Sledge Hammer Series Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1986 - 1988

Sledge Hammer was a brilliant ABC comedy series that parodied the stereotypical "tough cop" shows and films by depicting the life of a cop that was so manic and over-the-top violent that he made Dirty Harry look like a choirboy. While I'm tempted to wrap up the review even before it starts by stating, "Essential DVD collection – get it now!" I'll try and control my fan boy ravings long enough to get us through the Feature Attraction…

Trust me, I know what I'm doing. – Sledge Hammer

In 1986, creator Alan Spencer offered television viewers a slice of pure, unadulterated hilarity in the form of Sledge Hammer, a 30-minute cop comedy focused on… yep, you guessed it… a cop named Sledge Hammer (David Rasche)!

Most of us were familiar with the hard-boiled tough-cop personas that have graced the movie screens and televisions since the beginning of cinema. Alan Spencer tapped into this vein when he created Sledge Hammer, but took what we were accustomed to and brutally parodied it to a level almost beyond belief.

You see, Sledge Hammer is a zealous enforcer of the law that has one answer for all dilemmas: rough it up or shoot it. He's the type of cop that fires warning shots at jaywalkers, talks to his gun as if it's his lover, solves rooftop sniper issues by pulling out a bazooka and taking down entire buildings… you get the point.

Serving as both Sledge Hammer's commander and comedic foil is Captain Trunk (Harrison Page), a man weary of the maniac cop's ways.

Captain Trunk: You're sadistic, depraved, bloodthirsty, barbaric…
Hammer: Is that why you called me in here? To shower me with compliments?

During the pilot episode the mayor's daughter has been kidnapped and it seems the police department is incapable of handling it. But the mayor sees a possible solution in the form of a suspended cop named Sledge Hammer, who has the hard-nosed qualities he believes is necessary to bring justice to the kidnappers.

Mayor: That man makes Rambo look like Pee Wee Herman.

Naturally Sledge Hammer is gleeful about being placed back into active duty, but his celebration is short-lived when he's assigned a… gasp… female partner in the form of Dori Doreau (Anne-Marie Martin)! As much as the sexist cop vehemently objects to his fairer-sexed partner, he soon begrudgingly accepts the fact that he's stuck with her.

Ah, but worry not television fans, for eventually Sledge Hammer comes around and develops an admiration for his partner after observing her kick the tar out of a fellow.

Hammer: Doreau, that was excessively violent and completely unnecessary. I loved it. It was poetry in motion.

Anyhow, as you might have guessed Hammer and Dori solve the kidnapped daughter's case, but the pilot was only the beginning. Each week we were treated to an onslaught of insane humor as Trunk and Dori constantly attempted to keep Hammer's violent tendencies under control. The scenarios were varied and constantly hilarious, ranging from everything like Hammer being required to cart a news crew around that wanted to make a documentary of police in action (ala Cops) to Hammer being assigned as a temporary substitute teacher in an excessively violent high school.

One scene in particular that perfectly displays the over-the-top nature of the show is during the pilot episode when Hammer and Dori are exiting City Hall and stumble across a mugger that just stole an old lady's purse. Hammer takes the mugger down, sweetly returns the purse to the woman and prepares to rough the criminal up, but Dori reminds him that he can't demonstrate police brutality right outside of City Hall. Hammer's solution? Force the mugger to beat himself up!

Anyone that hasn't been lucky enough to have seen this series might be a little nervous about all this talk about violence, but remember that this show was a harmless parody – it wasn't sadistic in any way nor did it actually glorify violence. Sledge Hammer was tougher than 100 Dirty Harry's put together, yet he always had an idealistic, naïve and boyish charm. He wasn't trying to be a menace – he just sincerely believed his methods were the quickest way to a resolution.

David Rasche was pure genius in this series – no one could have come close to capturing the very essence of a manic cop as he did. Equally deserving of praise was Harrison Page and Anne-Marie Martin, for between the three of them they shared extraordinary screen chemistry and dead-on comedic timing.

Often DVD transfers of movies or shows end up being hack jobs since studios are frequently tempted to toss out quantity over quality. I'm happy to say that this series was treated with utmost respect, even to the point where they removed the obnoxious laugh track from the episodes! The removal of those damned laugh tracks allows you to indulge in the comedy without constantly being told what jokes or lines you should laugh at.

I suppose if there was one fault to point out in this series it might be that some of the more PC crowd might bristle at the sexist or violent humor without ever realizing that the show was actually subtly poking fun at violence and sexism in general. In today's society where you almost have to be afraid to crack any joke in fear that it might offend someone, somewhere, humor and parody is becoming an overly sanitized, dying art. Sledge Hammer (and the 80's in general) is a breath of fresh air from today's uptight PC society.

Not much more really needs to be said. If you're in the mood for a good laugh, be sure to add Sledge Hammer to your collection because this series was comedy gold. So with that said, let's wrap this review up.

Dori: Can we kill the lights please?
Hammer: <reaches into his jacket>
Trunk: Keep that gun in your holster, Hammer!

Movie rating: 10 stars

If you enjoyed Sledge Hammer you may also find the following films to be of interest:

Enjoy the Sledge Hammer experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD Season 1

DVD Season 2

Other Resources:

Sledge Hammer IMDb Page

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