Television series

Hardcastle and McCormick

Name: Hardcastle and McCormick
Genre: Drama, Action, Crime
Released: 1983
Cast: Brian Keith, Daniel Hugh Kelly

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A retired judge frustrated by legal technicalities teams with a charismatic car thief to hunt down criminals the system failed to convict. It's a buddy-cop procedural with '80s charm—warm, funny, and built on the chemistry between an unlikely pair who genuinely like each other. For viewers who want crime solved with style and a grin.

TVMaze rating

3.7

If you liked this

The Rockford Files1974

The DNA of Hardcastle and McCormick: a wisecracking ex-con helping a legitimate authority figure solve cases. Rockford's warmth and humor set the template for shows about likeable rogues doing right by accident.

But It moves slowly by modern standards. Rockford spends half his time dealing with his truck and his love life, and cases often peter out into conversations rather than climaxes.

Magnum, P.I.1980

Same era, same vibe: a charming outsider working cases with an authority figure breathing down his neck. Selleck and the supporting cast have the same easy chemistry that makes Hardcastle and McCormick work.

But Magnum's Hawaii setting makes it more of a lifestyle fantasy than a grounded procedural. If you want crime solved seriously, this tilts too hard into wish-fulfillment.

Simon & Simon1981

Two brothers with opposing personalities solve crimes together. The banter, the cases-of-the-week format, and the genuine affection between the leads mirror what makes Hardcastle and McCormick so watchable.

But The show is lighter and more sitcom-like than you might want. It prioritizes humor over stakes, which can make dramatic moments feel thin.

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Thief1981

Both argue that skilled criminals and straight-arrow authority figures understand each other better than either understands 'normal' society. The show makes that funny; this makes it tragic.

A professional thief with a code—skilled, intelligent, and fundamentally decent—navigates a world where authority is corrupt and the only honest relationship is with another outsider. The moral DNA of McCormick in feature form, stripped of humor and played with absolute seriousness.

But It's a crime film about inevitability, not victory. The tone is cool and detached, with a bleak ending that rejects the warmth and humor that make Hardcastle and McCormick so comforting.

The Odd Couple1970

Not a cop show, but the same engine: two mismatched men forced into partnership, their friction generating both comedy and unexpected warmth. If you love the Hardcastle/McCormick dynamic, this invented it.

But It's a sitcom, not a procedural. If you're watching for crime plots, you'll be disappointed by how little plot there is per episode.

Cannon1971

A methodical, unglamorous private detective solving cases one conversation at a time. Like Hardcastle and McCormick without the comic relief—proof the era made room for both playful and serious takes on the same format.

But It's slow and talky, with long scenes of investigation that don't go anywhere. Patience is mandatory. Modern viewers often find it dull.

Mannix1967

Another '60s-'70s private eye show, but with a kinetic energy closer to Hardcastle and McCormick's action-and-humor balance. Mannix gets beaten up a lot and laughs it off—the DNA of your show's vibe.

But The plotting is often preposterous and the dialogue occasionally cringeworthy. It doesn't hold up as a detective story, only as a period piece.

Banacek1972

A con-artist-turned-insurance-investigator with a taste for heists and outsmarting people. The con-man-helping-the-establishment angle is a direct ancestor of McCormick's role.

But Only three seasons and oddly paced. Episodes are uneven, and the show never quite settles into what it wants to be.

The Streets of San Francisco1972

A grounded police procedural with actual warmth between its leads. Not a buddy-cop show by the modern template, but the genuine affection between the detectives gives it the same emotional core.

But It's procedural in the slowest sense—lots of legwork, lots of footwork, very little flash. If you want action or humor, you'll find neither.

BJ and the Bear1979

An outlaw trucker and his chimp (yes) befriend a highway cop. Absurd, warm-hearted, and committed to the idea that mismatched people can actually like each other. Pure '70s spirit.

But The premise is ridiculous even by '70s standards, and it never tries to explain itself. If you need shows to make logical sense, move on.

Columbo1968

Both shows believe that criminals and detectives are fundamentally knowable as people. They solve cases by understanding their opponent, not by pursuing them.

A detective who solves crimes through patience, conversation, and genuine human connection rather than action or procedure. Like Hardcastle and McCormick flipped: instead of hunting down the guilty, he talks the guilty into confessing.

But It's slow and deliberately repetitive by design. Each episode follows the same structure, and there's no character growth or ongoing relationship to invest in across the season.

Sexy Beast2001

Like Hardcastle and McCormick, it's about a criminal and a straight man forced into partnership. But it asks: what if they didn't actually like each other? What if the arrangement was a trap?

A retired con living in Spain is disrupted by a charismatic criminal from his past. It's a character study about what happens when an outsider tries to go straight—and what it costs. Ray Winstone's exhaustion is the inverse of McCormick's charm.

But It's aggressively unpleasant. Ben Kingsley's criminal is cruel and obscene, the sex is graphic, and the film takes real joy in making you uncomfortable. There's no warmth here, no humor, no refuge.