dream cast: hypothetical ‘CHiPs’ movie

Thu, Nov 20, 2008

It’s Thursday, so it’s time to remake an 80s classic TV show or movie with an all-new cast. This week: CHiPs, the 1977-1983 NBC action drama about two motorcycle cops of the California Highway Patrol. Hey, it wasn’t all a day at the beach and babes in bikinis, you know. Mostly it was, but not all.

(If you have a suggestion for an 80s TV show or movie we should play with, feel free to email me.)
The original cast included:

Officer “Ponch” Poncherello: Erik Estrada
Officer Jonathan “Jon” Baker: Larry Wilcox
Sergeant Joseph Getraer: Robert Pine

Of course Ponch was the hotheaded troublemaker and Jon the calm, down-to-earth one. And of course the first impetus to remake this one would be with groovy snarking on the era:

Officer “Ponch” Poncherello: Ben Stiller
Officer Jonathan “Jon” Baker: Owen Wilson
Sergeant Joseph Getraer: Will Ferrell

Which could be funny. But we can be cleverer than that. How about calling it, um, Chick CHiPs and switching the genders:

Officer “Ponch” Poncherello: Michelle Rodriguez
Officer Jessica “Jess” Baker: Elisabeth Röhm
Sergeant Jo Getraer: Amanda Tapping

How would you reimagine the show, and who would you cast?

Ah, dig that groovy wakka-a-chikka theme music:

Oh god that’s so funny. Did we really think this was cool? We did, didn’t we? Man, we were dumb.

share and enjoy

If you haven’t commented here before, your first comment will be held for MaryAnn’s approval. This is an anti-spam, anti-troll, anti-abuse measure. If your comment is not spam, trollish, or abusive, it will be approved, and all your future comments will post immediately. (Further comments may still be deleted if spammy, trollish, or abusive, and continued such behavior will get your account deleted and banned.)

If you’re logged in here to comment via Facebook and you’re having problems, please see this post.

PLEASE NOTE: The many many Disqus comments that were missing have mostly been restored! I continue to work with Disqus to resolve the lingering issues and will update you asap.

3 Comments

oldest

newest most voted

Inline Feedbacks

view all comments

PaulW

Thu, Nov 20, 2008 4:58pm

We were children once. Of course we though CHiPs were cool: motorcycles! Car accidents on the LA freeway every week! The sweeps week episodes involving demolition derbys on the nude Malibu beaches! No, wait, that was Baywatch. Sorry.