".[18] "12", a slang nickname for police, likely originated from Adam-12, in a manner comparable to the similar nickname "five-O", which originated from Hawaii Five-O.[19]

In 2003, the Los Angeles Police Department activated an actual unit with the 1-Adam-12 call sign, in service with Central Division. The unit was not a standard patrol unit and was only assigned to officers who demonstrated "outstanding duty performance".[20] It is unknown if the unit is still active as of 2023.

A revival of Adam-12 by The Arthur Company, titled The New Adam-12, aired in first-run syndication in tandem with The New Dragnet, another revival of a Jack Webb series. Like The New Dragnet, The New Adam-12 had entirely different characters, music, and format compared to the original series, and starred Ethan Wayne as Officer Matt Doyle and Peter Parros as Officer Gus Grant (seemingly unrelated to the Motor Officer Gus Grant seen in the original show, played by William Elliott). Martin Milner and Kent McCord also had minor cameo roles as shop owners and their respective characters from the original show. Fifty-two episodes were aired over two seasons. The first season aired from September 24, 1990, to March 18, 1991; the second season aired from March 25, 1991, to September 16, 1991.

Many famous performers and some who achieved fame later appeared in various episodes of Adam-12.

Episode 2, "Log 141: The Color TV Bandit", stars Cloris Leachman and Melody Patterson.[23]

Episode 8, "Log 72: El Presidente" guest-stars James Sikking, later of Hill Street Blues fame (Lt. Howard Hunter) and other various character roles, as an armed robber.

Episode 10, "Log 132: Producer",[24] stars Karen Black (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Airport 1975, Dogtown) and James McEachin (DJ in Play Misty for Me). McEachin also appeared in five additional episodes, each time in a different role, as well as several episodes of Emergency! as a Sheriff's Detective.

Episode 16, "Log 62: Grand Theft Horse?", guest-stars Tim Matheson as a horse thief.

Episode 19, "Log 51: A Jumper, Code 2" stars Hal Smith of The Andy Griffith Show.

Episode 22, "Log 152: A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone",[25] stars Barry Williams (Greg Brady of The Brady Bunch).

Episode 25, "Log 92: Tell Him He Pushed Back a Little Too Hard" guest-stars Dick Sargent (Darrin Stephens #2 of Bewitched) and Jacqueline Scott (who played Donna Taft, the sister of Dr. Richard Kimble, in four episodes of The Fugitive).

Episode 26, "Log 22: So This Little Guy Goes into This Bar, and..." guest-stars Harry Dean Stanton as a welfare hustler.

Episode 43, "Log 24: A Rare Occasion" stars David Cassidy of The Partridge Family as a neighbor of Reed's who falls victim to a drug pusher.

Episode 53, "Loan Sharks" guest-stars Eve McVeagh, film actress of High Noon, Tight Spot, and television series The Clear Horizon and Faraway Hill.

Episode 57, "Cigarettes, Cars, and Wild, Wild Women" features Tony Dow (Wally from Leave It to Beaver) as a young United States Marine who is a victim of a car theft ring.

Episode 58, "Log 55: Missing Child" guests-stars Jodie Foster as the playmate of a missing child.

Episode 60, "Log 105, Elegy for a Pig" guest-stars Mark Goddard (Major Don West of Lost In Space) as Malloy's friend and police academy classmate, Officer Tom Porter; and shows a great deal of Malloy's backstory, as well as what happens when an LAPD officer is killed in the line of duty.

Episode 66, "Log 115: Gang War" guests-stars Trini Lopez as a local Latino priest who tries to help the officers prevent a rumble between two Latino gangs. Lopez would also appear the following year as "Steve Hernandez" in Episode 95, :"The Parole Violator".

Episode 69, "Log 66: The Vandals" guest-stars Robert I. Clarke as a father of a teenage girl.

Episode 77, "Log 88 - Reason to Run" guest-stars Randolph Mantooth as "Neil Williams";[26] and in an Emergency! cross-over episode as paramedic "John Gage", Episode 106, "Lost and Found"[27] This episode also guest-starred Linda Kaye Henning of Petticoat Junction.

Episode 80, "The Million Dollar Buff",[28] guests-stars Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) as a jewelry counter attendant.

Episode 81, "The Grandmother" guest-starred Ozzie Nelson of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet fame. He also directed this episode.

Episode 82, "The Radical" guest-starred Robert Conrad as Paul Ryan of the DA's office. This episode was a crossover with Conrad's series, The D.A.

Episode 91, "The Pickup" guest-starred Barbara Hale of Perry Mason and Kathy Garver of Family Affair.

Episode 94, "The Tip" guest-stars Larry Linville (later of M*A*S*H fame as Frank Burns) as a police detective whom Malloy and Reed assist on an ongoing case.

Episode 97, "Mary Hong Loves Tommy Chen" guest-starred Foster Brooks, Keye Luke, and Jo Ann Worley.

Episode 98, "Sub-Station" guest-starred Frank Sinatra, Jr., portraying a disturbed man who takes a stewardess hostage and demands a meeting with a Hollywood director. He would also guest-star in a later season episode as an officer in the same division.

Episode 100, "Who Won" guest-starred Dick Clark of American Bandstand and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve fame as Benson, the drag strip owner.

Episode 103, "Dirt Duel" guest-starred Edd Byrnes of 77 Sunset Strip and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees as bikers.

Episode 104, "The Late Baby" guest-stars both Tina Sinatra and Frank Sinatra, Jr. as unrelated characters.

Episode 108, "Badge Heavy" features Jack Bailey, host of Queen for a Day and Truth or Consequences.

Episode 131, "Venice Division" guest-stars Laurette Spang of the original Battlestar Galactica (1978) as a woman who fears for her life after receiving obscene phone calls.

Episode 137, "Northwest Division" guest-stars Johnny Whitaker of Family Affair as a juvenile on a minibike. In addition, Martin Milner's real-life son Andrew played Whitaker's stunt double in the minibike chase scene.

Episode 149, "L.A. International" Season 6, Episode 23, This Episode aired 12 March 1974 with Guest star Tina Cole who played Katie from My Three Sons.

Episode 150, "Clinic on Eighteenth Street" guest-stars Sharon Gless, later of Cagney & Lacey fame and most recently co-star of Burn Notice on USA Network and Frank Sinatra Jr. in his third role on the show.

Episode 158, "X-Force" guest-stars Paul Gleason as a father of a kidnapped girl. Gleason guest-starred in other various roles throughout the series.

Episode 159, "Alcohol" guest-stars Dick Van Patten, later of Eight Is Enough fame, as a belligerent drunk who believes himself to be Albert Einstein.

Episode 164, "Victim of the Crime" features Martin Milner's real-life daughter Amy Milner as Debbie McMahon, the shopkeeper's daughter.

Episode 170, "Operation Action" features Kent McCord's real-life daughter Kristen McCord as a child named Debra, who is playing hopscotch when Reed pulls up behind Malloy's abandoned car.

Episode 171, "Gus Corbin", guest-stars Mark Harmon, the star of NCIS since 2003.

Episode 172, "Dana Hall", features Jo Ann Pflug of the movie M*A*S*H as Officer Dana Hall, a probationary police officer Acting Watch Commander Malloy teams with Reed in 1-Adam-12.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adam-12.

• The Official Kent McCord Archives: Adam-12
• Adam-12 at IMDb
• Adam-12 at TV Guide