History Series / CHIPs

** Jebediah Turner effectively replaces Gene Fritz as the [[TokenMinority Token Black Guy]] in season 3, around the same time Bonnie Clark replaces Sindy Cahill as TheChick.

** The sixth season premiere episode, "Meet the New Guy", has cameos from Richard Simmons and legendary baseball manager Tommy LaSorda.

** The sixth season premiere episode, "Meet the New Guy", has cameos from Richard Simmons and legendary baseball manager Tommy [La=Sorda].

Compare to ''{{Franchise/Dragnet}}'' and ''Series/AdamTwelve'', other series centering on police officers in the Los Angeles area.

* SeldomSeenSpecies: A one-off scene in the episode "Undertow" shows a man with a bird that can mimic human speech. The bird appears to be a type of mynah, which are far less common in pop culture than talking parrots.

* HollywoodPoliceDrivingAcademy: Though Ponch and Jon avert this one themselves, the rest of the CHP (and for that matter everyone else on the freeway) turn it UpToEleven at least ''once per episode''! (see IdiotBall, below)

* AbsenteeActor: Only Robert Pine (Getraer) is present and correct for the entire run.

** In the "Roller Disco" episode, a pair of yahoos (played by [[Series/FTroop Larry Storch]] and [[Series/{{MASH}}]] Larry Linville) drive around on the freeway with a car that shoots sparks out of the rear and cause several accidents. The motive is to gain revenge on the reckless drivers who crippled one of them.

** In the "Roller Disco" episode, a pair of yahoos (played by [[Series/FTroop Larry Storch]] and [[Series/{{MASH}} Larry Linville) drive around on the freeway with a car that shoots sparks out of the rear and cause several accidents. The motive is to gain revenge on the reckless drivers who crippled one of them.

** Let's point out that he's a DirtyCoward for [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere abandoning his wife when he saw the tiger go in]].

** In the "Roller Disco" episode, a pair of yahoos (played by [[Series/FTroop Larry Storch]] and Larry Linville) drive around on the freeway with a car that shoots sparks out of the rear and cause several accidents. The motive is to gain revenge on the reckless drivers who crippled one of them.

* RaceLift: One of the two female cops that Jon and Ponch are mentoring in "Ponch's Angels" is Melanie Woods, played by Caucasian actress Barbara Stack. When Woods, along with her partner Mitchell, returns for a second appearance in the failed pilot "Mitchell and Woods", she's played by Black actress Jayne Kennedy.

** Season 4's two-part "The Great 5K Star Race and Boulder Wrap Party" is also full of cameos, and is something of a sequel to "Roller Disco" (revolving around a [=CHP=] fundraiser for the same charity, the real Actors and Others for Animals).

** Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. 'Nuff said.

* DoesntLikeGuns: Throughout six seasons, neither Ponch nor Jon drew his weapon. In fact, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvD6VgvCGws a CHiPs reunion]] stated that only Officer Barry Baricza ever drew his sidearm.

* SafeDrivingAesop: One example is the episode "Wheels of Justice" which starts with a multiple car accident caused by a drunk driver. His sober wife switches places with him while nobody's looking and he's acquitted since no one can prove he was actually driving. At the end of the episode, he gets into another accident while driving drunk. This time, his wife is killed.

** In the first-season episode "Hustle", they have a very apropos celebrity cameo...Series/HighwayPatrol star Broderick Crawford, whom Jon and Ponch pull over for a traffic violation!

** In the "Roller Disco" episode, a pair of yahoos (played by Larry Storch and Larry Linville) drive around on the freeway with a car that shoots sparks out of the rear and cause several accidents. The motive is to gain revenge on the reckless drivers who crippled one of them.

* UngratefulBastard / WhatTheHellHero: In the episode, "The Volunteers", Ponch and John corral a loose tiger using meat, and the butcher gives them grief about using '''SIRLOIN STEAKS''' to catch it.
* WeaponizedCar: In one episode, Ponch and Jon took on "the Stunt Car bandits".

** John was blamed for a phony CHP officer who made lewd advances toward women drivers in the episode "One Two Many".
Ironically enough, he '''DID''' look like John!

** Played straight in the Season One episode, "One Two Many", where a phony CHP officer made nasty advances to women drivers.

** An early episode has several motorists believing that a fake motor officer who's creeping on female drivers is actually Jon; they look like they could be brothers.

** Let's not forget Ponch and John pulled over children's show star, H. R. Puffinstuf!

* SpecialGuest: The "Roller Disco" two-parter has Lief Garrett, Bill Daily, and Larry Linville all billed this way, along with a "special appearance" by Ed [=McMahon=], Jim Brown as a roller-skating thief, and loads of [[CelebrityCameo celebrity cameos]] at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin disco-on-skates]] ending.
** Milton Berle shows up in the sequel two-parter, "The Great 5K Star Race and Boulder Wrap Party," along with the requisite cameos at the charity fundraiser.
** Caitlyn Jenner is also billed this way (as Bruce) in the season 5 episodes in which Steve [=McLeish=] appears.

* DoesntLikeGuns: Throughout six seasons, neither Ponch nor Jon drew his weapon.

* CowboyCop: In the 2000 revival movie, a mention is made of how thick Ponch's record was due to his various stunts. At one point, he jokes that they don't have to worry anymore, as computerized record keeping means that his stunts won't take up excessive file space anymore.

->'''Shawn:''' Dude, ''[=CHiPs=]'' was gonna come on like 20 minutes. What was I supposed to do! It was {{the one with}} the freeway crash where the car used the empty car-carrier trailer as a ramp and flipped in mid-air!\\