''Special Squad'' is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

series made by

Crawford Productions Crawford Productions is an Australian media production company, focused on radio and television production. Founded in Melbourne by Hector Crawford and his sister, actress and voice artist Dorothy Crawford, the company, also known as Crawfords ...

for

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

in 1984.

Overview

The series focused on an elite division of the Victoria Police, which handled crimes either too sensitive or specialist for regular squads. The Special Squad was headed by Det. Insp. Don Anderson (

Alan Cassell Alan Louis Cassell (16 February 1932 – 30 August 2017) was an English Australian actor, on stage, film and television. Personal life Alan Cassell was born in Manchester, England but grew up in Birmingham. Cassell was of a young age when his m ...

), with his main operatives being Det. Snr. Sgt. Greg Smith (

Anthony Hawkins Anthony Hawkins (30 September 1932 – 23 September 2013), was an English-born, Australian-based television actor. He was best known for his roles as Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Smith in the police procedural '' Special Squad (1984)'' and ...

), and Det. Sgt. Joel Davis (

John Diedrich John Edwin Diedrich (born 25 February 1953 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian actor, director, producer and singer, known for stage and television roles in Australia and the UK. He played the lead role of Curly in the 1980 West End revi ...

). ''Special Squad'' was seen by many as an Australian answer to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

series ''

The Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...

'' both for its focus on action and violence, and the fact that both series were produced by

Raymond Menmuir Raymond Edward Menmuir (10 September 1930 – 26 March 2016) was a British-Australian director and producer. His career included producing 44 episodes of ''The Professionals (TV series), The Professionals'' and directing 12 episodes of ''Upstairs ...

. However, in reality the characters and plotlines were less developed than the British series. The series lasted for 43 episodes in total.

Cast

as Det. Insp. Don Anderson *

as Det. Snr. Sgt. Greg Smith *

as Det. Sgt. Joel Davis

Guest stars

Episode list

Home media

As of November 2022, Crawfords DVD plans to release ''Special Squad'' on DVD in the near future. In January 2023 Crawford Productions Announced that Special Squad Would Be Released in February 2023

External links

Crawford Productions''Special Squad'' at the National Film and Sound Archive
* 1984 Australian television series debuts 1980s Australian crime television series 1980s Australian drama television series Network 10 original programming English-language television shows Television series by Crawford Productions {{Australia-tv-prog-stub