Recap / CHiPs

CHiPs ran on NBC from 1977 to 1983 and chronicles the adventures and cases of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers, Jon Baker (Larry Wilcox) and Francis "Ponch" Poncherello (Erik Estrada). The show remains a favorite among fans today, both for inspiring young fans to become law enforcement officers and for the elaborate stunts and police chases.

In total, there were 135 full-length episodes, four of them two-part episodes that when divided for syndication produced 138 60-minute shows and one 90-minute special.

This page is a work in progress. Note that all multi-part episodes are being compressed into one, under the title; all tropes for the entire story should be included under that title.

Season 1 - 1977- 1978

1. Pilot: In the first episode, rookie California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello is having a rough few days on the job and is put on probation. Assigned to veteran officer Jon Baker, the two investigate a sports car theft ring, where Ponch gets to prove his worth.
2. Undertow: A rogue tow truck driver robs women of their money when they call for assistance.
3. Dog Gone: Jon keeps a stray dog found on the freeway. Meanwhile, a trio of punks try to cause problems for Ponch.
4. Moving Violation: Ponch is required to attend traffic school after being ticketed for a moving violation, and tries concealing this from Sgt. Getraer.
5. Career Day: Ponch is invited to speak about his career at his alma mater on career day. Meanwhile, two burglars use CB radios to scout out homes and rob them.
6. Baby Food: An accident causes its cargo – tainted baby food – to spill on the highway, but the driver of the semitrailer truck dumps the damaged trailer and leaves the scene.
7. Taking Its Toll: Robbers target wealthy drivers at local toll booths.
8. Green Thumb Burglar: The officers investigate a series of art thefts from buildings near the CHP command post, and the theft of saplings by burglars disguised as transportation workers.
9. Hustle: Robbers clad in leather target supermarkets; an eccentric defendant from traffic court (Marty Ingles) accuses Ponch of being an incompetent officer.
10. Highway Robbery: A down-and-out veteran, who is later identified as being a classmate of Jon's, robs female motorists stuck in traffic jams. Ponch wants to meet a suntan lotion model and learns Sgt. Getraer has connections to her.
11. Name Your Price: Ponch is invited to be a contestant on his favorite game show. The officers investigate a series of thefts involving Rolls Royce limousines.
12. Aweigh We Go: As Ponch and Jon investigate a series of tractor trailer hijackings, the officers talk about buying a speedboat.
13. One Two Many: A psychopath with a grudge against Jon (who looks just like him, too) impersonates the honorable CHP officer, harassing female drivers and nearly getting Jon removed from the force.
14. Rustling: Dirt bike-riding cattle rustlers cause issues for the officers.
15. Surf's Up: Jon and Ponch are assigned to beach patrol in Malibu.
16. Vintage '54: The officers deal with a rash of stolen vintage cars.
17. Hitch-Hiking Hitch: Two teen-aged girls see thrills and excitement in hitchhiking, but soon learn it can only lead to danger.
18. Cry Wolf: An attention-seeker calls in false reports to the CHP.
19. Crash Diet: The officers are placed on a physical conditioning program and told to lose weight.
20. Rainy Day: The officers ride in patrol cars when a storm system hits Los Angeles, but they also have to deal with car thieves and a rolling casino in an RV.
21. Crack Up: Ponch and Sgt. Getraer are partnered together after Jon is injured and placed on leave.
22. Flashback!: Highlights from CHiPs' first season, framed around Ponch's first year on the force and how his mistakes – and triumphs – compare to a know-it-all rookie.

Season 2 - 1978- 1979

1. Peaks and Valleys: A camper truck overturns on the highway, seriously injuring the driver. Eyewitnesses accuse Jon and Ponch of improperly moving the victim.
2. The Volunteers: Jon and Ponch escort a dad-and-daughter convoy of trucks carrying chlorine to a safe facility after the destruction of the home location.
3. Family Crisis: Jon's nephew becomes involved in a series of auto thefts and joyriding.
4. Disaster Squad: A news reporter, out to make a name for himself, sensationalizes reports involving Jon, Ponch and other officers.
5. Neighborhood Watch: Bored teenagers, all skateboarders and none of them the legal driving age, go joyriding and create a series of traffic hazards.
6. Trick Or Trick: A Halloween Episode where Ponch deals with bad luck after a traffic stop where the driver is transporting 13 black cats, and a ghostly lady robs the local convenience stores.
7. High Flying: Ponch deals with fear of flying when he is assigned to air patrol.
8. The Grudge: A fraternity group plots "dope"-y revenge on the precinct after they are charged with felony drug possession by targeting the CHP Bake Sale.
9. The Sheik: A reckless driver has diplomatic immunity.
10. Return Of the Turks: A fake police officer tries to get Ponch fired from the force by forging police tickets.
11. Supercycle: Ponch and Jon pursue the Phantom, a daredevil who endangers bystanders.
12. High Explosive: An embittered former EMT plots revenge by loading an ambulance with dynamite and threatening to blow it up.
13. Down Time: Ponch's new Pontiac Firebird is stolen by a group of female car thieves, who are stripping them for parts to sell on the black market.
14. Repo Man: A man posing as a repossession agent illegally seizes property, and raises further issues when he claims Jon and Ponch are harassing him. Meanwhile, Jon deals with being an instant celebrity when a news report airs about him rescuing a school bus full of children after its driver suffered a massive heart attack.
15. MAIT Team: The infamous episode where a huge pileup on a busy highway causes 11 deaths ... and nearly a 12th as Sindy lies comatose, clinging to life as she is accused by a state senator (Eric Braeden) and an insurance investigator (Michael Bell) of reckless driving prior to the accident. The Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is called into action to figure out what really happened.
16. Pressure Point: Jon and Ponch try to protect a rich businessman and his family from an unscrupulous security firm.
17. The Matchmakers: The officers come to the aid of two friends – a 50s-something woman forced from her home, a motor veteran who is about to retire, and help out a little girl in the middle of a custody battle.
18. Rally 'Round the Bank: A group of bank robbers plot their activities by using a fake bomb scare and a rally race to distract the officers.
19. Biorhythms: A young trucking company owner turns to Jon and Ponch to help him deal with a rival company trying to put him out of business. Meanwhile, Sindy enlists the officers to track their biorhythms as part of a school project.
20. Quarantine: A 14-year-old faints at headquarters and is discovered to have an unknown disease, resulting in a two-week quarantine.
21. CHP-BMX: Jon and Sindy train a BMX team for youths. Getraer, distraught over his son being involved in an accident, accidentally releases a dangerous drug dealer.
22. Ride the Whirlwind: Sindy is determined to be a part of a new CHP team to patrol the back hills. There, the officers deal with a variety of situations, capped by drug dealers setting a brush fire to hide their activities.
23. The Greatest Adventures of CHiPs: In a Clip Show that highlighted the first two seasons of CHiPs, Grossman records testimonials from the officers about Jon and Ponch's greatest work, to present during an awards banquet.

Season 3 - 1979- 1980

1. Roller Disco: In this two-part episode, Ponch tries his best to garner celebrities to star at the CHP Roller Disco and Beauty Contest while John deals with a young recording artist (Leif Garret) who is revolting against his agent. Unfortunately, a trio of snatch-and-grab roller skaters are wrecking havoc on shops, and both officers have to deal with a very snarky kid critic...
2. Valley Go Home!: Ponch and Jon have their hands full trying to restore peace on the beach after a gang of Valley kids encroaches on the turf of a gang of beach denizens. Matters turn worse when members of each gang have stereo systems stolen from their cars and each gang accuses the other.
3. High Octane: XXX.
4. Death Watch: Ponch and Jon search for a stuntman who creates freeway accidents for insurance fraud after one of his 'stunts' causes a real accident that injures Baricza and kills another CHP officer.
5. Counterfeit: After Jon inadvertently passes a phony $20 bill, he and Ponch try to find out the source of the funny money, despite Getraer and the Feds warning them to butt out. Also, a tiny man with a huge temper gets into several situations which involve the officers.
6. Return Of the Supercycle: XXX.
7. Hot Wheels: XXX.
8. Drive, Lady, Drive: In this two-part episode, Ponch and John, along with Baricza and Powell are sent to assist the Palma Vista Division of the California Highway Patrol while investigating a series of truck thefts. As they do so, the officers meet a racer named Candi, who helps a 10 year old orphan girl named Donna. Candi faces her overbearing manager, a custody battle over Donna, and a rival racer on the track. Ponch and John takes on officers on strike, speeding teens in a souped-up dune buggy, angry city officials, and a major fencing group is taken down.
9. The Watch Commander: A new watch commander, whose specialty is Public Relations, gives the CHP team (especially Ponch and John) a very hard time with his excessive nitpicking.
10. Destruction Derby: XXX.
11. Second Chance: XXX.
12. Wheeling: Jon and Ponch deal with a group of paraplegics with no regard for road safety and also search for a reckless street drag racer who struck and critically injured a promising high school football player.
13. Christmas Watch: In this Christmas Episode, two con-artists steal an ancient bell from the church that the local kids had raised money to buy.
14. Jailbirds: Ponch and John are jailed for being in contempt of court when they refuse to divulge the name of their informant, to whom they're protecting.
15. EMT: Jon and Ponch ticket a hot-tempered paramedic and later discover that he's the one training them for emergency medical treatment.
16. Kidnap: Two mischievous boys sneak into an old Rolls-Royce, only for it to be stolen by two escaped convicts, who hold them hostage. Ponch and John desperately search the highways and streets of LA to find them.
17. Off Road: Jon and Ponch enter an off-road race, but discover that a number of their competitors are in the race for another reason...they're all searching for the remnants of a downed plane somewhere nearby, containing a fortune in drug money.
18. Tow Truck Lady: Jon and Ponch aid a friend of theirs, a tow truck driver who's being forced to steal cars to pay off a debt to a loan shark. The loan shark ups the stakes by kidnapping the tow truck driver's adorable young daughter.
19. The Strippers: Car thieves steal a red Mercedes from John's girlfriend to strip it into parts, causing both Ponch and John to hunt for them, but they also stumble upon an off-grid heroin smuggling ring. Unfortunately for both officers, they find out that they have crossed paths with a pair of federal investigators, who don't take kindly to their interference...
20. Thrill Show: As the CHP officers get a chance to watch the Joey Chitwood Thrill Show, they worry about Bonnie changing careers to join her old friend, Crazy Ray. Meanwhile, three would-be punk musicians, calling themselves "The Bus Boys", rob city buses to finance their demo record.
21. Nightingale: Ponch and John try to find a mysterious woman who randomly appears at accidents and help the injured; a young couple try to leave for Canada to secretly elope, but get shut down by the girl's father.
22. Dynamite Alley: Bonnie gets into an accident that sends her cruiser off into a hidden ditch, caused by a mysterious freight truck, and their only lead is by a young autistic boy named Corey.

Season 4 - 1980- 1981

1. Go-Cart Terror: Ponch and John try to show young teen go-kart drivers a place where they can go to avoid any accidents on the street. Meanwhile, two furniture store thieves (Sonny Bono and Larry Storch) try to elude the CHPs.
2. Sick Leave: The war between two college fraternities winds up causing havoc on the highways. Fellow officer Andy Stokowski, whose son is a member of one of the frats, assists Jon and Ponch, but his erratic behavior worries them. It's revealed that Andy has an inoperable brain tumor, but he refuses to take leave, with very tragic results.
3. To Your Health: Jon and Ponch aid an organic produce grower whose life has been threatened.
4. The Poachers: Jon and Ponch encounter an Indian who's teaching his young grandson how to live off the land while they search for illegal deer hunters.
5. The Great 5K Star Race And Boulder Wrap Party: Ponch and John get ready to help out to get a star-studded block party when multiple rock slides threaten the residents, and two men in their custom motorcycle are getting sticky-fingered for loot.
6. Satan's Angels: Bonnie is kidnapped by a motorcycle gang, holding her for ransom, and trying to get a friend of theirs released.
7. Wheels Of Justice: Two dangerous drivers—one habitually drunk, the other reckless—vex Jon and Ponch, who have to testify against them in court. They prove that the latter driver has countless violations under different names and get him off the road for good, but the drunk driver gets off scot-free, eventually leading to tragedy.
8. Crash Course: Jon and Ponch pursue a stunt driver and a robber, who have teamed up.
9. 40 Tons Of Trouble: Someone is eager to steal construction vehicles from a lady construction owner.
10. 11-99: Officer Needs Help: The nervous-sounding new dispatcher turns Ponch on with her voice, and ultimately, her looks. He and Jon discover that the reason for her nervousness has to do with a tragic incident at the last place she worked as a dispatcher.
11. Home Fires Burning: Jon and Ponch aid a vacationing couple who get into a series of mishaps, while searching for a gang that torches mobile homes as part of an insurance fraud scheme.
12. Sharks: Ponch and John stumble on drug smugglers on the coastline, and facing sharks around a sunken ship, and the two-legged variety with high-speed drug-runners as street racers.
13. Ponch's Angels: In this two-part episode, Ponch tries to get two female recruits to work on a professional level, despite of reminding himself about how he behaved as a probationer. At the same time, three escaped convicts try to dig up some lost loot inside of a house that cover its original location, and a pair of purse-snatchers use disguises to elude the CHPs.
14. Karate: Ponch tries to help disadvantaged kids in the neighborhood, but a neighborhood kingpin ruling the area tries to throw his influence against the CHP officer...
15. New Guy In Town: A brother of deceased convict and his widow plot to destroy not only John, but they also target Ponch.
16. The Hawk and the Hunter: Baricza's dad is harassed by an ex-soldier bent on shutting down his crop-dusting jobs.
17. Vigilante: An ex-con harasses Sgt. Getraer and his family out of spite and revenge. As Ponch and John try to catch the suspect, a citizen's patrol officer tries to dispense his own brand of justice against drunk drivers and speeders.
18. Dead Man's Riddle: The MAIT team reassembles to investigate a five-car accident in which a fire captain was killed. The irony is that one of the members of the team, a psychologist, was one of the drivers involved in the accident, and that she may be the one responsible.
19. A Simple Operation: After getting into an accident and being a patient in the hospital, Sgt. Getraer unwittingly is witness to a murder of a key witness involved in a court case. As the assassin sets his sights to kill the Sargent, a younger resident (A Martinez) tries to win over his overly aloof and criticizing superior.

Season 5 - 1981- 1982

1. Suicide Stunt: A trio of robbers who use fireworks and smoke bombs to empty the tills of box-offices, a traveling circus, and a Hungarian daredevil performer chases after a long lost love, all near the permanently-moored passenger ship, the S.S. Queen Mary.
2. Vagabonds: As the CHP team ready themselves for a human-powered vehicle competition, a family of swindlers fake hit-and-run accidents with wealthy victims that they target.
3. Moonlight: Ponch and John visit their friend Robbie (from "Volunteers") and her father about someone using her husband's car in multiple speeding incidents, only to find it was connected with someone using the trucks in illegal dumping of toxic waste, which had made a young girl critically ill.
4. The Killer Indy: As Officer Artie Grossman tries to cajole his team mates into going to the new water-park, Officer Steve Mac Leish tries to stop his brother from participating in a motorcycle street race with an outlaw biker and his gang.
5. Weed Wars: Feuding marijuana growers fight to make a profit while attracting the attention of a criminal syndicate, and a young boy named Tyler is accused of causing a run of bad luck for everyone, including Ponch...
6. Anything But the Truth: John's girlfriend witnesses a robbery involving the driver crashing into cars driven by women and forcibly stealing from them. Problem is, she is a pathological liar.
7. Bomb Run: The CHP team sets up a recruitment and snack booth for the local air show and an old flame of Baricza is working there, but she, her father, husband and a demolitions expert plot to rob the safe with the box-office earnings via a series of well-timed explosions.
8. Diamond In the Rough: When Timmy Getraer's friend is temporarily orphaned due to a car accident, Joe and his wife take the boy in. He and Jon search for both the boy's father and for the other driver in the accident, who happens to be involved in planning a bank robbery.
9. Finders Keepers: Steve Mac Leish is accused of stealing an envelope of money and an incriminating cassette from a car belonging to a mobster (Jonathan Goldsmith). Meanwhile, Jon has his hands full with a visiting bounty hunter (Noble Willingham), who oversteps his bounds while chasing a con artist.
10. Fast Money: XXX.
11. Concours D'Elegance: XXX.
12. Mitchell & Woods: Melanie Mitchell (Cindy Morgan) and Paula Woods (Jayne Kennedy) go from being Ponch's Angels to being detectives for the Ocean City Police Department.
13. Breaking Point: Oh no!!! Ponch has gotten into an accident that has him re-thinking his life choices... will he muster up his courage to return back to the highway or will he hang up his helmet for good?
14. Tiger In the Streets: Two rival car gangs battle for supremacy while Ponch and John try to find the tiger before it endangers the general public.
15. Bright Flashes: Two men use a gas laser to blind and rob their victims while a retired cowboy star, who was witness to such a robbery, is threatened by them.
16. Battle Of the Bands: Three trouble-making punk rockers attempt to star in the titular event by stealing another singer's equipment, and vandalizing property. Will Ponch and John pull the plug on them before the punkers start a full-blown riot?
17. Alarmed: A former CHP officer turns to a life of crime via auto theft while the daughter of an obstinate father, who runs a car alarm business, tries to show her worth.
18. In the Best Of Families: A mother and her two teen-aged sons steal CHP patrol cars to organize a heist of a armored truck filled with money.
19. Silent Partner: Jon inadvertently accuses a deaf man of being a drunk driver. Ponch goes about learning sign language to impress the man's comely interpreter.
20. Flare Up: A hot-tempered former juvenile delinquent with a chip on his shoulder falsely accuses Ponch of assault. The officers also have to evacuate a neighborhood after a gas leak occurs.
21. The Game Of War: A disgraced Army Colonel creates war games on the streets that lead to havoc, and Jon and Ponch discover his end game...to break a former colleague out of prison.
22. A Threat Of War: In a sequel to the previous season's "Karate" episode, Andy Macedon, Ponch's rival, is out of prison, and he wants Ponch to help him prevent a gang war...but can Andy be trusted?
23. Trained For Trouble: An animal trainer uses trained animals to commit robberies.
24. Ice Cream Man: A former CHP officer tries to blow the whistle on thieves to clear his name, and at the same time, befriends a young boy, who is his biological son. Meanwhile, the team is forced to deal with a skunk that is occupying Harlan's garage.
25. Overload: XXX.
26. K-9-1: Jon and Ponch go on assignment with the LASD's K-9 unit, but wind up mediating a dispute between their respective temporary partners, who are both fighting for the last spot on the team.
27. Force Seven: Troubled LAPD officer Rick Nichols, a karate expert, is assigned to a special police squad led by Lt. John Le Garre (Fred Dryer). The squad, which specializes in non-violence, is out to find a stolen missile.

Season 6 - 1982- 1983

1. Meet the New Guy: Now that Jon has quit the force, Ponch must train his new partner, rookie Bobby Nelson. They pursue a pair of health-club robbers (who've even stolen Ponch's watch and wallet!), pursue a kidnapper and even give a ticket to Dodgers manager Tommy La Sorda!
2. Tight Fit: After becoming a blue jeans model (the 'Barcelona Man'), Ponch bonds with another model who's being blackmailed by a photographer. He and Bobby also pursue jewel thieves.
3. The Space Man Made Me Do It: Ponch and Bobby reach out to a strange girl who claims that a spaceman ordered her to break into a jewelry store and steal diamonds. They also team up with visiting Japanese police officers to thwart thieves preying on tourists.
4. Rock Devil Rock: A devil-themed singer named Moloch is facing attempts on his life by a malevolent force from beyond, and Ponch is dared into dancing the Tango with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
5. Speedway Fever: Ponch and Bobby go to bat for Bobby's younger brother Bruce, a CHP cadet who's having trouble balancing his cadet duties and his motorcycle racing. They also pursue thieves and save two girls, who foolishly try to rob motorists with a fake gun and encounter a dangerous criminal.
6. Something Special: While coaching a young boy in the Special Olympics, Ponch discovers that the boy's father is indifferent to his son and encourages him to be more involved. The guys all help out a stunt driver with his last stunt and also pursue a laid-off auto worker with a grudge.
7. This Year's Riot: It's Balboa Day at Ocean Island, and many teens and some of the CHPs are ready for some fun in the sun! But will a smooth-talking drug-dealer cause everyone to wipe out?
8. Head Over Heels: Ponch finds true love when he meets a schoolteacher.
9. Return To Death's Door: The brother of Ponch's long-departed best friend calls him out to a challenge: a street race along the area where his brother died in the crash.
10. Fallout: Sgt. Getraer's daughter and friends co-ordinate a strike against the nuclear power plant while Bobby and Ponch practice on how to handle such a heated situation.
11. Day Of the Robot: The precinct tries out a new efficiency robot called MERV 1, who can do almost anything, giving Harlan an insecurity complex, but a defect in the robot causes a serious situation when it visits a children's hospital. Also, the 'Freeway Angels', who are out to nail drunk drivers, get in the way of the guys, and the group's leader gets herself kidnapped when she stops a man who turns out not to be a drunk driver, but a stereo equipment thief.
12. Hot Date: Uh-oh! Ponch and the eponymous girl is in a hostage situation... a felon and his buddy (David Caruso) wanting revenge a previous arrest has them trapped in Ponch's apartment!
13. High Times: Bruce poses as a high school student to look into a series of muscle car thefts. Everyone wonders about the beautiful visitor to the precinct, who shows up looking for Harlan, of all people!
14. Country Action: A young cowboy gets into a crash and he begs that his pet orangutan Poppy to be taken care of. Little does he know, he was helping a bunch of modern-day rustlers, and the CHPs... along with Poppy... are on the case to stop them!
15. Journey To a Spacecraft: A terminally-ill boy runs away from home to see the Space Shuttle landing, leading to Bobby and Ponch to desperately find him.
16. Fox Trap: Husband-and-wife jewel thieves plot to steal a multi-million dollar sapphire while a trio of rock 'n' roll ladies known as the Cadillac Foxes, are being deceived by an unscrupulous promoter (Terry Kiser).
17. Brat Patrol: XXX.
18. Firepower: XXX.
19. Fun House: A fraternity, Delta-Delta-Tau (DDT), is under scrutiny for thefts that happened at the university, but someone is eagerly framing them... including a theft of a very deadly substance...
20. Fast Company: Ponch and Bruce face a corrupt sheriff in a small town, and escort two women, who were eyewitnesses to a murder.
21. Things That Go Creep In the Night: XXX.
22. Return Of the Brat Patrol: XXX.