Trivia / Adam-12

• The Danza: In an episode telecast 01/14/75, Riikka Pitkonen plays a character named Riikka Kekkonen.
• Directed by Cast Member: Season 4 episode "The Grandmothers" was directed by Ozzie Nelson, who also plays a robbery victim in one scene.
• Fair for Its Day: Despite some uncomfortable moments Played for Laughs (particularly some domestic disputes), for the most part the show was reasonable and Reed and Malloy treated everyone they encountered fairly regardless of race, creed, gender or orientation. The show acknowledges how racial grievances and economic inequality often influence crime (while showing that these circumstances still don't excuse individuals who commit crimes) more than most police shows of the time. It also was reasonably even-handed with 60s counterculture - Malloy said he didn't know whether college protesters were right or wrong, he only had issues with their methods of trying to cause change when they violated the law.
• Life Imitates Art: Kent McCord (Jim Reed) worked as a Los Angeles Reserve police officer later in life. Reserve police are volunteer or paid police, whose duties vary by jurisdiction. He's now retired.
• Memetic Mutation: Calling police "twelve", especially as in "Fuck 12" comes from the name of the show.
• The Other Darrin: Jean Reed was played by two different actresses, and her incarnation in season seven is practically Same Character, But Different. The decade can account for her radically different wardrobe and hairstyle choices, but also gone is the understanding Jean Reed who knew the risks and was happy anyway, until in the final episodes she almost seems to resent her husband's job.
• Real-Life Relative: Martin Milner's son did stunt motorbike riding in one episode, and his daughter guest starred in another episode. Kent McCord's son appeared once as well. And a couple lower key ones were Tim Donnelly appearing in two episodes while his brother Dennis directed a number of episodes and Bobby Troupe guest starring while his daughter worked with the scripts. Also, Jack Webb's daughter Stacy served as a Production Assistant for a time.
• Typecasting: William Boyett, who played the superior officer that Reed and Malloy reported to, played a police officer in other TV shows, including most notably Highway Patrol, and in film as well (including the 1959 driver's education film Last Clear Chance).
• You Look Familiar: Gary Crosby was a part-time regular as Officer Ed Wells on Adam-12 and appeared in three different roles (the first time as a firefighter, the second time as a publicity-happy paramedic, the third as an animal control officer in a Poorly Disguised Pilot) in Emergency!.
  • In one season 6 episode, Captain Koloth quarrels with his parmaqqay, who reveals their joint drug stash to land him in the slammer.
  • Leo V. Gordon appears on the show playing assorted criminals at least five times. Gordon was also a writer for the show.
  • This happens a lot due to Mark VII Limited frequently reusing the same pool of guest actors in half a dozen different roles. It's very common for the same character actors to appear on the '60s version of Dragnet or Emergency!; all three were set in the same universe. Notable examples are Emergency regulars Tim Donnelly (Chet Kelly) and Randolph Mantooth (co-lead John Gage). Bobby Troupe (Joe Early) also had an appearance.
• Although Martin Milner did not get a full police funeral as Jack Webb did at his death, he was paid tribute by one of the LAPD bands playing at the funeral, and an End of Watch broadcast on the LAPD radio that can be heard here. The last line is a definite Tear Jerker. Many police officers also attended the funeral, having been inspired in their career choice by Martin's portrayal of Pete Malloy.
• A kind of “hey, it’s that vehicle” was the cameos by Engine 51 from Emergency!. The rig was owned by Universal, so when this series needed a fire engine, they’d put red stickers on it to hide the “County” part of its markings. Both Engine 51 models appeared, but the Ward-La France from season 2 onward is easiest to spot.

---