Sergeant T.J. Hooker spearheads a police officer recruitment program that provides on-the-street training. Hooker's recruits have to learn fast when they go up against a pair of cold-blooded... Read allSergeant T.J. Hooker spearheads a police officer recruitment program that provides on-the-street training. Hooker's recruits have to learn fast when they go up against a pair of cold-blooded killers on a crime spree.Sergeant T.J. Hooker spearheads a police officer recruitment program that provides on-the-street training. Hooker's recruits have to learn fast when they go up against a pair of cold-blooded killers on a crime spree.
- Lacy Canfield
- (as Debbie Shelton)
- Director
- Writer
- Rick Husky(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe initials "T.J." in " T.J. Hooker " stand for Thomas Jefferson.
- GoofsSoon after the start of the episode Hooker called his squad to 'Attention!' and the sound of army boots coming together on a hard parade ground could be heard. However when a wide shot of the group was shown they were wearing (male and female) civilian shoes and standing on soft grass.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Sgt. T.J. Hooker: T.J. Hooker is the name. But you don't have to lose any sleep wondering what the T.J. stands for, as far as you're concerned, my first name is 'Sergeant'.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Scarface (1983)
The pilot for the TV series this, it is easy to see why it got picked up - the main character is interesting, with enough back story and issues to justify a series. However the overriding philosophy is forced down our throats a bit too much. It obvious that the writers are very right-wing and are fed up with the liberal handling of criminals by the courts while police are killed on the streets with little protection from the court. Hooker regularly is given speeches about the unfairness of the system or how criminals get away with it etc, while all the criminals are shown as a) crazy or b) losers who kill old people and women for as little as $15. Really this is a message film - although the message is a little heavy handed.
Some points are made about the bad side of Hooker, but these are minor and are mostly brushed over by other characters - one black woman compares Hooker to the cops who used to beat up blacks in the 60's only to be told by another black cop that `Hooker talks a lot of sense'. I'm not a liberal and believe that the courts are too easy on criminals generally, allowing too many off on technicalities whilst holding the cops to the letter of the law, but I was really put off by Hooker's unpleasantly strict version of justice.
Shatner is OK but he can't help but act everything seriously, delivering his moralising lectures with his usual dramatic facial expressions - it's not his fault because his character is so very hard to like. Hooker sets up his cadets in traumatising situations just to show them they will fail and when he is described as `insane' by a colleague for murdering a thief he merely replies `sanity is over-rated' and they both laugh! He may be a hero for the rightwing out there but anyone less strict will be put off. The rest of the cast are OK but look very eighties (check out Zmed's Italian Stallion!) Really the cadets are only there to be won over by Hooker's philosophy in the way the film hopes we will be.
Overall this is OK - not great but not terrible. I score it 4 out of 10 because it has some entertaining moments but really it is 90 minutes or so of Shatner shouting his message at us.
- bob the moo
- Feb 17, 2002