Ritter plays San Francisco police Inspector Harry Hooperman. In the first episode, Hooperman inherits the rundown apartment building he lives in when his elderly landlady is killed in a robbery. He also inherits her temperamental pet
Jack Russell terrier named Bijoux. Due to the demands of his job as a police officer, he hires Susan Smith (played by
Debrah Farentino) to be the building manager, and the pair become romantically involved throughout the first season. Also starring on the show was Alix Elias as the cheerful and bubbly police dispatcher, Betty Bushkin;
Barbara Bosson was Hooperman's divorced superior, Capt. Celeste "C.Z." Stern; Felton Perry as Harry's partner, Inspector Clarence McNeil; Clarence Felder as redneck inspector Boris "Bobo" Pritzger;
Joseph Gian as Rick Silardi, a gay cop, and
Sydney Walsh as officer Maureen "Mo" DeMott, his patrol partner who was intent on "saving" him from being gay by making unwanted passes.
Dan Lauria played Celeste's former husband, Lou Stern. The theme music was composed by
Mike Post. Guest stars in the series' 42-episode run included:
Don Cheadle,
Kim Delaney,
Dennis Dugan,
Norman Fell (who worked with Ritter on
The Stone Killer and ''
Three's Company), Miguel Ferrer, Jack Gilford, Mark Hamill, Joanna Kerns (who did a guest spot on Three's Company''),
Richard Kind,
Dan Lauria,
Jane Leeves,
Lorna Luft,
David Paymer,
Barbara Rush, and
Shannon Tweed. Except for a brief syndicated run on the
FX Network in the mid-1990s, and the pilot rebroadcast on
TV Land in 2003 following Ritter's death, the series has not been repeated. ==Episodes==