Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer 1.9 “Magnum Farce”

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing SLEDGE HAMMER!, a cop comedy which ran on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The entire series can be found on Prime!

A man’s got to know his limitations.

Episode 1.9 “Magnum Farce”

(Dir by Charles Braverman, originally aired on November 22nd, 1986)

Someone is executing the criminals that the justice system fails to convict. The new district attorney, Ms. Collins (Janice Lynde), demands that the police discover who is acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Sledge Hammer is not happy about his new assignment. Not only is he having to go after people who hate criminals almost as much as he does but he’s also having to work for a woman.

When the latest victim holds up two fingers before dying, Sledge Hammer assumes that he’s saying he was shot by hippies. However, when the shell casings turn out to be from police-issued ammunition, Sledge realizes that the victim was actually signing that he had been shot by two cops. “I’m really bad at Charades,” Hammer explains.

Hammer and Trunk stage a fight so that the vigilantes will attempt to recruit Sledge Hammer. It works, even though Hammer accidentally knocks out Trunk. However, it turns out that the head of the vigilantes is none other than the liberal district attorney, Ms. Collins!

If this sounds familiars, that because this episode borrows a lot from the classic Dirty Harry sequel, Magnum Force. The vigilantes are even motorcycle cops, just like in the earlier film. Whereas Magnum Force was a rather grim film, this episode is silly even by the standards of Sledge Hammer. The two murders are largely bloodless, the dialogue is full of non-sequiturs, and the whole thing ends with Ms. Collins firing her gun at Sledge Hammer while Sledge calmly stands still because, according to him, women are terrible shots. The humor is nonstop and bizarre and the end result is the funniest episode since the pilot.

My favorite moment cames towards the end, when Captain Trunk burst into Ms. Collins’s mansion with several other police officers. When Hammer asks Trunk to explain to Collins the careful police work that went into uncovering her role as the head of the vigilantes, Tunk replies, “I live next door.”

For once, Sledge Hammer makes the city safe for criminals and it’s absolutely hilarious. He knows what he’s doing.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer 1.8 “Over My Dead Bodyguard”

Posted on October 2, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Captain Trunk’s life is in Sledge Hammer’s hands!

Episode 1.8 “Over My Dead Bodyguard”

(Dir by Charles S. Dubin, originally aired on November 14th, 1986)

Captain Trunk is scheduled to testify against a racketeer, and as a result the mob is determined to stop him. The police commissioner orders Sledge Hammer to serve as Trunk’s bodyguard. Trunk isn’t happy to hear that. He’s trying to get back together with his ex-wife (Tracy Reed). The last thing he needs or wants is Hammer around.

Hammer, however, takes his job seriously. When Trunk and his ex have dinner, Sledge is there to keep an eye on him and beat up an assassin. When it becomes obvious that Trunk is not safe at his own home, Hammer takes him to his apartment. When an assassin still manages to shoot Trunk, Hammer tells the world that Trunk is dead.

Doreau is shocked to see that Hammer doesn’t seem that upset over Trunk’s death. She asks him if he has any emotions. Hammer replies that he has a full range of emotions: “Anger, rage, hate. Hate.”

Hammer also explains that Trunk isn’t really dead. He’s at the hospital, preparing for surgery. Hammer takes Doreau to the hospital to see their captain. Outside the hospital room, the guard looks at Hammer and asks, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” “To avoid the death penalty,” Hammer says. He looks over at Doreau. “Guess who came up with that password?”

An assassin (Robert O’Reilly) has disguised himself as an anesthesiologist. The assassin even manages to drug Hammer. Fortunately, a half-drugged and stumbling Hammer still knows how to throw a punch. He knocks out the assassin and then announces that, because the hospital has been compromised, he’s going to have to remove the bullet himself. “Don’t worry. I’ve practiced on myself.”

Trunk somehow survives being protected by Hammer and gives his testimony. The commissioner congratulates Trunk and then assigns Hammer to continue guarding him for at least a month.

This episode felt a bit off. There were a few funny lines and some good physical humor (especially when Doreau was helping the drugged Hammer to his feet), but otherwise it lacked the fast-paced, anything-for-a-joke feel of some of the previous episodes. In fact, it felt almost like a regular cop show. The only surprising thing is that it’s an assassin who shoots Trunk and not Sledge Hammer himself.

As I said, this episode did make me laugh. David Rasche, Anne-Marie Martin, and Harrison Page are quite a comedic team. It just didn’t leave as lasting an impression as some of the other episodes I’ve watched.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/20/26 — 9/26/20

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Again, this week was largely about getting ready for Horrorthon.

I did take the time to watch Big Brother. I’m so excited. Only a few more days to go and then this season will be over with and I’ll never have to think about it again! We are now down to the final three houseguests. I imagine that next Thursday, Devens will defeat Drew by a vote of 6-1. I’ve written a little about Big Brother over at the Reality TV Chat Blog.

I was happy to see Survivor return. I wrote about my thoughts on the first episode of season 51 here. I’m looking forward to the start of The Amazing Race on Wednesday.

On Netflix, SCTV continues to bring me happiness. This week, I watched a parody of The Godfather and I got to know Sammy Maudlin and his favorite guest, Bobby Bittman.

I also watched and reviewed episodes of Saved By The Bell, Hunter, 1st & Ten, Degrassi, and Sledge Hammer!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer! 1.7 “All Shook Up”

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.

Episode 1.7 “All Shook Up”

(Dir by Jackie Cooper, originally aired on November 7th, 1986)

15 Elvis impersonators have been murdered in the city. Doreau wonders how anyone can be so evil. Sledge Hammer wonders about the person who draws the chalk outlines at crime scenes. “What type of life is that?”

Captain Trunk, who spends this episode dealing with a migraine, is upset that there aren’t more clues as to the identity of the murderer. Hammer suggests that it will be easier to solve the case once more Elvises have been murdered. To Trunk’s disappointment, Hammer turns out to be right. A woman witnesses the 16th murder and reports that the killer was not only dressed like Elvis but he was also carrying a golden microphone!

It’s time for Sledge Hammer to go undercover! Doreau enrolls him in a school for Elvis impersonators and then accompanies him to the National Elvis Impersonator Semi-Finals. The highlight of the episode is Sledge Hammer imitating Elvis. He can’t do the voice and he can’t do the dance moves but he’s totally convincing when he draws a gun and shoots it. Later, he shows off his karate moves and wins a trophy.

As for the murderer, he turns out to be the janitor (Raymond Ma) at the Elvis school. He feels that he’s the best Elvis in the world. Unfortunately, for him, he’s electrocuted when he accidentally holds his golden microphone too close to a live wire. With the city safe for Elvis impersonators, Sledge announces that he’s going to Graceland.

This week’s episode was just ludicrous enough to work. Between the Elvis puns and all of the bad singing and dancing, it kept me laughing (or, at the very least, smiling). As usual, David Rasche’s enthusiastic performance more than made up for any jokes that didn’t quite land. This was also a good episode for Anne-Marie Martin, who played Doreau’s relationship with Hammer with just the right combination of frustration and affection.

Sledge Hammer has left the building but he’ll be back next week.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/13/26 — 9/19.26

Posted on September 19, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Once again, this week was more about getting ready for our annual October Horrorthon than watching television. Here’s a few thoughts on what I did watch.

The latest season of Big Brother is slowly coming to an end. I’ve kind of been writing about it over at Reality TV Chat Blog. As I mentioned over there, I’ve found it next to impossible to really get into this season. I am, however, looking forward to a new season of Survivor on the 23rd and a new season of The Amazing Race on the 30th!

On Monday and Tuesday, I watched several episodes of the E! True Hollywood Story on YouTube. Most of the uploads were taken straight from old VHS recordings and, as such, they came with the commercials that aired with the show. I was in history nerd heaven! I watched episodes about Rodney Harvey, Growing Pains, Three’s Company, the Brat Pack, and more!

On Wednesday, I watched an episode of SCTV on Netflix. It was a 30-minute parody of Fantasy Island. I laughed so hard that I almost fell off my couch. I loved Eugene Levy and John Candy as Roarke and “Patoo.”

On Friday night, I watched an episode of something called Turn of The Century. It aired on New York public access television in the 90s. It was very experimental and deliberately arty and I got bored with it. It was trying a bit too hard.

I also watched and reviewed episodes of Degrassi, CHiPs, Pacific Blue, Hunter, and Sledge Hammer!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer 1.6 “To Sledge, With Love”

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Sledge is going back to school!

Episode 1.6 “To Sledge, With Love”

(Dir by David Wechter, originally aired on October 31st, 1986)

When an obnoxious man insists on smoking a cigar in the police station despite it being against the rules, Sledge Hammer shoots the cigar out of his mouth. Later, when Hammer asks Captain Trunk if he’s going to yell at him about shooting the cigar, Trunk asks what difference it would make.

It’s good to see that Trunk is learning.

Speaking of learning, the local high school has been taken over by a gang! It’s time for Sledge Hammer and Dori to go back to school. Unfortunately for Hammer, that means that he can’t shoot or even hit anyone. “You mean I have to wait until this punk is 18 before I can toss him off the roof?” Hammer asks. Sorry, Hammer!

The school has a lot of problems, but the main one is a delinquent named Turk (Shawn Klugman). Turk is more concerned with stealing cars for Mr. Roscoe (Norman Alden) than with going to class. When Sledge Hammer tries to get through to him by showing off his gun and challenging him to a fight, Turk laughs him off. When Sledge Hammer tries to teach Turk that he’s a “homosapien,” Turk angrily declares that he has lots of girlfriends and then walks out of class.

It looks like Turk is a lost cause, but Hammer has one more trick up his sleeve. He reveals how much money Roscoe is making by selling used cars. Turk realizes that he deserves to get paid a lot more than just $500 for his hard work. Turk helps Hammer take down Roscoe and then, at the end of the episode, he announces that he’s going to join the Police Academy as soon as he graduates.

Good work, Hammer!

I enjoyed this episode more than last week’s. While last week’s episode sometimes seemed to be a bit too much of a straight crime drama, this week’s episode returns to the format of nonstop jokes. The entire episode is a parody of those painfully earnest films where a teacher comes to a tough school and manages to change the lives of their students. Hammer changes lives not with confidence-building and smart lesson plans but instead with a big gun. Hey, whatever gets the job done!

How do you thank someone who took you from crayons to perfume? It’s not easy, but I’ll try….

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/6/26 — 9/12/126

Posted on September 12, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Again, I didn’t watch much TV this week. I wish I could say that it was because I was busy watching horror movies in anticipation of Horrorthon but mostly it was just because I wasn’t feeling that good. I started out with a touch of arthritis in my big toe making it difficult for me to walk or sleep. Luckily that only lasted a day. However, as soon as that was vanquished, I ended getting hit by my allergies. I was congested all the way through Friday. On the plus side, I recovered enough that, on Saturday, I could go outside and spray a bunch of wasps that were trying to build a nest on the side of the empty house next to mine.

I did watch Big Brother. I kind of wrote about it over at Reality TV Chat Blog. The show just hasn’t done much for me this year.

I watched a few episodes of SCTV on Netflix. Love that Count Floyd!

And then I watched and reviewed episodes of Pacific Blue, Hunter, and Sledge Hammer!

Yep, I didn’t do anything this week.

Other than suffer….

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer! 1.5 “Dori Day Afternoon”

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Dori and Sledge get caught up in a hostage situation.

Episode 1.5 “Dori Day Afternoon”

(Dir by James Sheldon, originally aired on October 24th, 1986)

While driving to the bank, Dori and Sledge Hammer see a man on the ledge of a building. The man is threatening to jump. Dori says she’s going to grab a bullhorn out of the trunk so she can talk the guy down. Sledge says that won’t be necessary. He draws his gun and fires five shots at the man, barely missing him, until the terrified man goes back inside.

At the bank, Sledge is shocked when the ATM tells him that his account is overdrawn. He and Dori go inside to talk to the manager. While Sledge is trying to get some answers as to what happened to his account, two men draw guns. Cliff (Frank Doubleday) and Lou (Britt Leach) announce that they are robbing the bank and that everyone inside is going to be a hostage. Sledge has his gun with him but, after dealing with the jumper, he only has one bullet left. While Cliff negotiates with Captain Trunk, Sledge continually waits for Cliff and Lou to stand close enough together that they can both be taken out by one bullet. Unfortunately, the other hostages keep getting in the way.

This episode was okay without being particularly memorable. When you consider how silly the first three episodes of Sledge Hammer! were, it’s a bit ironic that this one suffers because it takes itself a bit too seriously. Instead of the enjoyably surreal humor of the first episode, “Dori Day Afternoon” features too many scenes of Cliff and Lou making their demands and threatening people. The episode does pick up a bit at the end, when Trunk tries to trick Cliff and Lou by giving them a plane but not a pilot. It turns out Cliff is an expert pilot. After Sledge manages to beat Cliff up, it turns out that Sledge has no idea how to fly a plane. Luckily, Dori does.

The funniest moments are the ones where Sledge struggles with his natural instinct, which is to shoot first and worry about the consequences later. David Rasche, as always, does a good job of showing just how much Sledge struggles when he’s in a situation that can’t be solved through gunplay. The funniest moment is when Trunk calls the bank and asks Sledge if the hostages have hurt anyone.

“No,” Sledge replies.

“Have you hurt anyone?”

“Not yet.”

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer 1.4 “They Shoot Hammers, Don’t They?”

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Hammer’s former partner break out of prison!

Episode 1.4 “They Shoot Hammers, Don’t They?”

(Dir by David Wechter, originally aired on October 17th, 1986)

At the annual police quick-draw contest, Hammer is once again named the department champion. His secret is to shoot every target, whether it represents a criminal or a civilian. He also attaches a “loudener” to the barrel of his gun, which not only makes a lot of noise but also causes a lot of damage.

Hammer is going to need all of his abilities, because his childhood friend and former partner on the force, John Kogan (Jack Thibeau), has broken out of jail and hijacked a bus. He announces that he’s going to drive the bus across the country and cause a lot of trouble unless Hammer meets him for a duel. Kogan, a corrupt cop, blames Hammer for sending him to prison. Captain Trunk refuses to allow Hammer to meet with Kogan. As Trunk puts it, Kogan is one man with a bus. How much damage can he do?

After a montage of buildings exploding and people running in fear, Hammer finally confronts Kogan. As Dori Doreau watches, Kogan and Hammer attempt to outdraw each other. Kogan turns out to be faster than Hammer. He shoots the gun out of Hammer’s hand, then keeps shooting the gun.

“Stop shooting my gun!” Hammer yells.

This was a funny episode, even if it didn’t quite reach the comedic heights of the previous three. While those episodes were often intentionally absurd and even surreal, this one tells a relatively straightforward story. That said, David Rasche continues to be gleefully unhinged as Hammer, and Anne-Marie Martin and Harrison Page provide good support as the two people tasked with keeping him under control.

The funniest scene involves Hammer using a pay phone to talk to an informant who is himself using another pay phone only about five feet away. When the informant demands $25,000 for his information, Hammer has to use another pay phone to call the station and get Trunk’s permission. Trunk has left for lunch, so Hammer then has to use yet another pay phone to call Trunk’s home. It’s a wonderfully chaotic visual gag, and it gives David Rasche a chance to show off some impressive physical comedy.

In the end, the city is saved. Trust Sledge Hammer. He knows what he’s doing.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer! 1.3 “Witless”

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Sledge meets the Maninotes.

Episode 1.3 “Witless”

(Dir by Jackie Cooper, originally aired on October 3rd, 1986)

Upset that crime has fallen in the city due to the insanity of just one cop, Don Phillip Souza (Al Ruscio) announces that he will pay a million dollars to anyone who can bring him Sledge Hammer in a box. When his accountant (Basil Hoffman) points out that a million dollars is a lot of money, Souza explains that he’s running a weekly special.

Fortunately for Sledge, it turns out that the city’s assassins are even dumber than he is. On his way to work, he has several close calls that he fails to notice. A knife is tossed at him but is blocked by his newspaper (which is extra thick because of the addition of several new Zodiac signs). Two hitmen accidentally shoot each other when he leans forward. Sledge spills his poisoned coffee before he can drink it. It’s not until he arrives at work and ends up juggling a lit stick of dynamite in Captain Trunk’s office that he realizes someone is after him.

Captain Trunk orders Hammer to hide out in the country. Unfortunately, the cop driving him explains that he has 12 kids and needs the money both to pay for their school and for a vasectomy. A struggle ends with Hammer getting tossed out of the car. He lands in a field, where he is discovered by farmer Jacob (Lewis Arquette) and his daughter, Isadora (Ann Ryerson).

Jacob and Isadora may ride in a buggy and eschew modern technology, but they’re not Amish. They’re not Mennonites either. Instead, they are Maninotes. Isadora insists that Hammer stay in their farmhouse until he recovers. Jacob insists that he do chores. Sledge milks a cow. Sledge tosses hay. Sledge tries and fails to build a barn.

As you probably already guessed, “Witless” is a parody of the 1985 film Witness. It’s definitely an affectionate parody. It doesn’t make fun of the movie so much as it imagines what would have happened if Harrison Ford’s sensitive and intelligent detective had been replaced by a trigger-happy lunatic. Sledge may be attracted to Isadora, but in the end his true love remains his gun. And when the assassins (led by the Don’s accountant) arrive at the farm, Jacob and Isadora appear with machine guns. When Hammer points out that Maninotes are supposed to be against violence, Jacob shrugs. “It’s the ’80s,” he says.

Eventually, Sledge gets in a box and has himself delivered to the Don so that he can collect the money. When Officer Doreau tells Sledge that he can’t take the money because it’s evidence, Sledge laughs and says that he won’t be pressing charges. Instead, he takes the money and gives it to Jacob and Isadora. Jacob says that he’s going to repair the barn and then buy a Porsche.

This is a hilarious episode, from the sight gags at the start to Sledge’s efforts to help out around the farm. The humor is cheerfully absurd. (At one point, when the accountant is slowly creeping up on Sledge, one of the other assassins walks up and takes his place so the accountant can take a break.) David Rasche plays Sledge with just the right amount of clueless enthusiasm. I laughed throughout. Sledge Hammer may be witless, but he’s also very funny.