Future Cop (TV series)

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| alt_name =

| genre = Science fiction

| creator = Anthony Wilson
Allen S. Epstein

| director =

| creative_director =

| presenter =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| composer = J. J. Johnson

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 8

| list_episodes = Future Cop (TV series)#List of Future Cop episodes with airdates

| runtime = 60 minutes

| company = {{Plainlist|

The Culzean Corporation
Tovern Productions
Paramount Television

}}

| executive_producer = Anthony Wilson
Gary Damsker

| channel = ABC

| first_aired = {{Start date|1976|5|1}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1978|3|28}}

| related =

}}

Future Cop is an American crime drama science fiction television series that starred Ernest Borgnine and Michael J. Shannon. It was based on the TV movie of the same title and predated RoboCop by ten years. The series was aired on ABC in 1977 and was re-piloted as Cops and Robin on NBC in 1978.{{cite web|url=https://www.retroist.com/2016/04/13/future-cop-tv-show-dvd-review/|title=A Review of the Nearly Forgotten TV Show, "Future Cop" on DVD|publisher=Retroist|accessdate=2017-09-24|archive-date=September 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924225553/https://www.retroist.com/2016/04/13/future-cop-tv-show-dvd-review/|url-status=dead}} A veteran street cop gets an experimental android that has been programmed by the police lab for his new partner.

Cast

Ernest Borgnine – Off. Joe Cleaver
Michael J. Shannon – Off. John Haven
John Amos – Off. Bill Bundy

Episodes

=TV Movie (1976)=

{{Episode table |background= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| Title=Future Cop

| DirectedBy=Jud Taylor

| WrittenBy=Anthony Wilson

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1976|5|1}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

=Season 1=

{{Episode table |background= |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=1

| Title=Fighting O'Haven

| DirectedBy=Robert Douglas

| WrittenBy=Mann Rubin

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|3|5}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=2

| Title=The Mad Mad Bomber

| DirectedBy=Ted Post

| WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay

| t = Harold Livingston

| ex1 = Ken Kolb

| tlabel = {{abbr|T|Teleplay by}}

| ex1label = {{abbr|S/T|Story and teleplay by}}

}}

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|3|25}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=3

| Title=The Girl on the Ledge

| DirectedBy=Earl Bellamy

| WrittenBy=Mann Rubin

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|4|7}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=4

| Title=The Carlisle Girl

| DirectedBy=Vincent McEveety

| WrittenBy=Harold Livingston

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|4|22}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=5

| Title=The Kansas City Kid

| DirectedBy=Robert Douglas

| WrittenBy=Harold Livingston

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|4|30}}

| ShortSummary=

| LineColor=

}}

List of ''Cops and Robin'' episodes with airdates

"Cops and Robin" (March 28, 1978)

Plagiarism lawsuit

Writers Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova filed a lawsuit against Paramount Television, ex-Paramount exec Terry Keegan, and ABC-TV, alleging that Future Cop was plagiarized from their own pitch for a TV series, which was based on their 1970 short story "Brillo."{{Cite web |title=This Mug's Game We Call Writing: Harlan Ellison Interview, Second Installment :: Stop Smiling Magazine |url=http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/story_detail.php?id=384 |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=www.stopsmilingonline.com}} The lawsuit was settled in 1980, awarding Ellison and Bova $182,500 in compensatory damages and $154,500 in punitive damages.[http://mercurie.blogspot.com/2007/10/plagiarism-sincerest-form-of-flattery.html Plagiarism--the Sincerest Form of Flattery ]{{Cite news |title=Two sci-fi writers given damages in copyright infringement lawsuit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jncRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6726%2C264576 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401221529/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jncRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6726%2C264576 |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |access-date=June 17, 2014 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |issue=May 1, 1980 |agency=UPI}} The story's title was allegedly a pun by Bova, as a robot policeman could be referred to as "metal fuzz", like Brillo soap pads.{{Cite interview |last=Ellison |first=Harlan |interviewer=Tom Snyder |title=Tomorrow |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4DEEgOgyU4&list=LL&index=147&t=31s |date=1980}}

Home media

On March 1, 2016, Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.[http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Future-Cop-The-Complete-Series/21824 'The Complete Series' of the Mid-'70s Show Pre-Dating 'RoboCop'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218025937/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Future-Cop-The-Complete-Series/21824 |date=2015-12-18 }}