Riptide (American TV series)

Premise

Cody Allen (Perry King) and Nick Ryder (Joe Penny) are two former Vietnam War Army buddies who decided to open the Pier 56 Detective Agency (later known as the Riptide Detective Agency) in Los Angeles, California. Realizing that computers and technology play a major role in many investigations, they recruit the help of Murray "Boz" Bozinsky (Thom Bray), a brilliant but nerdy scientist and computer hacker whom they met while serving in the Army.

The team operates out of Cody's boat, the Riptide, moored at Pier 56 at King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach. The men have several other tools in their fight against crime and injustice, including Murray's robot, The Roboz (which, unlike most television robots, does not speak); Nick's aging Sikorsky S-58T helicopter, The Screaming Mimi, which Nick occasionally used for his sideline business, aerial harbor tours; and Cody's speedboat, the Ebb Tide. Nick also owns a classic red Chevrolet Corvette, and in early episodes, Cody drives an orange "Woodie" station wagon which is later replaced by a four-wheel drive custom GMC Jimmy.

Lt. Quinlan (Jack Ging) is a local police officer who continually harasses the trio. Lt. Parisi (June Chadwick), the agency's police contact during the final episodes, is more cooperative. During the first few episodes, Mama Jo (Anne Francis) is the crusty skipper of the Barefoot Contessa, a tourist boat with an all-female crew. Introduced later in the first season is Max, a comedian at a local club. Second-season episodes also feature Dooley (Ken Olandt), a dock boy who occasionally assists the team in their escapades.

The show's penultimate episode, "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em", shows Cody and Nick acting as consultants to Rosalind Grant (Annette McCarthy) and Cary Russell (H. Richard Greene), the bickering stars of a television detective show pilot that closely resembles and parodies Moonlighting, Riptides former primetime competition on Tuesday nights.

Although local mobsters were depicted in most episodes, some reflected sensitive topics, such as corruption within the U.S. Army, high-level cover-ups, and black operations by corporate America. The third season's "Home for Christmas", with a performance by James Whitmore, has a strongly emotional tone.

Cast

• Perry King as Cody Allen
• Joe Penny as Nick Ryder
• Thom Bray as Murray "Boz" Bozinsky

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1984)

Guest starring: Karen Kopins, Robert Viharo, Patrick Dollaghan, Gianni Russo, Marla Heasley, Eugene Butler, Lee Patterson, Francis Xavier McCarthy, Ray Girardin, Robin Evans, Ingrid Anderson

Guest starring: Kristen Meadows, Robert Desiderio, Bill Overton, Eli Cummings, Gianni Russo, Charles H. Hyman

Guest starring: Cindy Pickett, Joe Michael Terry, Rodney Kageyama, Jeffrey Lampert, Vahan Moosekian

Guest starring: Maylo McCaslin, Randi Brooks, Beau Star, Deborah Shelton, Mike Genovese, Tom Pletts, Katherine Kelly Lang

Guest starring: Mary-Margaret Humes, Tamara Stafford, Sam Scarber, Robert Sampson, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Bruce Tuthill

Special guest star: James Luisi

Guest starring: Kathryn Witt, Peter Hobbs, Pepper Martin, Robin Evans, K.C. Winkler, Maurice Sneed, Jason Edwards

Special guest star: John Anderson

Guest starring: Kelly Preston, Paul Gleason, Jeffrey Josephson, Joshua Bryant, Robin Evans, K.C. Winkler, Karl Johnson, Lew Saunders, Lewis Arquette, James Edgcomb, Ken Lerner, Xander Berkeley

Special guest star: William Smith

Also starring: Marsha Warfield Marsha Warfield appears as a comedian working at Straightaways restaurant, and Paul Gleason as the detective.

Guest starring: Stepfanie Kramer, D.D. Howard, Danny Wells, Michael Baseleon, Joan Freeman, Mary Beth Evans, Craig Litter

Guest starring: Brant von Hoffman, Kelbe Nugent, Murphy Cross, Reid Smith, Peter Leeds, Ted Sorel, Mary Betten, Brian Libby, Jack Shea, G. Rockett Phillips, Richard Kuhlman

Special guest star: Edward Winter

Also starring: Marsha Warfield

Guest starring: Doug France, Frank Annese, Marshall Teague, Dean Wein, John Louie, David Graf, Julia Kono, Bobby Kelton, Tony Ciccone, James Emery

Special guest star: Joseph Sirola

Also starring: Marsha Warfield

Guest starring: Marta DuBois, Ron Karabatsos, Eric Server, Deborah Richter, Robert Rothwell, Sandra de Bruin, Ellen Crawford

Special guest star: Dennis Franz

Guest starring: Geena Davis, Stefan Gierasch, Lance Henriksen

Special guest star: Steven Keats

Also starring: Marsha Warfield

Guest starring: Elyssa Davalos, Anthony Charnota, Christopher McDonald, Victor Mohica, Morgan Most, Judd Omen

Season 2 (1984–85)

Guest starring: Daphne Ashbrook, Alex McArthur, Claudia Christian, Juliana Donald, George Clooney, Don Stark, Joe W. Davis, Charlie Dell

Special guest star: Ken Olandt

This episode marks George Clooney's first-ever speaking role.

Guest starring: Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Kurtwood Smith, Stanley Kamel, Al White, Michael Swan, Arnold F. Turner

Special guest star: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Patrick Collins, Burr DeBenning, Christopher Stone, Lana Clarkson, Ken Foree, David Clover, Gene Ross, Randy Hamilton

Special guest star: Tricia O'Neil

Guest starring: Wendy Kilbourne, Randolph Powell, Jacqueline Scott, Adam Ageli

Special guest star: Kabir Bedi

Guest starring: Ray Wise, Joan Sweeney, William Traylor, Sal Viscuso, Jack Hogan, Geof Prysirr, Larry Gilman, Robert O'Reilly

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Robert Logan Jr., Sherry Hursey, Charles Cooper, Elaines Wilkes, Liz Sheridan, Steve Allie Collura, Dennis Haysbert

Special guest star: Paul Gleason

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Arthur Rosenberg, Sam J. Jones, Gerard Prendergast, Bart Braverman, Howard George, Barbara Whinnery, Charles Guardino, David Kagen, Mark Harrison

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Alan Fudge, Joe Dorsey, Clarence Gilyard, Jason Bernard, Kim Hamilton, Vince McKewin, Fil Formicola, Ken Wright, James Andronica

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Jonathan Perpich, Peter Brown, Tom McGreevy, Lynn Herring, Beth Miller, Robyn Peterson, Steve Tannen

Special guest star: Fionnula Flanagan

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Edith Fellows, David Ackroyd, Paul Stewart, Byron Morrow, Rachel Bard Game show hosts Gene Rayburn and Bob Eubanks appear as themselves.

Guest starring: Rod McCary, Kelly Ann Conn, Bridget Hanley, Dennis A. Pratt, Mindi Iden

Special guest star: Bill Macy

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Nancy Stafford, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Anthony James, Eve Roberts, Bill Quinn, Yung Sun

Special guest star: Glynn Turman

Guest starring: James Sloyan, Kenneth Gray, Clara Perryman, Ann Turkel, James Hornbeck, Lou Felder, Teri Ann Linn, Phil Hoover

Special guest star: John Astin

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Bert Freed, Jack Riley, John Sanderford, Jeff Osterhage and Wolfe Perry

Special guest star: Richard Lynch

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Mitchell Ryan, Rosalind Cash, Catherine Shirriff, Joseph Chapman, Robert Symonds, Will MacMillan, Gela Nash-Taylor, Clare Torao, Tom Williams, Sue Giosa

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Joanna Johnson, Seth Jaffe, Cástulo Guerra, Shawn Ora Engemann, Tony Goodstone, Guy Christopher, J. Bill Jones

Guest starring: Lenore Kasdorf, James Cromwell, Jeannetta Arnette, Mark Schneider, Milt Oberman

Special guest star: Belinda Montgomery

Guest starring: Robin Riker, William Russ, John McLiam, Richard McGonagle, Gary Wood, Phil Rubenstein, Bob Larkin

Also starring: Ken Olandt

Guest starring: Robert Gray, Katherine Cannon, Jere Burns, Randy Norton, Millie Slavin, Cameron Thor, Christopher Michael Moore, Corkey Ford

Also starring: Ken Olandt Due to its content, this episode was never broadcast in Germany until it was aired in 2013 on PayTV

Guest starring: Jan Sterling, Kevyn Major Howard, Bill McKinney, Lynn Hamilton, Woody Eney, Arnold Johnson, Jon Van Ness, T. G. Sheppard, Scott Lincoln, William Boyett, Med Flory, Kay Freeman

Guest starring: Dana Elcar, Ava Lazar, Russell Todd, Glenn Morrissey, Steve Lattanzi, Bradford English, Nick Cavanaugh, James Andronica

Special guest star: Cesar Romero Dana Elcar stars as Harry "The Oilman" Silverman.

Guest starring: Lee Bryant, Lyle Alzado, Dean Wein, Peter Jason, Francine York, Christopher Thomas, Kathryn Skatula

Season 3 (1985–86)

Guest starring: Richard Hatch, Simone Griffeth, Suzanne Snyder, Ted Neeley, Mitchell Anderson, Michael Galardi

Guest starring: Cristina Raines, Michael MacRae, Stewart Moss, Cástulo Guerra, George Clifton

Guest starring: Larry Linville, Nicholas Pryor, Tracy Reed, Sharon Barr, Johnny Lee, Howard Caine, Jack Wells, Toni Attell, Jerry Potter

Guest starring: Robert Walker, Jr., Kate Charleson, Tom McFadden, William Cort, George Solomon, Jan Merlin, Solomon Trager

Guest starring: Darleen Carr, Harvey Vernon, Paul Willson, Jim Bentley and Nancy Linari

Special guest star: Daryl Anderson

Guest starring: Kay Lenz, Michael Lombard, James Carroll Jordan, Johnny Mountain

Guest starring: Walter Olkewicz, Miriam Flynn, Frank Ramírez, Michael Champion, Geno Silva, Rex Ryon, Scott Nemes, Gabriel Damon, Olivia Burnette, Suzanne Dunn

Guest starring: Clu Gulager, Lisa Denton, Carl Franklin, Carl Strano, Gus Corrado Last appearance of Jack Ging as Lt. Quinlan.

Guest starring: Ken Swofford, J.D. Hinton, Fred Grossinger, Hugh Gillin, Anne Bellamy, Stephen Liska

Special guest star: James Whitmore

Guest starring: Robin Strand, Eli Marder, Brian Matthews

Guest starring: Kim Darby, Richard Sanders, John S. Ragin, James F. Kelly, Jay Ingram, F. William Parker, Alice Nunn, Brad Harris

Guest starring: Richard Lewis, Paul Lambert, Al Ruscio, Molly Fontaine, Arthur Taxier, James Purcell, Christian LeBlanc, James Staley

Guest starring: Andy Bumatai, Cal Bellini, Jeri Gaile, Charles Tyner, Jineane Ford, Harold Ayer, Nathan Jung

Guest starring: Jane Badler, Anna Bjorn, Joel Brooks, Rosalind Chao, George Cheung, Christopher Pennock, Ben Slack, Scott DeVenney, B.J. McAllister, Norman Lee Harris, Richard Partlow

Guest starring: Ava Lazar, Christopher Cary, Paul Land, Warren Berlinger, Russell Todd, Christopher Neame, Cesar Romero and Stan Haze

Guest starring: Nicholas Guest, Ray Abruzzo, Linda Thompson, Barbi Benton, Robert Hanley

Special guest star: Steve Allen

Guest starring: Frances Bay, Gino Conforti, Bernard Fox, Terry Kiser, David Ruprecht, Joseph Ruskin, David White, Robin Riker

Guest starring: Dennis Burkley, Danny Cooksey, Stephen James, Lu Leonard, Christopher McDonald, Lee Wilkof, Lisa Nelson, Peggy Walton-Walker, Laurie Ambert, Kit Fredericks, Carmen Filpi, Jeff Silverman

Guest starring: Vincent Baggetta, Michael Lally, Cliff Emmich, R.J. Bonds, Lewis Dauber

Guest starring: Annette McCarthy, H. Richard Greene, Thom Sharp, Al Pugliese

Guest starring: Lonny Chapman, Elinor Donahue, James Lemp, Linda Hoy, Chuck Lindsly, Hap Lawrence, Jon Locke, Walker Edmiston Series star Perry King (Cody) directed this series finale.

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 10 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Cobbled together from the spare parts of just about every other action series preceding it, Riptide isn't fun enough to make up for its complete lack of originality."

Home media

United States

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a three-disc DVD set of Riptide: The Complete First Season on February 14, 2006.

Canada

Visual Entertainment has released all three seasons of Riptide. However, several episodes have music replaced and sequences edited out due to copyright issues. On October 14, 2008, VEI released Riptide: The Complete Series, a 13-disc box set featuring all 58 episodes of the show. This set was initially scheduled to be released on September 9, 2008, but was delayed for unknown reasons. As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.

Germany

The series was known as Trio mit vier Fäusten (Trio with Four Fists) in this country.

Universum Films has released all three seasons of Riptide on May 29, 2009 (Season 1), July 31, 2009 (Season 2) and September 25, 2009 (Season 3).

The DVD sets feature a bonus episode of 21 Jump Street (Season 1). The Season 2 sets contain an episode not broadcast in Germany, "The Twisted Cross", in English with German subtitles. The German box sets have the original music of the U.S. series, unlike the Canadian box sets 2 and 3.

References

References

1. (1985-09-30). "Two series to Columbia after long negotiations". [[Broadcasting & Cable.
2. "MeTV+ Schedule". [[Weigel Broadcasting]].
3. "Riptide | Classic Yacht Register".
4. King Harbor is located in [[Redondo Beach, California]]
5. Pigasus Press. (2005). "Riptide - helicopter TV show review for Rotary Action". rotaryaction.com.
6. [http://www.davidandmaddie.com/riptide/latimes-riptide.html "Spoofing Around on ''Riptide''"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', April 16, 1986.
7. "Riptide: Season 1 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes".
8. "Riptide DVD news: Delay for Riptide - the Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com".
9. [https://archive.today/20130212171354/http://www.universumfilm.de/filme/107176/trio-mit-vier-fausten-staffel-1.html German release of Season 1]
10. [https://archive.today/20130212082600/http://www.universumfilm.de/filme/107096/trio-mit-vier-fausten-staffel-2.html German release of Season 2]
11. [http://www.universumfilm.de/filme/107144/trio-mit-vier-fausten-staffel-3.html German release of Season 3] {{webarchive. link. (2015-12-29)