CHiPs

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Template:Infobox television "CHiPs" was a US television series running on NBC from September 15, 1977 to July 17, 1983. A light-weight crime drama created by Rick Rosner, it starred Erik Estrada (Officer Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello) and Larry Wilcox (Officer Jon Baker) as Highway Patrolmen of the Los Angeles Central Division of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

The program ran for 139 episodes over six seasons. In season 5, Estrada was occasionally replaced by Bruce Jenner (Steve McLeish) due to a contract dispute. Prior to season 6, Wilcox fell out with Estrada and left to be replaced by Tom Reilly (Bobby Nelson) who was in turn replaced in later episodes by Bruce Penhall (Bruce Nelson). Due to falling ratings through seasons 5 and 6, the show was cancelled in 1983.

Other regular actors were Michael Dorn (Officer Jebediah Turner), Brodie Greer (Officer Barry Baricza), Paul Linke (Officer Arthur Grossman), Robert Pine (Sgt. Joseph Getraer), Lou Wagner (Harlan Arliss), and Randi Oakes (Officer Bonnie Clark). Officer Clark was a "Chippie," a term used for any officer of the California Highway Patrol in real life, but on the show it applied only to female officers.

Filming locations were generally in the San Fernando Valley of California. Freeway crashes were performed on recently constructed highways that were about to open to the public. For the first season, the Glendale Freeway (Highway 2) in Montrose, California was used. After the first season, the intersection of the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) and the Simi Valley Freeway (Highway 118) in Sylmar, California were used. For the racing scenes in the episode Drive, Lady, Drive they used the Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

Estrada and Wilcox lampooned their roles in the 1993 spoof movie Loaded Weapon 1. They appear in a shootout scene, despite having never drawn their guns in any episode of CHiPs.

In 1998, a television movie sequel entitled CHiPs '99 was created by TNT.

In 2005, a big-screen movie version of the show was announced, starring Wilmer Valderrama as Ponch<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>. Valderrama was featured along with That 70's show co-star Danny Masterson in a parody of the show on Mad TV in 2002. The movie is tentatively set to be released in 2008

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