If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Arguably the finest depiction of the average law enforcement officer's daily routine ever recorded on film. With obsessive accuracy and superb, fact-based scripts, everything about this program resonates with truth. The direction is always crisp, sharp, and exciting. The writing nothing less than excellent. The on location shooting brings astonishing realism to every episode and one can almost smell the exhaust in the air. Martin Milner as Officer Pete Malloy is superb and brings authority, humanity, and depth to the role. Kent McCord is also quite good as the younger officer who learns from the experienced Malloy. Their teamwork and loyalty to one another is inspiring and they are wonderful role models for today's directionless, electronic obsessed youth. No other program in the history of television has served as such a tribute to the men and women who put their very lives on the line everyday to keep us safe. These are the heroes who stand on the parapets of law and order that guard civilization and protect it from anarchy. Adam-12 is a salute to their bravery and sense of duty. No one can view this show without feeling a sense of pride in what these men represent and the great nation they serve so selflessly.

Before one can even watch this they have to recognize Jack Webb's persona. All of the complexities of human interaction were present in the late '60s and early '70s but, unlike a lot of the relativistic 'gray' portrayals of law enforcement and crime today, they were not given a lot of air time. Adam-12 was simply a show depicting the 'best' of LAPD and 'how' things should have been done versus how they often were. Jack Webb's involvement with LAPD "and" (significantly) his support of the 'average cop' on the beat went way back and perhaps simply because he had a tough childhood and had to 'be responsible' much of his effort is to show accountability. He was never a cop, his military background was limited but he certainly produced a wonderfully entertaining yet simple "police drama" with Reed and Malloy. "1 Adam-12, see the woman..." and so it goes.These shows were sans profanity, obvious sexuality and even real violence. Significantly they lacked CGI and much in the way of volatility type action (explosions, car crashes and so forth) and really seemed more of 'a training film' process for civilians. Call it nostalgic but I liked that time and manner. Great series! Worth watching today.

This is one show that still holds up over thirty years after it premiered. Not only do you get a true life look at the day to day operations of a typical patrolman, but you also see the evolution of the relationship between two officers. When Reed is first teamed with Malloy he is the subordinate young officer who keeps calling Malloy sir and makes a few mistakes along the way, but by the end of the series, Malloy treats Reed as an equal and the two even call each other by their first names. In fact, in either the first or second season, Reed names Malloy the Godfather to his son. This show definitely proves that Jack Webb was a genius.

Around 1975, I heard a police officer call Adam-12 the most realistic police show ever. In 1999, I heard a recently retired police officer say the same thing. It's hard to top those reviews.All I'll add is that it had the best casting of any TV show I've seen.