The Golden Era of L.A.-Based Action/Adventure TV

In the 1990s, TV was all about New York. "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Seinfeld," "Friends" and other shows made Gotham the hip place to set your show.

But a few decades earlier, SoCal ruled. In the 1970s, among comedies "Three's Company" celebrated the Santa Monica life... and of course, on the hour-long side, "CHiPs," "Emergency!" and other shows relied on fictionalized versions of L.A.-based institutions like the CHP and the Los Angeles Fire Department. (They just don't make mindless rescue shows like that anymore. Not since "Baywatch" went off the air, anyway. Shows these days are obsessed with "plot" and "character development." Go figure.)



Then there was "240-Robert." The Mark Harmon starrer only lasted 16 episodes, but it's still remembered fondly by many -- even me, although I was only 5 at the time (and only vaguely remember something about a helicopter and Harmon's character having a goofy name).

"240-Robert" revolved around the Emergency Services Detail of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. I'm not sure why the show didn't work. It was basically "CHiPs," but with a helicopter. And as Bomb-Ass-Baby reminds me everytime we see a chopper in the sky, helicotpers are, indeed, cool.