Network: NBC
Episodes: 174 (half-hour)
Seasons: Seven
TV show dates: September 21, 1968 — May 20, 1975
Series status: Cancelled/ended
Performers include: Martin Milner, Kent McCord, William Boyett, Art Gilmore, Claude Johnson, Jack Hogan, Chuck Bowman, and Marco Lopez
TV show description:
Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), a six-year veteran of the L.A.P.D., plans on quitting the force after his partner is killed. However, prior to his handing in his resignation, Pete is asked to break in recent Army veteran and rookie officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) on his first night on the force.
The two officers deal with a hysterical woman who thinks her son’s salamander has crawled down the back of her dress, a pair of liquor store robbers, a baby in distress, and a group of trigger happy teenagers.
At the end of the night, Reed disobeys Malloy’s orders but succeeds in making several arrests. Malloy dresses him down but his longtime friend, the Division’s Watch Commander (Art Gilmore), reminds him of Malloy’s own beginnings and he decides to stay and help mold Reed into one of “L.A.’s finest.”
During the course of the series, both are wounded in the line of duty, kidnapped, and held hostage (separately and together), and face disciplinary measures for their mistakes from Sergeant William “Mac” MacDonald (William Boyett).
Over time, Reed matures and becomes a regular LAPD officer and Malloy is promoted to Field Training Officer. The duo eventually become members of their division’s SWAT team.
Episodes 173 & 174 — Something Worth Dying For, parts one & two
Reed is frustrated by his job and wants to do more to help society. He volunteers to work with the narcotics division for a month. During a drug raid, Malloy is shot and Reed risks his life to get him to safety. Reed earns the Medal of Valor for his bravery and his wife initially doesn’t want to attend the ceremony because she’s struggling with his new role.
When Malloy returns to patrol, he finds that Reed is considering taking the investigator’s exam at the urging of his wife. If he passes the exam, he’d leave the patrol division and have a desk job. The series ends before we learn his choice.
First aired: May 13, 1975 and May 20, 1975.
There haven’t been any official reunion projects thus far but there have been a few related projects.
Shaaron Claridge, the voice of the series’ police dispatcher, was a real dispatcher for the LAPD. After the show ended, she played the same role on an episode of Lou Grant, Columbo, and in the movie Blue Thunder.
In 1989, a new version of Adam-12 began airing in syndication and lasted one season. None of the original show’s cast returned to reprise their roles.
Milner and McCord reunited on October 21, 1989 for a TV movie called Nashville Beat. The two played former LAPD partners but were not called Malloy and Reed. McCord co-wrote the story. Coincidentally, actor Ed Beechner appeared in both this TV movie and multiple episodes of the Adam-12 series remake.
On September 18, 1997, Milner and McCord appeared as LAPD detectives in the “Murder Blues” episode of Diagnosis: Murder. The pair weren’t named Malloy and Reed however.
In the 1990 feature film, Predator 2, McCord plays Captain B. Pilgrim of the LAPD.
I liked Adam 12 and watch the reruns but am amazed the change in Kent McCords change in the character at the show end. He began wearing black gloves then aviator glasses and grew out large sideburns. Was there strife on the set? Just curious
I am a Huge Adam-12 fan, love both the guys together as I’m now watching the reruns can’t understand why it was cancelled, these guys were Awesome together, I am totally crushing on Kent McCord!, Anyone who is a big fan of the show or of these guys feel free to write me. thank u!
I’m also a Huge Adam-12 fan and you know same I’m totally crushing on Kent McCord!
Having watched the Nashville Beat predictable but very good 8/10 Mike Reed promoted to lieutenant and Reed promoted to Captain so their names from Adam 12 were kept for the Nashville beat tv movie
Having watched Nashville beat Mike Malloy was promoted to lieutenant and Reed was promroted to Captain 8/10 predictable but still very good.
Glad bright Adam 12back on the air !!!!!!!!!
when willl adam 12 come back on me tv In Orange County, California? I love this show!
That Was a Nice Little Synopsis There Guys (y)
Short ‘skinny?”- Reed promotes to Detective,Malloy becomes a station Sergeant, and later retires to Oregon. Series is re-booted during the era of “Colors” starring Greg Morris and Ethan Wayne- series was totally early 90s tv schmaltz .
Both McCord and Milner are alive and both are fairly well off financially . McCord continued to “serve the community” as a reserve officer for the L.A Unified school District Police- one of the largest school police depts in the nation….
Kent mccord was so handsome, is he still alive and what did he do after acting?No I have never commented on here or about them before!
He’s continued to act (check imdb.com) and has held several elected positions with the Screen Actors Guild.
I know!!!
I wish the networks would allow a series to at least do two or three more episodes so they can at least put some kind of finish to the deal. Those finishing episodes are often the best. For instance my favorite is The Bob Newhart show. Great finish. Would love a good ending for Reed and Malloy.
Pity they can’t do it now, but the series ended almost 40 years ago. Malloy would be in his 80’s and Reed in his 70’s…both would have retired from the force decades earlier.
I meant that the networks would allow the show that is canceled to do a few shows to bring it to a close at the time..not now. Just stopping cold just isn’t right, IMHO.
Back in the day (and even now sometimes), shows were canceled with little warning, sometimes even during the summer. Life would go on as the actors, writers and production crews would move on to their next gig. Unfortunately, the networks didn’t care once a show was gone, so expecting “a few shows” to brings things to a close after the fact was unrealistic. Perhaps if Jack Webb had lived (he died in 1982), we might have seen an Adam-12 TV movie reunion at some point. Webb was actually working on a revival of Dragnet at the time of his death… Read more »
Martin Milner has already passed . If your interested, he can be seen as a young teenager in Life with Father. WithWilliam Powell, Elizabeth Taylor,1948 I think, MGM. It’s on TCM sometimes.
when willl adam 12 come back on me tv Jacksonville floida we used to watch it at 4pm on ch. 29/
Martin Milner just past away last month due to heart failure. .there are articles on YouTube and video footage from his services.. its heart breaking.
I know right!
I have a perfect malloy for a new adam-12 show. He is 6 2″ perfect for show ,just need Reed and your good to go. This guy is just dying to go to hollywood and has the looks , please take notice….
I would like to make comments on the 7th Heaven series, in the last series that I have been watching it has become apparent that Eric Camden, Lucy, and Ruthy have become real hyppocrittical, interfering pains in the butt and have down graded all the previous series episodes and the story that u first created. Dose it represent the normal American family way of life. If so then u leave a lot to be desired, and it shows us the viewers that the America children run their parents lives not the parents having control over their children. These are my… Read more »