Mopars on Television
See also our "Mopars driven by celebrities" and "Mopars in Movies" pages.
Chryslers, Dodges, Plymouths, and Jeeps in television shows
The following series are noted in particular for their portrayal of Mopars:
| TV Show | Notable Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, AMC Car(s) |
|---|---|
| Hill Street Blues | Mostly Mopar squads (Monacos, Furys, M-bodied Gran Furys, and Dodge vans) which was mainly what cops drove at the time. Bad guys mostly drove GMs. Chase scenes were realistic, with heavy fishtailing and no “Chevette beating Corvette” rubbish... and no Mustangs! (See notes at end of page.) |
| Viper | Featured a Dodge Viper, a vintage Plymouth ’Cuda, and every contemporary Chrysler, including a concept cars and prototypes (some of which were destroyed in the first episode). |
| Two Lane Blacktop | Hemi Cuda, Dodge Daytona |
| Dukes of Hazzard | In destroying a shocking number of Dodge Chargers, it cemented that car’s fame; it also featured Mopar patrol cars. Only villian Boss Hogg failed to drive a Mopar, preferring a Cadillac convertible. (Daisy’s Jeep is retroactively counted as a Mopar.) |
| Defiance | Post-apocalyptic Syfy series (2013) and online multiplayer game featuring Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Dart, with some action taking place in an abandoned Dodge dealership. |
Police, crime, and detective shows
| TV Show | Cars and Notes | Thanks... |
|---|---|---|
| Adam-12 | 1966 Belvederes and Satellites early on; AMC Matadors later. | Scott B |
| Alien Nation | Lead alien has Dodge Dynasty. Was this symbolism? Heaven knows the series had enough symbolism in it. | JohnB300M |
| A-Team | Many 1976 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Valiants (later, F-bodies) used by the military police. Many were actual, rare A38 police models. | Shoe |
| Batman | Bruce Wayne had an Imperial; squads were Dodge C-bodies; A100 vans too | Damian Birch |
| Baywatch | Dakota 4x4s on beach patrol (early episodes) | Scott B |
| Breaking Away | 1967 Coronet, 1972 Charger | Damian Birch |
| CHiPs | Dodge Monacos, Plymouth Furys | Scott B |
| Car 54, Where Are You? | Main characters' cars | Curtis Redgap |
| Crime Story | Big 300 grille in the opening credits chase. Officer has black 1957 Chrysler 300. Many Mopar squads. | Damian Birch |
| CSI | Newer episodes have Charger police cars | Jerry Simcik |
| Dick Diamond | Curtis Redgap | |
| Division 4 | Australian show featured Valiant panel van, as used by Victoria police. (See details below.) | Chris Keating |
| Emergency Squad 51 | Dodge D300 utility-body as fire rescue truck | Scott B |
| Get Smart | Sunbeam Alpine rebadged to look like a Sunbeam Tiger in opening credits may have been Don Adams' personal car (ref.) | BRiley, dartndodge |
| Gomer Pyle | dartndodge | |
| Green Hornet | The Green Hornet's customized Imperial limo was driven by Bruce Lee as Kato, sidekick to Van William's Green Hornet. | Ken Farmer |
| Grimm | Detective drives a modern Charger. (Other cops drive Crown Vics.) | Vince Dober, Jr. |
| Hunter | Hunter drove a Dodge Monaco until the later episodes. Monaco taxis are sometimes sprayed-over civil cars (different paint when the doors open). DeeDee McCall drives Dodge Daytonas (1980s) including a Turbo Z and Shelby. | Fenderbass, Ewald Stein, Tom Powell |
| Law & Order | Diplomats, Gran Furys (early seasons) | Curtis Redgap |
| Mannix | Mike Conners’ cars included a ’Cuda and a 1968 Dart; the ’Cuda went on the car show circuit around 2009 and the Dart is still around (thanks, Hemmings) | Curtis Redgap |
| Mayberry RFD | The Andy Griffith Show with Ken Berry instead of Andy Griffith | Ken Farmer |
| Mission Impossible | Martin Landau drives a 1968 Dodge Charger. Peter Graves seems to like C-body convertibles, particularly Dodge Polaras. From 1968 on, you can see many Mopars - Dodge Coronets, Chrysler Imperials and New Yorkers, especially fuselage Chryslers from 1969-73. | Patrick Lynch |
| Myth Busters | Jamie has a white 95-01 Dakota and second-gen Neon | Jerry Simcik |
| Nash Bridges | Prominent 'Cuda convertible. Steve Inman: "Don Johnson kept one of the ’Cudas. Three were 318s and one was a 440. Revell has an accurate kit." | Fenderbass |
| New Tricks | In just one episode, a green Chrysler Sunbeam hatch is seen numerous times and referred to as “the Chrysler Sunbeam” or “the Chrysler.” It’s called a 1996 at one point though it could not have been, since their last year was 1981. | |
| Nightman | Drove a Plymouth Prowler | Paul C. Jensen |
| Peter Gunn | Peter Gunn drove 1958 DeSoto and Chrysler convertibles, while Lt. Jacoby drove a 1958-59 Plymouth Savoy. | Bruce Berry Eight Track Dave |
| Police Squad! | Leslie Nielsen drives a 1973-74 Plymouth Satellite. | Ewald Stein |
| Police Story | 1960 Chrysler 300 black convertible driven by lead character | Ed Smith |
| Raising Hope | In one episode, the main characters wanted to buy a car, and fell in love with the Journey’s features and safety. (They were unable to buy it, due to bad credit.) | abgwin |
| Rockford Files | GM dominated (bad guys and some detectives drove Fords now and then), but squads were usually Mopars or AMCs, and guests could drive anything, including a mint Town & Country woodie. | |
| The Shield | Mackie drove a black Durango, then switched to an LX Charger. Shane drives a 2004-07 club-cab Dakota. | dakotasport94, 71cuda |
| Simon & Simon | Rick’s Dodge Power Wagon (along with several others — continuity was poor), which was, in 2009, reported by Hemmings to be on a Universal Studios backlot. | Scott B |
| Sledge Hammer! | Hammer drives a bullethole-ridden Dodge St. Regis. | Tannon Weber |
| Special Unit 2 | Sgt. O’Malley drove a 1998-2002 Chrysler Concorde | Good Ole Dodge Boy of New England |
| T.J. Hooker | Many 1979-80 Chrysler/Dodge/Plymough police cars. In one chase scene with a 1974 Impala, T.J. calmly drives his St. Regis as an Impala fishtails and slides around. (1982-83, he drove a 1977-78 Monaco; from 1983-86, he drove a 1979-80 St. Regis; his personal car started out as a Gran Torino but switched to a Dodge Diplomat). | Fenderbass, CBODY67 |
| The Mod Squad | Two 1971 convertibles, factory-altered with 1972 taillight and headlight sections. | JCMichael, Fenderbass |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | “One of our member's cars (a 1973 Barracuda) was used for several episodes.....Their vehicle manager said that when they changed to Chrysler products, they were able to cut their fleet due to the greater durability and reliability of the Chrysler products.” Walker drives a silver Ram, 1994-97 model. “Trivette had a purple Prowler for a short period. Cahill drove a Sebring Convertible. In the "BLACKOUT" episode [April 1996], during the chase scene with the helicopter vs. Barracuda, a Sebring convertible can be seen [before its official release].” | Fenderbass, CBODY67, Jerry Simcik, Jonathan W Morrisey |
| You Bet Your Life | Groucho Marx’s famed quiz show was sponsored by “Your DeSoto-Plymouth Dealers” and opened with a clip of a DeSoto running down the road, with Groucho shown at the wheel (while stationary). |
Valiant Van for Australian TV (by Chris Keating)
A Valiant VH panel van was custom-built by Chrysler in 1971 for use by Crawfords Productions for the weekly Division 4 police show. Suburban police in Victoria used modified panel vans, termed "divisional vans," as patrol vehicles (rear tailgates were replaced by a single door, and bars were fitted to the van section windows.) Registered LDH-018, the van was also used in Homicide, Matlock Police, and Bluey; by 1976 the front clip had been upgraded to VJ. The van was used extensively in the first year of Cop Shop (1977), and was even seen in the background in an episode of Special Squad (1994).
Animated television
| TV Show | Notable Car(s) | Thanks... |
|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | Young Homer has a 1970 Road Runner with a half-height Superbird spoiler; Snake has a Dodge Charger. The "F series" truck is called "Female series." Mel Gibson drives Homer in his Dodge Caravan. Is Homer’s car pink as a tribute to the La Femme? | StratusSymbol |
| Beavis and Butt-head | Todd drives a souped up 1973 Plymouth Duster | Daniel Dey |
| Daria | Trent Lane drives a 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe. | Daniel Dey |
| King of the Hill | Boomhauer drives a B-body with a bumblebee stripe; Dale drives a Mini Ram or Caravan C/V | David A. Saunders, “yoda” |
Other shows
| TV Show | Notable Car(s) | Thanks... |
|---|---|---|
| Angel | Main character (Angel) drives a 1967 Plymouth GTX convertible and has a Viper and 1970 Plymouth Super Bee in his garage (show ran 1999-2004). | NASCARman |
| Bachelor Father | Robert Forsythe drove a 1959 or so New Yorker convertible | CBODY67 |
| Beverly Hillbillies | Jane drove red B-body convertibles, except in the final year (red Challenger convertible). 1962 and 1963 were Plymouth Sport Furies (a standard 1962 Fury may have been used initially.) 1964 was a Polara 500, 1965-69 were Coronet 500s. | Mike Sealey |
| BJ and the Bear | “The Ultimate Police Car” (one episode) was a Plymouth Fury | |
| Brady Bunch | Several Plymouth station wagons, Belvederes and Furys | CBODY78 |
| Daktari | Jeep Gladiator (CJ-10) with zebra paint (late 1960s, CBS) | John Boyle |
| Dead Zone | PT Cruiser, a Sebring Convertible, Jeep Wrangler, others | Ens Roland |
| Devil in the Flesh | Silver LeBaron convertible featured | Ens Roland |
| Dog Whisperer | He drives a recent Wrangler | poorboy616 |
| Early Edition | Lead (Gary Hobson) drove a Voyager/Caravan; recurring character drove a 1970s Plymouth Satellite with F-STOP license (all Mopar after the first season or two) | Dave |
| Fantasy Island | Plymouth Volares - heavily customized | Scott B |
| Fury | Jim Newton, played by Peter Graves, drove a 1957/58 Plymouth Suburban station wagon. (1950s show) | Patrick Lynch |
| Ghost Whisperer | Main character drives red Jeep Liberty | Robert Wilson |
| Gomer Pyle, USMC | Sgt. Carter drove a 1960 Dodge coupe (a Phoenix?) | Patrick Lynch |
| Graveyard Carz | Reality show on Velocity channel featuring Mopars | y2kyamr6 |
| Happy Days | Cunninghams' 1948 Desoto (refered to as a 1949) | Paul Sahler |
| The IT Crowd | British show; spoof commercial featured “better looking ambulances” with multiple camera shots of a black Chrysler Voyager (2008) | Dave |
| King of Queens | Family owns Jeep Liberty or Grand Cherokee depending on year | FreeLantz |
| Lassie | Dodge trucks during Lassie's time with the USFS ranger | Scott B |
| Leave it to Beaver | Even during the Ford/CBS years, Ward drove a Custom 300. They switched in 1959 with a new Plymouth Fury every year through 1963. Ward's boss drove a Dodge. The closing credits in 1959-61 showed Wally and Jerry Mathers walking when a 1959 DeSoto passes between them and the camera. | Mike Sealey |
| Malcolm in the Middle | This 2000-2006 series used a Dodge Dynasty, first-generation minivan, Dodge conversion van, and Ram 50 | valiant67 |
| Marcus Welby | Chrysler New Yorker or Chrysler 300, depending on year. | Phil Bezaire and CBODY67 |
| Married With Children | Plymouth Duster, called a Dodge on the show. Though called a dirty piece of junk, it's usually clean and shining, but has to be pushed more often than not. On one occasion it's sold to a used car dealer and bought back later, a different color, running relatively well. | TwoCold |
| M*A*S*H | Dodge ambulance, Korean style Power Wagon (M-57?), and a 1948-52 civilian pickup | Paul Sahler |
| Mork & Mindy | Opening credits show Mindy driving a Jeep CJ-5 | Michael A. Cole |
| Mythbusters | Routinely use Chrysler vehicles | Rich Hutchinson |
| Navy NCIS | Intrepids; later, Dodge Stratus; later still, Dodge Charger | WPL-XB70, DR1500200 |
| New Red Green Show | Dodge van and K-car sure get beaten up and “modified,” and there other Mopars - see the celebrities page to find out what Red Green drives off-camera! | Fenderbass |
| Rod Serling’s Night Gallery | 1970 Chrysler Newport in The House segment | gottacook |
| Sky King | Lots of 1955-56 Chrysler products. One episode had a bomb hidden on the frame of a 1956 Belvedere Convertible. | CBODY67 |
| Veronica Mars | Veronica drives a late model LeBaron | WPL_XB70 |
| Whirlybirds | 111 episodes made, 1957-59. Stars drove a 1957 DeSoto Fireflite convertible (and Bell 47 helicopters). | John Boyle (Bell 47 pilot) |
| X Files | A few episodes were all Chrysler, mainly LH cars. Most were not. | JohnB300M |
Single-episode high coverage
| TV Show | Notable Car(s) | Thanks... |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone Loves Raymond | Dodge Spirit crashes into Raymond’s house; his father comments on tough American cars | FreeLantz |
| Here’s Lucy | Season 1, Episode 24: Craig (Desi Arnaz Jr.) takes his driver's test in a 1965 Dodge Dart GT convertible. | Comoxian |
| The Saint | (Roger Moore) — When in Québec, drives a Chrysler New Yorker. Bad guys have a white Valiant in one episode. (In the books he had a fictional car; Roger Moore drove a Volvo.) | |
| Seinfeld | George owned Jon Voight’s Chrysler LeBaron. Voight turned out to be a dentist, not the actor. | hemi magnum |
| Star Trek Voyager | Crewmen trapped in the past drive a Ram 1500 | Tom Elkins |
The Hill Street Blues story
CPDGreg wrote:
Hill Street Blues cars in the opening title sequence were former Chicago Police cars that were still driveable after being used for The Blues Brothers movie. The original [Blue Brothers] plot had the show taking place in Chicago; that's where all the stock footage and overview shots were filmed. However, after The Blues Brothers was released, the City of Chicago decided they did not like the way their police were portrayed in the film and would not authorize the use of the term "Chicago Police" or the insignia for any more productions taking place in the city. The cars were all changed to “Metro Police,” blue lights were changed to red so people would not mistake the film cars for official police vehicles, and the opening scenes at the Maxwell Street station were all reshot.
The cars shown in the Hill Street Blues opening were 1976 Dodge Monacos. The cars that were used with the actors were almost entirely Plymouth B-body sedans and were not Chicago police cars. There were a few 1974 or older Satellites for outdoor shots on the backlots in California in the early seasons and then they switched to 1975 and 76 Plymouth Fury B-body cars.
The CA cars had a mixture of lightbars- Mars, SignalStat and a generic copy of a Federal TwinSonic. We had two marked cars that were kept in Chicago for city shots- 2202 and 2256 - and they both had Mars brand lightbars. They were 1975 or 76 Furys. These film cars were old, tired sedans that only needed to look good for the camera. Cosmetically, they were police cars. One was a former suburban Chicago area cop car and the other was just a retail Fury. Inside they were trashed. 2256 had a camera mount where the passenger front seat should have been and a generic bucket seat for the driver. They were repainted often for other use in productions that were filmed around Chicago in the mid-1980s including the films Code of Silence, Running Scared, and those stupid Steven Seagal cop movies. They were also used on TV for the short-lived series Lady Blue and an episode of TJ Hooker filmed in Chicago. They cars were often repainted twice a week depending on the production schedule, going from a taxi for a commercial shoot to a police car in a film taking place in NYC.
See also our "Mopars driven by celebrities" and "Mopars in Movies" pages.
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