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Mopars on Television

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.

The rest of this page is divided roughly by type of show. In most cases, we have not verified the entries.

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
Bandit movies	1994 TV movie "prequels" (four of them?) of Smokey and the Bandit featured a Dodge Stealth (despite the car being far too new for the plot). Examples: Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit	Fred Koeppe
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
Burn Notice	Michael's Charger; blue Dakota R/T in a foot chase	James Corey Faulkner
Chase	1970s era show; pilot episode included "souping up" the chief's new 1970 Plymouth Satellite (kept for later episodes)	BillRR
CHiPs	Dodge Monacos, Plymouth Furys	Scott B
Car 54, Where Are You?	Car 54 was a Plymouth	Curtis Redgap
Chicago PD	Vought drove a Durango in early shows; Lindsey drives a newer 300; Olinsky drives a modern Magnum.	Thomas Mize
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
Elementary	Detective Marcus Bell has a Dodge Charger; minor character Alfonso has a Magnum	John Rush
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.
Highway Patrol	Many Mopars starting with 1957 Dodges; the show was also packed with other Mopars. Before 1957, it was largely GM.	Dean C. Finch and Tom Schreck
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
The Mod Squad	Two 1970 or 1971 Challenger R/T convertibles, later altered with 1972 taillight and headlight sections.	JCMichael, Fenderbass
Navy NCIS	Intrepids; later, Dodge Stratus; later still, Dodge Charger	WPL-XB70, DR1500200
NCIS	Main characters started with Stratus, then Intrepids, then Chargers. Gibbs had a yellow Hemi Challenger.	unverferth
NCIS:LA	Main characters have SRT Challenger... caught a Lamborhini on a road course in one episode	unverferth
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 Mopar 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.
San Francisco International	Poor made-for-TV movie has numerous cars but the MST3K version calls out, "and Dodge Coronets are there!" around an hour in. Airport uses Belvederes.
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
Sky King	1955-58 DeSotos, some Plymouths (including Fury)	Tom Schreck
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
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

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	Angel drives a 1967 Plymouth GTX convertible and has a Viper and 1970 Plymouth Super Bee in his garage (1999-2004).	NASCARman
Bachelor Father	Robert Forsythe drove a 1959 or so New Yorker convertible	CBODY67
Beverly Hillbillies	Jane drove red convertibles - 1962 and 1963 were Plymouth Sport Furys (a standard 1962 Fury may have been used initially), 1964 was a Polara 500, 1965-69 were Coronet 500s, finally a Challenger. Mr. Drysdale preferred Imperials.	Mike Sealey
BJ and the Bear	"The Ultimate Police Car" (one episode) was a Plymouth Fury
Brady Bunch	Plymouth station wagons, Belvederes and Furys; convertible E-body	CBODY78
Daktari	Jeep Gladiator with zebra paint (late 1960s, CBS)	John Boyle
Dead Files	Main characters: 300, T&C	Dean Logan
Dead Zone	PT Cruiser, 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; photographer drove a 1970s Plymouth Satellite (all Mopar after the first season or two)	Dave
Fantasy Island	Plymouth Volares - heavily customized	Scott B
The Flash	Joe West drives a Durango	Brian Hale
Fury	Jim Newton (Peter Graves) drove a 1957/58 Plymouth Suburban station wagon. (1950s)	Patrick Lynch
Ghost Whisperer	Main character drives red Jeep Liberty	Robert Wilson
Gomer Pyle, USMC	Sgt. Carter drove a 1960 Dodge	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 spoof commercial featured "better looking ambulances" (black Chrysler Voyager), 2008	Dave
Jack Benny Show	In the regular TV show, specials, and radio shows, Benny's character owned a Maxwell. In the TV show, two cars were used: a 1916 Model 25, and a 1923 Tourer. He often made public appearances in other Maxwells, shook Harry Truman's hand from a Maxwell's seat, and appeared with one in a series of Texaco commercials.	Dave
King of Queens	Family owns Jeep Liberty or Grand Cherokee depending on year	FreeLantz
Lassie	Dodge trucks during Lassie's time with the ranger	Scott B
Laurence Welk	While Dodge was sponsoring (mid-1950s), cars were displayed on stage	Dean C. Finch
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 walking when a 1959 DeSoto passes between them and the camera.	Mike Sealey
The Lottery	Lifetime series uses a Superior Coach school bus on a Dodge Sweptline chassis	Dan Muldoon
Malcolm in the Middle	2000-2006 series used a Dodge Dynasty, first-gen 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. Called dirty junk, it's usually spotless, but has to be pushed. It's sold to a used car dealer and bought back, 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
The Middle	The mother drives a first-gen Neon	FreeLantz
Mork & Mindy	Opening credits show Mindy driving a Jeep CJ-5	Michael A. Cole
Mythbusters	Routinely use Chrysler vehicles	Rich Hutchinson
New Red Green Show	Dodge van and K-car often get beaten up and "modified," and there other Mopars - see the celebrities page to find out what Red Green drives off-camera.	Fenderbass
Odd Couple	In credits, Felix is nearly hit by a Dodge cab. In one couple, Oscar and Felix win a Dodge Coronet sedan and have to share it	Tab Patterson and Billy Schorling
Queen of the South	Heavy use of the full range of Mopars, circa 2010s	Ray Nieves
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
Supernatural	Sam drove a 2006 Charger SRT8; Dean stole a 1970 Charger; among others	Corey Ereaut
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles	Used numerous Jeeps
Trailer Park Boys	Ricky drives an old 1975 New Yorker. Jim Lahey drives a 1975 Imperial which starts out mint but degrades due to Ricky.	Shawn D
Veronica Mars	Veronica drives a late model LeBaron	WPL_XB70
Walking Dead	Features Rams, Jeeps, 2008 Dodge Challenger (up to season 4)	browens1354, Mick M
Whirlybirds	111 episodes made, 1957-59. Stars drove a 1957 DeSoto Fireflite convertible (and Bell 47 helicopters).	John Boyle (Bell 47 pilot)
Wings	The main characters consistently (though rarely) drive a Jeep Wagoneer.
X Files	A few episodes were all Chrysler, mainly LH cars. Most were not.	JohnB300M
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).

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 Enterpise	Crewmen trapped in the past steal 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 California cars had a mixture of lightbars (Mars, SignalStat, and a generic copy of a Federal TwinSonic).

We had two marked cars, 1975 or 1976 Furys, that were kept in Chicago for city shots (2202 and 2256), and they both had Mars brand lightbars. These were old, tired sedans that only needed to look good for the camera. Cosmetically, they were police cars; one was an ex-squad from a suburb of Chicago and the other was just a retail Fury. Inside, 2256 had a camera mount where the passenger front seat should have been and a generic bucket seat for the driver.

These cars were repainted for other use in productions filmed around Chicago in the mid-1980s, including the films Code of Silence, Running Scared, and some 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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