Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate a two-person detective agency in San Diego, California.
Simon & Simon
Philip DeGuere
- Gerald McRaney
- Jameson Parker
- Mary Carver
- Eddie Barth
- Jeannie Wilson
- Tim Reid
- Joan McMurtrey
Simon & Simon (instrumental version) by Barry De Vorzon
Michael Towers
"Best of Friends" performed by The Thrasher Brothers
United States
English
8
156 (list of episodes)
- Philip DeGuere
- John G. Stephens
- Richard Chapman
- Mark A. Burley
- Richard Chapman
- Mary Eagle
- Bill Dial
- George Geiger
- Richard C. Okie
45–48 minutes
November 24, 1981 –
September 16, 1989
Premise[edit]
The show revolves around the decisively polar-opposite Simon brothers, Rick (McRaney) and Andrew Jackson/"A.J." (Parker). Together, the brothers run a private investigator agency in San Diego, California, during the 1980s. Their contrasting approaches to investigations and subsequent personality conflicts provide much of the drama and comedy in each week's episode. The brothers have genuine love for one another as well as intense loyalty and will go to great lengths to protect one another.
Rick is a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran with an earthy, plain-speaking personality and a penchant for cowboy boots, denim, and pickup trucks. He lives on a boat in his brother A.J.'s yard. In contrast, A.J. is a college graduate with a polished, preppy look and a taste for classic cars. A.J. is a practicing Catholic while Rick is not, and though A.J. is a stickler for rules in life and at work, Rick is more of a free spirit with street smarts. Their odd couple style differences extend even to their cars, with Rick's Dodge Power Wagon used in one episode ("Love, Christy" (Season 1, Episode 2)) to crush the engine of a car contrasting with A.J.'s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible and customized Camaros (Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS) in the two-part episode, "Pirate's Key".
Although Rick is a few years older than A.J., McRaney and Parker were both born in 1947 and have only a three-month age difference.
Reunion movie and cultural references[edit]
Simon & Simon: In Trouble Again (1995)[edit]
In this reunion movie, which premiered on February 23, 1995 some years have passed, and a now divorced A.J. (whose ex-wife is Janet Fowler from original series) works in Seattle as an attorney. Rick stops by to visit en route to delivering an expensive yacht. The trouble starts when the yacht, with Rick and A.J.'s mother Cecilia on board, is hijacked.
The Greatest Event in Television History (2012)[edit]
The Greatest Event in Television History premiered on Adult Swim, on October 12, 2012. Hosted by Jeff Probst, the program went behind the scenes during the making of a shot-for-shot remake of the Simon & Simon opening sequence with Adam Scott and Jon Hamm in the roles of A.J. and Rick, respectively. The special also featured the appearances of Paul Rudd, Gus van Sant, Megan Mullally, Paul Scheer, and Kathryn Hahn.[19]