The BEST episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick
Every episode of Hardcastle and McCormick ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick!
Judge Milton "Hardcase" Hardcastle - retired. After years of working for a judicial system that put guilty criminals back on the streets due to technicalities, he takes the law into his own hands by searching them out. Aiding him is a one time car thief now professional driver Mark "Skid" McCormick. McCormick, brought before the judge's final case, is arrested for an "honest steal." Hardcastle gives him the choice of prison or helping him with the 200 plus cold cases. Relunctanly choosing to aid the judge, Hardcastle and McCormick start a loose friendship of justice and con in order to finally those who deserved it in prison.
#1 - The Long Ago Girl
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/11/1985
Hardcastle cuts his fishing trip short when he receives word of the death of his old girlfriend's current husband. After deciding to check up on her, he is shot as he interrupts a burglar at her house, who looks like the deceased husband.
#2 - Undercover McCormick
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/11/1985
Seeking Hardcastle's help on a case of corrupt cops, a young patrolman is killed before he or Hardcastle can seek higher help in the department. With the case dealing with bad cops who could recognize the investigators, McCormick is asked to go undercover to flush out the corrupt cops and find the patrolman's killer.
#3 - Faster Heart
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/1985
After race car driver Kiki Cutter is injured during a race, Mark, knowing her from his own racing days, decides to pay her a visit. Fortunately for Kiki, Mark arrives just as someone tries to kill her. Although the killer manages to escape, Mark does manage to get his license plate number. Believing that the attempted assassination may be tied into Kiki's crash, Mark sneaks a look at the car. Confirming his suspicions, Mark finds evidence that Kiki's car was sabotaged. Meanwhile, Hardcastle traces the assassin's license plate to Hal Jenkins, an insurance broker. Some of the pieces of the puzzle are tied together when a recovering Kiki reveals that she has been secretly planning on divorcing Sammy "Sidewinder" O'Connell, her race driver husband. Once, Hardcastle has stopped Jake Thomas, the man who tried to kill Kiki, as well as arrested Jenkins, Mark, with some financial backing from the judge, decides to challenge O'Connell in a major car race. Thanks to his superior driving skills, Mark defeats O'Connell and settles a longstanding rivalry between them. Afterwards, O'Connell, who had selfishly acted out of fear of how the divorce would impact his career, is arrested for his part in the attempts on his wife's life.
#4 - One of the Girls from Accounting
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/25/1984
While attending business downtown, Mark rushes to the aid of a woman being attacked by men in a mail truck. While he thinks he can find safety from the police officer reponding to their call, the woman informs him the officer is actually a member of an unofficial "underground" police and they are far from being safe.
#5 - Hardcastle, Hardcastle, Hardcastle and McCormick
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/4/1985
Hardcase's two aunts help out during a nursing home jewelry heist.
#6 - The Birthday Present
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/25/1985
With the judge's birthday coming up, Mark decides to unofficially help him close a cold case related to a soon-to-be-paroled crimial that Hardcastle put in jail for another crime. Unfortunately, the new trial winds up with Hardcastle being shot and the criminal escaping.
#7 - Whatever Happened to Guts
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1984
When star of a television court show has to go into the hospital for surgery, he asks Hardcastle to fill in as the show's star. But, his enthusiasm for the show comes to a halt when the station's public relations person is murdered.
#8 - Hate the Picture...Love the Frame
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/9/1984
Hardcastle is arrested after a woman whom he had prevously had a chance encounter earlier is found dead in his home. Thinking the judge was framed due to his ruling on his latest case, McCormick tries to help his friend get out of jail.
#9 - Pennies from a Dead Man's Eyes
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/31/1984
Jesse Wingo, the former famous singer, is spotted by McCormick at a talent contest. But when approached about his past, the contestant reveals his name to be Sam Jones. Puzzled at the similarities, Mark investigates the man only to find that other people are looking for the man named Sam Jones, but want him dead.
#10 - There Goes the Neighborhood
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/7/1985
Hardcastle's neighbors begin a Neighborhood Watch program after a series of local burglaries have them worried. After being overlooked by the organization for the selection of their Captain, the judge forgets about his displeasure when the thieves are caught only to be found dead later from a mysterious virus.
#11 - Too Rich and Too Thin
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/14/1985
A friend of Hardcastle's, a lawyer dies. At the funeral, he catches his young wife with another man. He talks to his friend's partner who was forced out of the practice by the wife and he tells Hardcastle the wife was only interested in his money. Hardcastle learns the man died while at some health spa for the elderly. So he goes there as a client and McCormick goes as a trainer who puts Hardcastle through the wringer.
#12 - You Don't Hear the One That Gets You
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/18/1985
Mark is thrilled when he wins $20,000 racing in the Arizona Modified. His joy quickly dissipates when thieves hold him up and steal his winnings as well as the Coyote.
#13 - If You Could See What I See
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/6/1986
Not wanting to continue cleaning up the estate, Mark hires Millie Denton, his former prison cellmate's widow, as a maid. Meanwhile, Hardcastle begins looking into the suspicious death of a lawyer named Charlie Clarkson. Taking over Charlie's practice, Hardcastle interviews Loni Summers, a model that had previously hired Charlie to handle her divorce. Discovering the divorce is now off, Hardcastle checks into the background of actor Dex Falcon, Loni's husband. Investigating, the judge discovers that Falcon had secretly been receiving millions of dollars from an attorney named Wendell Price. In the meantime, Millie, who claims to be a psychic, has a vision of Mark's murder. Ignoring Millie's warning, Mark proceeds with the case. To Mark's regret, he is captured by Price, shot and left for dead. Thanks to Millie, Hardcastle locates Mark in time to save his life. Next, based on the evidence Mark had gathered, Hardcastle and the police, having already taken Falcon into custody, movie in and arrest Price. As the episode ends, Millie, shaken up by her visions, decides to quit and move in with her sister.
#14 - She Ain't Deep, But She Sure Runs Fast
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/1985
In the third season opener, Hardcastle and McCormick go on a photo exhibition with Buzz Bird, one of the judge's old friends. To their regret, Buzz, who is a pilot, has a heart attack while flying them over a stretch of Oregon wilderness. While Hardcastle and McCormick survive the crash landing, they are stranded miles from civilization and unknowingly attract the attention of Taylor Walsh, a mountain "pirate" who has made his living by robbing tourists. After suffering through a horrible rain storm, Hardcastle decides to tell Mark how much he appreciates their friendship. Although Mark pretends to be asleep, he actually hears everything the judge has to say. The next day, the two men come across the dead body of a murdered man. Realizing that they are being tracked, they decide to speed up their journey by white water rafting. Once the two men are in the water, Taylor and his men attack. Fleeing to land, Hardcastle and McCormick manage to evade the pirates. Turning the tables, the two men capture Taylor and his men. A month later, the judge and Mark, with their prisoners in tow, finally return to civilization.
#15 - Angie's Choice
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/1/1985
After seeing reputed mobster Stevie Ray kill a man named Tommy Chen, former prostitute Angie Bloom goes into hiding. Before disappearing, she decides to leave Nicky and Lindsey, her young children, with Hardcastle for safekeeping. While the kids initially refuse to tell the judge their name, the judge eventually realizes that they are Angie's children. Meanwhile, Hardcastle and McCormick discover something is amiss when some men unsuccessfully try to kidnap the kids. Following a hunch, Hardcastle pays a visit on a former madam named Dolores. The hunch pays off and the judge locates Angie. Convinced that Hardcastle has her best interests in mind, Angie tells the judge the whole story. Recognizing that the best way to protect Angie is to put Stevie in prison, Hardcastle arranges for her to testify. To his regret, the officers that pick up Angie are actually Stevie's men. Upon learning the truth, Hardcastle and McCormick "convince" one of Stevie's men to tell them where to find Angie. Following up on their lead, the two men capture Stevie and rescue Angie.
#16 - Games People Play
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/1985
Mark surprises the judge when he not only qualifies for, but becomes a winner on, The 1 Million Dollar Trivia Master, a television game show. Unbeknownst to Mark, veteran game show producers Harry Baxter and Art Healy, envisioning big ratings, decide to help the ex-race car driver along once they discover that the audience is cheering for him to succeed. To guarantee a winning streak, the producers have Hardcastle's estate bugged and begin basing their questions on Mark's home practice sessions. Although Hardcastle quickly realizes that something is amiss, Mark is unwilling to accept that the game is rigged. After Diane Templeton, one of the trivia show's employees, dies under mysterious circumstances, Mark turns around and admits that something is seriously wrong. Searching the show's offices, Hardcastle finds out why Diane was killed: She had obtained a tape proving the show is fixed. Meanwhile, Baxter and Healy discover that Bryce Benson, the shows host, had taken their plan to a deadly conclusion by killing Diane. Not wanting to face murder charges, the producers decide to tell Hardcastle everything. During the taping of the show's final round, Mark, giving up his chance to be a big winner, reluctantly helps the police stop Benson. Hinting at the series eventual conclusion, Mark jokes about going to law school in this episode.
#17 - Do Not Go Gentle...
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1985
Entering the hospital for a routine checkup, Hardcastle discovers that he is dying from an incurable disease. Not wanting to let his friend just fade away, Mark convinces Hardcastle to live his remaining days to the fullest, Taking Mark's advice to heart, the judge, using the money he inherited from his wife, buys a one million dollar boat. Hardcastle's boating career is short lived, however, for armed men steal the boat. Although Hardcastle is initially willing to let the police handle the crime, he changes his mind after discovering that the hospital made a mistake and he is not really dying.
#18 - A Chip off the Ol' Milt
Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/1986
As the final episode begins, Mark, who has secretly begun attending law school, is offered a paralegal job by Kenneth Malcolm, one of his professors. Meanwhile, Hardcastle, realizing that Mark's parole is up, decides to buy a car repair business, as a surprise gift for his friend. Upon hearing about Mark's job offer, Hardcastle, not wanting to stand in his friend's way, lies and tells his friend that he bought the company for himself. For his first assignment at law firm Malcolm, Hughes and Dewitt, Mark is asked to reclaim the possessions of Elsey, a resident of the Sunset Acres Retirement Home. Arriving at the home, Mark makes the acquaintance of Mimi LeGrand, a retired actress. Immediately liking Mimi, Mark is more than willing to comply when the former actress asks him to open a bank account for her. To Mark's surprise, he discovers that someone has already opened an account in Mimi's name. Concerned, Mark decides to go to Hardcastle for help. Before the two men are able to really learn anything in the case, they end up in jail as a result of a mistake made by Leroy, Hardcastle's assistant at the car company. While awaiting their release, Hardcastle decides to tell his friend the truth about why he bought the company. In response, Mark reveals that he has been going to law school in an attempt to follow in his friend's footsteps. Once released, Hardcastle and McCormick discover evidence that Malcolm and resident home manager Leonard Porter have been killing the residents and stealing their money. (They were able to move the money by secretly creating bank accounts in the seniors' names.) Armed with sufficient evidence, the crime fighting duo stop Malcolm and Porter. Despite the fall of his professor, Mark vows to continue attending law school. After selling the car business, Hardcastle makes a generous bet with Mark: If the ex-race car driver can beat him in a game of basketball, the judge will pay the law school bill. Due in the most part to Hardcastle's generos
#19 - The Yankee Clipper
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/1985
When Bill Bauer is declared dead after being MIA from the Marines for 10 years, Mark, the soldier's former best friend, is asked to handle the funeral arrangements. The funeral does have one positive result for it reunites Mark with old friends Patrick Burke, Jeff Steffan and Peter Trigg. To Mark's surprise, shortly after the funeral, Bauer turns up very much alive. Upon being confronted by his angered friend, Bauer explains that he had been in charge of destroying cash when the United States pulled out of Vietnam in 1975. Instead of following orders, however, he had waited for an opportunity to smuggle the money into the country. Continuing, Bauer relays how he used "his" casket as a way of transporting the cash. Bauer realizes that his plan is falling apart when someone tries to kill him. Seeing no alternative, Bauer decides to go after the men chasing him. Following Bauer, Hardcastle and McCormick discover that Peter Trigg, secretly the leader of a group of terrorists, is trying to get a hold of Bauer's money in order to buy weapons. Although Trigg temporarily manages to capture Hardcastle and McCormick, the two men are able to turn the tables thanks to Bauer's intervention. Later, the police are all set to take Bauer into custody when the ex-soldier decides to disappear again.
#20 - Outlaw Champion
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/1984
Hardcastle and McCormick must help protect a famous race car driver who is in danger of losing his claim to fame as well as his life.
#21 - In the Eye of the Beholder
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/17/1986
In a change of pace episode, Mark begins to believe that Leprechauns are burying gold on the estate. Ignoring Mark's outrageous claims, Hardcastle concentrates on preparing the estate for an upcoming magazine contest. After Benny, Mark's mechanic, is assaulted by a group of men for information about a group of little people, Hardcastle admits that there may be some truth to Mark's Leprechaun story. That night, Mark and Hardcastle set a trap for the "Leprechauns". The trap works and Hardcastle captures the men who have been hanging around his estate. As the judge discovers, however, the little people are not Leprechauns but rather circus performers. Confronting the performers about why they are hiding out, Cluracan, the groups leader, explains that they are fleeing from communist agents that want to return them to their home country as well as Marvin, a circus promoter that had promised their services to Circus Maximus. As for the mysterious gold, Cluracan reveals that it is his family's money. The next day, communist agent Ivan and his men come to the estate disguised as employees of Ladies Garden Monthly, the magazine sponsoring the contest Hardcastle has entered. At the same time, Marvin and his men sneak onto the estate. With the circus performer's help, Hardcastle and McCormick manage to stop the agents as well as Marvin and his men. Later, Mark's continued suspicion that Cluracan's group are secretly Leprechauns seems to be confirmed when a rainbow leads to a mysteriously repaired Coyote.
#22 - You Would Cry, Too, if It Happened to You
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/1984
After telling his poker buddies to clean up the house before he gets back from the airport with the judge, McCormick returns with Hardcastle to discover that everything valuable on the estate has been stolen, including all of the judge's files on past cases.
#23 - Did You See the One That Got Away
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/18/1984
Hardcastle visits a man he sent to prison for life only to find that the man never made it there.
#24 - Ties My Father Sold Me
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/1984
After breaking into the official records, Mark identifies his long-lost biological father as a lounge singer in Atlantic City and goes to see him. But the man turns out to be sought by a mobster who kidnaps Mark to force him to steal some incriminating tapes from a government safe.
#25 - It Coulda Been Worse...She Coulda Been a Welder
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/2/1984
The proposed destruction of a popular college bar brings Hardcastle's niece in the spotlight. With her protests making him upset, he must put aside their differences when she narrowly avoids a kidnapping.