Prime Time Crime Trivia Quiz

Answer: NYPD Blue

"NYPD Blue" began its run in September 1993. The last show aired in March 2005. The show won numerous awards, including seven Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and countless nominations. The series definitely pushed the limits of nudity and violence for TV viewing and came under fire from various watchdog groups.

Although the exterior shots were filmed in New York, most of the episodes were filmed in L.A.

Answer: Adam-12

"Adam-12" was created by R.A. Cinader and Jack Webb, the creator of "Dragnet". The show was one of the first to realistically show how police officers experience their jobs on a daily basis. It also introduced the viewing public to police procedures and police lingo.

Answer: The Streets of San Francisco

Karl Malden and Michael Douglas developed a close personal and professional relationship on the show which paralleled the relationship of their TV characters. Shot on location in San Francisco, the duo investigated homicides in the "City by the Bay." During the final season, Douglas left the show to pursue a film career and was replaced by actor Richard Hatch. Apparently the switch was not lost on the audience.

The bond that developed between Malden and Douglas was hard to replace. It spelled the end for the series.

Answer: Kojak

Telly Savalas, Greek-American in real life, played the role of Theo Kojak and proudly displayed his Greek-American heritage on the show. The character of Kojak was actually a composite character stemming from a 1963 murder case called the "Career Girls Murders". The series was televised from 1973-1978.

Answer: Miami Vice

Who can forget Don Johnson looking cool in his Armani jacket worn over a T-shirt and loafers worn without socks? It created a new fashion style for men, at least for a while. "Miami Vice" had all the ingredients for a successful show from the Ferrari sports cars and 1980s soundtrack to the two impossibly good-looking detectives.

The show aired from 1984-1989 and starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as the detectives.

Answer: The Mod Squad

The show seems dated now but for its time it played nicely to the counterculture audience. The crime-fighting trio, one African American, one white male, and one female, dealt mostly with racial issues and drugs. Bud Ruskin created the crime drama based on his own experiences as an undercover cop.

Answer: Baretta

"Baretta" aired from 1975-1978. Robert Blake was already an established film star by the time he appeared in the title role. What made Tony Baretta so interesting, beside his pet cockatoo, were the many disguises he donned in order to catch the bad guys. "You can take dat to da bank" was one of several "Baretta" catchphrases.

Answer: Barnaby Jones

"Barnaby Jones" was actually a spin-off of another police show called "Cannon". The show aired from 1973-1980 and co-starred Lee Meriwether as Barnaby's daughter-in-law, Betty. The two originally joined forces to hunt for the killer of Barnaby's son and Betty's husband. "Barnaby Jones" was pretty low-key as far as cop shows go since Ebsen was in his sixties when he starred in the series and did not do the physical confrontations and chasing required of other shows of this genre.

Answer: CHiPS

"CHiPS" stood for California Highway Patrol. The stories of the two motorcycle cops blended humor and drama. A hallmark of the show were the huge pileups shown in almost every episode. The idea for the series came from the show's creator, Rick Rosner, who had been a reserve deputy with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Answer: Bones

Emily Deschanel plays Dr. Temperance Brennan and David Boreanaz plays Special Agent Seeley Booth in this series that combines forensics, police work, and comedy. In my opinion the success of the show is largely due to the odd pairing of the two main characters who are as different as night and day.

The forensics part, however, is really quite interesting. Occasionally Brennan and Booth have only the tiniest piece of information with which to build a case.