Hardcastle and McCormick is a 1980s action/drama television series from Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Columbia Pictures Television, shown on ABC from 1983-1986, starring Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and race car driver Mark "Skid" McCormick.
The show's premise involves the retirement of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle. With file drawers filled with criminals who got off on technicalities, he takes a page from his childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, and makes plans to go after these criminals. Mark McCormick is a smart-mouthed, streetwise car thief who's looking at hard time for his latest theft, a prototype sports car designed by his murdered best friend. Together they strike a deal: Hardcastle helps Mark catch the murderer; Mark agrees to be the Judge's right hand man.
The car that McCormick drove, the Coyote X, was not built from a Manta Montage kit car, as is the polpular belief, but was based on a McLaren M6BGT. Most of the cars were molded and assembled by Mike Fennel. Like many kit cars of the time, the car uses a chassis from a VW Beetle and its engine from a Porsche 914. For the second and third series, producers used a different Coyote which was based on a De Lorean DMC-12, as Brian Keith had difficulty getting in and out of the original Coyote. One significant difference is that the car's appearance no longer resembles the Manta, as the front is larger than the original, making the car resemble a front engined car. A season one car that was used in the production of Hardcastle and McCormick is currently owned by a private owner in southern New Jersey. There seems to be only two remaining season 1 cars in existence, while the DeLorean based cars are represented by at least three examples.
The opening theme song during season one of this series was entitled "Drive". It was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter and sung by David Morgan. For the first part of second season, the theme song was "Back to Back", also composed by Post and Carpenter but sung by Joey Scarbury (who also sang Post's theme for The Greatest American Hero). Viewer criticism, however, resulted in the "Drive" theme being reinstated and kept through season three.
Visual Entertainment has released all 3 seasons of Hardcastle and McCormick on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only) for the very first time. Season 1 was released on February 14, 2006, Season 2 followed later in the year. Both have their respective theme songs fully intact: "Drive" from season 1 and "Back to Back" from season 2. Season 1 was subsequently released in the U.S. on November 28, 2006. The third and final season was released on October 30, 2007.
