Thursday, April 07, 2011

Random TV Title: Enos

It's true. This show exists. It seems absurd that it possibly could, but I do remember watching its one-season run on CBS during the 1980-81 season.

Yep. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD's bumbling deputy Enos Strate, played by Sonny Shroyer, got his own spinoff.

After Enos captured (or stumbled his way into accidentally capturing) a noted criminal in Hazzard County, he received a job offer from the Los Angeles Police Department to work special cases. The country bumpkin was partnered with street-smart, jive-talkin' Turk, played by Samuel E. Wright, best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID. Stentorian-voiced John Dehner played Enos' new boss, Lieutenant Broggi, who was, of course, in a general state of apoplexy over the many cars and much property destroyed by Enos in his leadfooted quest for justice.

Despite guest appearances by DUKES co-stars James Best, Denver Pyle, and Catherine Bach, ENOS didn't earn much of a following on Wednesday nights and was canceled after a year. Shroyer went back to Hazzard (which, like ENOS, filmed on the Warners backlot), and I don't know if any character ever again brought up Enos' brief stint in El Lay.

Here's a teaser and opening title from an ENOS. This may be from "Cops at Sea," aired March 18, 1981. I don't know who composed the unmemorable ENOS theme.

5 comments:

matt said...

Enos had to go back to Hazzard after shooting a drug kingpin whom he'd given 24 hours to leave town.

Hal said...

I remember it well also. I can't understand why anyone thought that ENOS would work on his own, especially since LOBO also featured the country lawmen movin' up to the big town to show them city slickers how it's done that same season (1980-81)!

cup of cupcake said...

Wasn't this about the same season that the Ropers go their own spinoff or was it the year that Flo from Alice got her show.

Brian R. Sheridan said...

I too remember it. Except we called it "Peenos" LOL!

Stacia said...

Like Hal, I also remember this as being inextricably entangled with "Lobo" that same season. If it wasn't for the opening sequence on "Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" -- a sequence my 8-year-old self found high-larious -- I wouldn't have been able to tell the two shows apart.