Television series

The Dukes of Hazzard

Name: The Dukes of Hazzard
Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure
Released: 1979
Cast: Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Sorrell Booke, Ben Jones

Other titles called The Dukes of Hazzard: the 2005 film.

Car-chase action
Vigilante
Light-hearted
Dip in and out

The Dukes of Hazzard is pure Southern-fried mayhem: two cousins, a souped-up car, and weekly escapes from the corrupt sheriff in a fictional Georgia county. It's episodic, cartoonish, and unapologetically about the joy of rebellion. A comfort watch wrapped in stunts, wisecracks, and that iconic horn.

TVMaze rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want easygoing, car-chase comfort TV with a wink, where the stunts, the corny banter and the Confederate-flagged Dodge Charger all come packaged as cheerful nostalgia.

Skip it if you need tight plotting or real stakes, since each episode resets to the same feud with the county and the jokes lean repetitive over seven seasons.

What it asks of you: Little beyond an hour of your attention per episode; it moves briskly, stays light, and rewards you for not expecting much depth.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Rockford Files1974

A prototype for the formula—charming scoundrel, vintage car, cat-and-mouse with law enforcement, and a moral code beneath the cheek. Jim Rockford does for Los Angeles what Bo and Luke do for Hazzard.

But Slower paced and more introspective. Less action spectacle, more detective legwork and wisecracking on a budget.

Knight Rider1982

The spiritual successor: a lone protagonist, a beloved vehicle that's almost a character, episodic adventures across America, and that same effortless charm. Swap the General Lee for KITT and you're in familiar territory.

But Takes itself slightly more seriously. The tone is sleeker, the stakes higher, the fun a touch more measured.

Smokey and the Bandit1977

The movie version of this energy: Burt Reynolds charm, impossible car chases, corrupt authority figures, and a mission-of-the-week structure. Watch this if you want the Dukes' vibe in theatrical form.

But It's one film, not a series. Once the story ends, that's it—no episodic comfort watching.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Dukes of Hazzard

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

White Lightning1973

Both are built on the same core: Southern rebellion, corrupt county officials, fast cars as tools of freedom. White Lightning is the blueprint; The Dukes is the pop-culture refinement.

The prototype that inspired The Dukes: Burt Reynolds as a moonshine-running rebel, rural corruption, car chases, and that exact same pleasure in sticking it to authority. See where it all started.

But Grittier and more violent. Less humor, more edge. The Dukes softened this formula into family viewing.

Starsky & Hutch1975

Two buddies, ramshackle police work, car chases, and chemistry that makes the formula work. The aesthetic is grittier, but the heart—partnership under pressure—is identical.

But Plays it straighter. Less comedy, more crime procedural. Daisy's absence means less romantic subplot texture.

The Cannonball Run1981

Stunt-heavy ensemble chaos with zero plot and all heart. Same era, same gleeful disregard for sense, same trust that car chases and banter are enough.

But It's a mess—intentionally—and some viewers will find that exhausting. Episodic sketches rather than narrative coherence.

Magnum, P.I.1980

Another charming rogue with wheels, episodic adventures, and that perfect balance of action and humor. Tom Selleck's ease mirrors the Duke boys' effortless cool.

But Based in Hawaii, so different landscape and tone. More laid-back, less frenetic. Mysteries feel more substantial.

The Ballad of Little Jo1993

If you want to see Daisy Duke actress Catherine Bach in a completely different register—a gritty Western about a woman surviving on the frontier. Proof that cast members had range.

But Tonally opposite: serious, harsh, historical. Not a comfort watch. If you're watching for fun car chases, you'll be disappointed.

Halt and Catch Fire2014

Both are fundamentally about resourceful people winning through cleverness and charm against more powerful opposition. The engine is identical; the engine block just happens to be silicon.

A brilliantly written ensemble show about ambitious outsiders building something against institutional odds. No cars, no chases, but identical structure: partners, weekly obstacles, the struggle against the system.

But About computers, not cars. Deliberately slow, deliberately complex. If you want the Dukes for stunts and speed, this will feel intellectual and saddening.