Presented as a gritty counter to the flashy, fashion-conscious Miami Vice back in the mid-1980's. Fred Dryer and Stefanie Kramer played no-nonsense L.A. detectives not afraid to break rules and knock some heads around in order to solve crimes. Dryer's punchline: "works for me". Lots of shootouts and car wrecks. The early episodes had an especially grim edge to them.