What Does CHIPs Stand For?
For five seasons, "CHIPs" helped define the tail end of 1970s television for a generation of youngsters watching along at home. The title stems from the profession of the show's two lead characters, John Baker (Larry Wilcox) and Frank "Ponch" Poncherello (Erik Estrada), who happen to be California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers. The show follows Ponch and John as they travel the byways of the Sunshine State, fighting crime and trying to navigate their personal lives. Along the way, they become close friends and escape some very hairy situations.
Unlike some '70s shows that flopped (even if they were worth watching), "CHiPs" ran for six seasons as a family-friendly Saturday night staple for millions of young kids who found themselves hooked on motorcycle-based action after the attention-getting exploits of Evel Knievel made headlines earlier in the decade and in the late 1960s.
The series combined action and humor, but it wasn't all fun and games, especially for Estrada and Wilcox, who often did their own motorcycle riding as Ponch and John. Estrada was seriously injured while filming an episode for the show, breaking both of his wrists and several ribs in a stunt gone wrong in 1979. "They gave me five days in intensive care and said I had a 50/50 chance of living," Estrada told ABC News in 2015. Naturally, the "CHIPs" actor survived and managed to make it back onto his bike. But that wasn't the only drama the series endured during its long run.
CHIPs inspired a movie - and survived a sixth season without John
Both "CHIPs" stars walked off the show at different times during its run. During Season 5, Erik Estrada briefly left the drama due to a salary dispute. "Well, I had owned 50 percent of the show's net profits, then had a big dispute with [the producers] over it," Estrada told TV Guide in 2007. The show brought Caitlyn Jenner on to replace Ponch for several episodes, but it did not work out. "The ratings [dipped], you know? And they had to deliver six years of me as Poncherello to complete their sales for syndication."
Larry Wilcox's decision to leave "CHIPs," however, ended up becoming permanent, and he never appeared in Season 6. On his official website, LarryWilcox.net, the actor explains that he left the show to pursue other projects. Still, other topics may have factored into his choice; though they get along now, the relationship between Wilcox and Estrada had long been contentious, and Wilcox yearned for a stronger acting challenge in light of the show's frequent focus on Ponch. Ultimately, John was replaced by Officer Bobby 'Hot Dog' Nelson (Tom Reilly) for a season before the series was finally canceled.
Since then, "CHIPs" has spawned a television reunion film and a big-screen adaptation, the latter of which didn't meet with either actor's approval, making them two of many actors who have slammed reboots of TV shows they starred in. While Estrada softened on the subject, appearing at the movie's premiere and taking on a cameo, Wilcox remained firmly against the film. Nevertheless, the pair left behind quite a legacy for two honest beat cops trying to keep the mean streets of California squeaky clean.