Sledge Hammer! A hilarious, prescient warning on police violence from the 1980s

Jason Weisberger 9:54 am Tue Nov 17, 2015

I loved watching the 1986 comedy TV series "Sledge Hammer!" as a kid. David Rasche's portrayal of San Francisco's most aggressive, least sensitive, and completely absurd police detective, the titular Sledge, is fantastic.

What was parody in the 1980s sadly now serves as a warning of where the US is headed if we don't solve the massive disconnect between our people and our police. While I really enjoy the show, it also reminded me of the daily fear many Americans live with: that our police will respond to with inappropriate force.

Like police brutality, guns are also no laughing matter. But through comedy, this goofy show sheds light on these life-or-death issues–issues that are once again on our collective front page.

This show is worth watching again! Alan Spencer created a wonderful, over the top parody of the popular rogue-good-guy-cop theme that gave us movies like Lethal Weapon, and tv dramas like Hunter.

Youtube seems to house a lot of episodes.

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David Rasche as Det. Insp. Sledge Hammer

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