''Chopper One'' is a short-lived

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 ...

action-crime television series in early 1974, depicting the activities of a fictional California police helicopter team. The program was produced by television powerhouse

Spelling-Goldberg Productions Spelling-Goldberg Productions was an American television production company established on May 1, 1972 by Aaron Spelling and Screen Gems' top TV executive Leonard Goldberg. They produced series during the 1970s like ''Family'', '' Starsky & Hutc ...

. The series aired in a half-hour time slot on Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern. The show aired adjacent to ''

Firehouse __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire h ...

'', an action-drama series about a Los Angeles fire station. ''Chopper One'' was cancelled after six months with ''Firehouse'' promptly ending the following month.

Story and Characters

''Chopper One'' was directed by E.W. Swackhamer, featuring two flight police officers (a pilot and an observer) and their adventures in a police helicopter. The helicopter was a

Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progra ...

JetRanger. It starred

Jim McMullan James P. McMullan (October 13, 1936 – May 31, 2019) was an American actor from Long Island, New York, best known for his role as Dr. Terry McDaniel on the 1960s series ''Ben Casey'' and as Senator Andrew Dowling on the CBS primetime soap oper ...

as Officer Don Burdick and

Dirk Benedict Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American film, television and stage actor, philosopher and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' film and telev ...

as Officer Gil Foley. Benedict would later earn fame as Lt. Starbuck in the original 1978 TV show ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'' and as Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in the TV show ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...

''.

Ted Hartley Theodore Ringwalt Hartley (born November 6, 1924) is a U.S. Navy fighter pilot, investment banker, actor, film producer, and is currently CEO of RKO Pictures. He was married to heiress, actress and philanthropist Dina Merrill until her death in ...

played their boss Capt. McKeegan and Lou Frizzell played Mitch, the crusty mechanic.

Episodes

Home Media and Streaming Services

Since its cancellation in 1974, ''Chopper One'' was reported to have rarely (if ever) been seen again in rerun syndication. On July 12, 2016,

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

released ''Chopper One: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively in the US and is part of the ''Sony Pictures Choice Collection'' in partnership with Amazon.com and their CreateSpace MOD program.'The Complete Series' DVDs are NOW AVAILABLE!
As of 2023, all 13 episodes of ''Chopper One'' are available on free video streaming service

Crackle Crackle or crackling may refer to: Foods * Cracklings, the tissue remaining after lard and tallow have been extracted from animal fats ** Pork rinds in American English, pork scratchings in British English when served in small pieces as a snac ...

References

External links

''Chopper One'' on ABC at ''TV Guide''
* {{Aaron Spelling 1974 American television series debuts 1974 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming 1970s American crime drama television series American adventure television series Television series by Spelling Television Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Los Angeles Aviation television series