''MacGruder and Loud'' is an American crime drama from

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...

Productions that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from January 20 to April 30, 1985.

Premise

The series stars

John Getz John William Getz (born October 15, 1946) is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films. Personal life Getz, one of four children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, ...

and

Kathryn Harrold Kathryn Harrold (born August 2, 1950) is an American counselor and retired actress, best known for her leading roles in films '' The Hunter'' (1980), '' Modern Romance'' (1981), '' The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper'' (1981), '' Yes, Giorgio'' (1982), ...

as married police officers Malcolm MacGruder and Jenny Loud in a

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

-styled police agency (where strict anti-fraternization policies were in effect). They fought a battle every day to keep it a closely guarded secret from their boss, Sgt. Hanson (played by veteran actor

Lee de Broux Lee de Broux (born May 7, 1941) is an American character actor of film and television who is best known for his roles in such films and television series as '' Chinatown'', '' RoboCop'', '' The Gun'', '' Geronimo: An American Legend'', ''Norma ...

). Zoglin, Richard (January 21, 1985)
Autumn Goofs, Winter Repairs
''

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

''. Malcolm and Jenny lived in a duplex-type apartment complex where there was a secret door behind the grandfather clock in her apartment, where Malcolm could sneak in and enjoy her company.

Cast

as Det. Malcolm MacGruder *

as Det. Jenny Loud MacGruder *Ted Ross as Det. Sgt. Debbin *Frank McCarthy as Sgt. Myhrum

Episodes

Production

This was one of the few failures from Aaron Spelling's production company in its history, since it was picked by ABC to debut right after the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

in 1985 and was heavily promoted during the game. The promotion resulted in high ratings at first, but the series was cancelled three months into its run. The ratings decline was blamed on ABC's repeated changing of the show's timeslot before settling on Monday nights at 10:00 p.m., known as "the graveyard slot". It ranked 36th out of 77 shows with a 14.9 rating and a 23 share. Because of the frequent commercials during the Super Bowl, the following night

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

asked rhetorically during his monologue on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', "Did you see that new show, 'Frequent and Loud'?" The series was rushed into production by ABC in order to capitalize on the popularity of another crime drama at that time, ''

Cagney and Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very dif ...

'' (which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

References

External links

* {{sequence , prev=''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving esp ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, list=''MacGruder and Loud''
Super Bowl lead-out program

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, next=''

The Last Precinct ''The Last Precinct'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on NBC January 26, and then aired weekly from April 11 to May 30, 1986 on Friday nights at 9:00pm. The series stars Adam West as Capt. Rick Wright, leading a group of ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1985 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Spelling Television American Broadcasting Company original programming Super Bowl lead-out shows 1980s American crime drama television series 1980s American police procedural television series English-language television shows Television duos Television series about marriage Television shows set in Los Angeles