The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo is an American action comedy television series that ran on NBC from September 18, 1979, to May 5, 1981. For its second season the show was renamed Lobo. The program aired Tuesday nights, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. The lead character, Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo, played by Claude Akins, was a spin-off character from B. J. and the Bear, which also aired on NBC from 1979-1981.[2]

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
Also known asLobo
Genre
Created byGlen A. Larson
Directed by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes38 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerGlen A. Larson
Producers
  • Richard M. Bluel
  • Joe Boston
  • Bill Dial
  • Frank Lupo
  • Richard Lindheim
  • Robert F. O'Neill
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 18, 1979 (1979-09-18) –
May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)
Related
B. J. and the Bear

Synopsis

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In fictitious Orly County, Georgia, Sheriff Lobo is the lead enforcer of the law — as well as one of its leading offenders. The pilot of The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo aired as an episode of BJ and the Bear titled "Lobo", which set the premise for the show and introduced the main cast of characters that would be involved in the show.

The corrupt (but now somewhat reformed) sheriff is assisted in his schemes by Deputy Perkins (Mills Watson), whose buffoonery often upsets and exacerbates the situation. An honest but naive new deputy, Birdwell "Birdie" Hawkins (Brian Kerwin), who is unaware of Lobo's schemes, has joined the force and has become one of Lobo's deputies.

Birdie often refers to Lobo as his "Hero" and compares him to Wyatt Earp — "a little rough around the edges, but a good lawman." At first this baffles Lobo — to think that someone actually thinks highly of him in any way — but it begins to make Lobo feel proud and boosts his self-esteem. This always annoys and infuriates Deputy Perkins, who usually sneers at Birdie and mutters, "I'm gonna have to get that boy!"

Other characters in the show are Perkins' wife (and Lobo's sister) Rose Lobo Perkins (Cydney Crampton); waitress Margaret Ellen (Janet Lynn Curtis); resort owner Sarah Cumberland (Leann Hunley); bank president and Lobo's former "partner in crime" Harry Cunningham (Dennis Burkley); and district attorney Alexander Waverly (Ben Cooper).

The series premise was overhauled completely as Season 2 began in 1980. The governor of Georgia — impressed by Orly County's low crime rate (because Lobo forgot to send the crime data to the state capitol) — reassigns Lobo and Deputies Perkins and Birdie to his crime-fighting task force, the Special Crimes Action Team (SCAT) in Atlanta. Lobo now reports to Chief J.C. Carson (Nicolas Coster). Lobo is forced to contend with his new co-workers, Detectives Peaches (Amy Botwinick) and Brandy (Tara Buckman). The new format also included Nell Carter (billed as Nell Ruth Carter) as Sgt. Hildy Jones.

In a July 1980 interview with The New York Times, NBC president Fred Silverman said research showed the show performing well in rural areas but not as well in urban areas. Silverman had a history of preference for urban viewers over rural ones that dated back to 1970. (See the rural purge for an example). For that reason, it had been decided to move the show from rural Orly County to urban Atlanta. But the series was less successful with the new format, and it was cancelled after the end of its second season.

The theme song for the show's first season was sung by Frankie Laine and was written in a western ballad style that depicted Lobo as more of a hero than an offender. During the second season, the theme song was a version of Georgia on My Mind.

Cast

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Episodes

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Season 1 (1979–80)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Day That Shark Ate Lobo"Dick HarwoodS : Chris Bunch, Allan Cole & Glen A. Larson;
T : Glen A. Larson
September 18, 1979 (1979-09-18)
22"Dean Martin and the Moonshiners"James SheldonS : Thomas E. Szollosi & Richard Christian;
S/T : Glen A. Larson & Frank Lupo
September 25, 1979 (1979-09-25)
33"The Panhandle Pussycats Come to Orly"
"The Big Game"
Charles R. RondeauHarvey BullockOctober 9, 1979 (1979-10-09)
44"Disco Fever Comes to Orly"Daniel HallerRichard H. LandauOctober 16, 1979 (1979-10-16)
55"The Mob Comes to Orly"Mel FerberS : Chris Lucky;
T : Glen A. Larson & Michael Sloan
October 23, 1979 (1979-10-23)
6
7
6
7
"Run for the Money: Part 2"Bruce BilsonS : Glen A. Larson & John Peyser;
T : Michael Sloan;
S/T : Sidney Ellis, Frank Lupo & Robert L. McCullough
November 6, 1979 (1979-11-06)
Crossover story with B. J. and the Bear.
88"Buttercup, Birdie and Buried Bucks"Daniel HallerRobert K. BaublitzNovember 27, 1979 (1979-11-27)
99"The Senator Votes Absentee"William P. D'AngeloRobert Wolterstorff & Paul M. BelousDecember 4, 1979 (1979-12-04)
1010"The Boom Boom Lady"Daniel HallerStephen MillerDecember 11, 1979 (1979-12-11)
1111"First to Finish, Last to Show"Leslie H. MartinsonRobert Wolterstorff & Paul M. BelousJanuary 8, 1980 (1980-01-08)
1212"Hail! Hail! the Gang's All Here"James SheldonStephen MillerJanuary 15, 1980 (1980-01-15)
1313"The Luck of the Irish"Leslie H. MartinsonS : Thomas Joachim & Eugene Fournier;
S/T : Richard Bluel & Pat Fielder
January 22, 1980 (1980-01-22)
1414"Double Take, Double Take"Daniel HallerPaul M. Belous & Robert WolterstorffJanuary 29, 1980 (1980-01-29)
1515"Police Escort"James SheldonS : Michael Russnow;
S/T : Robert E. Feinberg & Howard Liebling
February 5, 1980 (1980-02-05)
1616"Who's the Sexiest Girl in the World?"Daniel HallerGlen A. LarsonFebruary 19, 1980 (1980-02-19)
1717"The Martians Are Coming, the Martians Are Coming"James SheldonS : Tom Chehak;
S/T : Stephen Miller
February 26, 1980 (1980-02-26)
1818"The Treasure of Nature Beach"Daniel HallerMark JonesMarch 5, 1980 (1980-03-05)
1919"Birdie's Hot Wheels"James SheldonMark FinkMarch 11, 1980 (1980-03-11)
2020"The Haunting of Orly Manor"Daniel HallerS : G.J. Young;
T : Mark Jones, Robert E. Feinberg & Howard Liebling
March 18, 1980 (1980-03-18)
2121"Mystery on the Orly Express"Christian I. Nyby IILloyd TurnerMarch 25, 1980 (1980-03-25)
2222"Orly's Hot Skates"Jack ArnoldS : Richard Lindheim;
T : Robert E. Feinberg & Howard Liebling
May 6, 1980 (1980-05-06)
2323"Perkins Bombs Out"Jack ArnoldS : David Chase, Bruce Shelly & David Ketchum;
T : Mark Fink & Stephen Miller
May 13, 1980 (1980-05-13)

Season 2 (1980–81)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
241"The Dirtiest Girls in Town"Corey AllenGlen A. LarsonDecember 30, 1980 (1980-12-30)
252"The Girls with the Stolen Bodies"Dick HarwoodS : Frank Lupo & Mark Jones;
T : Mark Jones
January 6, 1981 (1981-01-06)
263"The Fastest Women Around"Nicholas ColasantoS : Sy Salkowitz;
T : Bill Dial
January 20, 1981 (1981-01-20)
274"Macho Man"Gene LevittMark Jones & Glen A. LarsonJanuary 27, 1981 (1981-01-27)
285"Airsick: 1981"Bruce KesslerFrank LupoFebruary 3, 1981 (1981-02-03)
296"Coeds with Sticky Fingers"Dick HarwoodJeff WilhelmFebruary 10, 1981 (1981-02-10)
307"Sex and the Single Cop"Sidney HayersMark JonesFebruary 17, 1981 (1981-02-17)
318"Another Day, Another Bomb"Dick HarwoodStory by : Mark Jones & Glen A. Larson
Teleplay by : Mark Jones
February 24, 1981 (1981-02-24)
329"The French Follies Caper"Nicholas ColasantoStory by : Glen A. Larson & Lou Shaw
Teleplay by : Bill Dial
March 3, 1981 (1981-03-03)
3310"Bang Bang, You're Dead"Sidney HayersJeffrey ScottMarch 24, 1981 (1981-03-24)
3411"The Cowboy Connection"Harvey S. LaidmanCliff Ruby & Elana LesserMarch 31, 1981 (1981-03-31)
3512"What're Girls Like You Doing in a Bank Like This?"Dick HarwoodStory by : Chris Bunch, Alan Cole & Mark Jones
Teleplay by : Mark Jones
April 7, 1981 (1981-04-07)
3613"Lobo and the Pirates"Christian I. Nyby IILou ShawApril 21, 1981 (1981-04-21)
3714"The Roller Disco Karate Kaper"Sidney HayersFrank Lupo & Mark JonesApril 28, 1981 (1981-04-28)
3815"Keep on Buckin'"Daniel HallerS : Warren Douglas, David Harmon, Frank Lupo, Lou Shaw & Mark Jones
T : Jeffrey Scott, Frank Lupo, Lou Shaw & Mark Jones
May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)

Syndication

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The series was syndicated in the early 1980s, as "The B.J./Lobo Show". For syndication, Universal offered the show in two versions, one was the original 60 minute format and the other had episodes cut to fit a half-hour time slot from their original hour versions. What differentiated the half hour episodes from the hour long ones was the inclusion of a laugh track.

References

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  1. ^ "Charles R. Rondeau List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Leszczak, Bob (May 17, 2016). Single Season Sitcoms of the 1980s: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 212. ISBN 9780786499588 – via Google Books.
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