C.O.P.S
"It's crime fighting time!"
In 2020 the fictional city of Empire City is plagued by a gang of super criminals lead by crime lord The Big Boss. The regular police can't get a grip on The Big Boss or his gang. To save Empire City from The Big Boss and his gang The Central Organization of Police Specialists is (C.O.P.S.) is established, headed by B.P. "Bulletproof" Vess. C.O.P.S. is an elite team of police men with special powers and/or skills. Their mission is to fight crime and in particular The Big Boss and his gang.
Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
In many action cartoons aimed at boys you will find a battle of good against evil. In C.O.P.S. that happens literally in the form of police men vs criminals. There's very little explanation needed to explain the premise of C.O.P.S. to children: cops fighting criminals. While this premise would probably be fascinating enough for children, C.O.P.S. goes one step further than being merely a police vs criminal show. C.O.P.S. does not consist of ordinary police officers, but agents who all have a special power. The same applies to the criminals who are not petty thieves, but all have a special power which keeps them from getting caught by ordinary police officers.
C.O.P.S. resembles G. I. Joe, that other team of specialists, in a sense. Similar to G. I. Joe all C.O.P.S. are ordinary men with some special power or skill, have a codename, have a yell before they go to war ("It's crime fighting time!"), each agent and criminal has a unique personality and history, and all the characters are introduced through a "roll call " so you see each individual as they pass by. Since C.O.P.S. is based on a toy line from toymaker Hasbro its not surprising that a similar formula for C.O.P.S. is used as for G.I. Joe. G. I. Joe is namely also a Hasbro toy property. And the main purpose for the roll call is so you know what character to pester your parents with in order for them to buy the accompanying action figure for you.
Story lines
The police men of C.O.P.S. are highly diverse as are the villains. The same sadly can't be said about the plot. Each episode follows the exact same formula. The episode opens with a paper file with a case number on it. We hear the low voice of Bulletproof which opens with the sentence " The Case of ... " in which the title of the episode is mentioned. One of Bog Boss' hench men undertakes a criminal activity where some of the COPS are put on the case. At the end of the episode the criminal of the week is caught and thrown in prison - only be free again by the next episode. The episode ends again with the paper file that now gets the stamp: "Case closed".
The origin of the C.O.P.S. isn't told until episode 8 where Bulletproof tells the origin story in the 2-part episodes 'The case of C.O.P.S. file #1'. The series also has a real end. In all the episodes Big Boss' men are arrested, but the Big Boss himself is never caught until the last episode. In the last episode The Big Boss himself is finally arrested and the war in Empire City seems to have come to an end.
The C.O.P.S. are a diverse collection of agents each with a special skill or power. The cops look like regular cops you'd come across in daily life, but with the twist that they have something special you don't see in normal life. Bowser for example looks like a regular officer with a police dog, except that his dog Blitz is a cyborg dog. Agent Highway is basically a motorcycle cop, but one with a very pimped up motor. In each episode the focus is on just one or a few cops, but rarely all at once.
Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess
The C.O.P.S. are lead by Baldwin B. Vess, codename Bulletproof. The show takes place in 2020, but the appearance of Bulletproof is clearly inspired by Michael Jackson in his Bad years. Complete with a "spit curl" and sunglasses he looks like he's the lost a brother of Michael Jackson when he still was black.
Baldwin P. Vess is a Federal Agent from the FBI who was called in to help take down Big Boss. During the fight, he ends up seriously injured in a car wreck and is taken to the hospital. To save his life, Mayor Davis had the research scientists from the Overdine Institute perform an operation that gives Baldwin a cybernetic torso to save his life as it would take years for his torso to recover. Going by the name "Bulletproof" due to the cybernetic torso being able to deflect bullets, Baldwin assembles a team of highly-trained police officers from across the country to form COPS and stop Big Boss and his gang of crooks. He is representative of a Police Detective or an F.B.I. Agent.
Voiced by: Ken Ryan. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
P.J. "LongArm" O'Malley
P.J. O'Malley serves as a police sergeant for the Empire City Police Department. Second in command of COPS, he is a very compassionate officer who has the talent to convince juvenile delinquents to give up their criminal ways and become law abiding citizens. He wears a wrist device that extends out a handcuff-like device to grab criminals escaping the law, or as an improvised grappling hook. He is representative of a Beat Cop.
Voiced by: John Stocker. Born August 13, 1947. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Rex "Bowser" Pointer
A police officer who worked for the Chicago Police Department. He is a K-9 officer who loves animals and is the handler of Blitz. As mentioned, he is representative of a K-9 officer.
Voiced by: Nick Nichols. Born April 19, 1952. Died August 11, 2010 Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Walker "Sundown" Calhoun
A police officer who was a former Texas Sheriff. He is an excellent lasso handler and sharpshooter known for conducting special investigations. He is representative of a Texas Ranger.
Voiced by: Len Carlson. Born September 2, 1937. Died January 26, 2006. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Sgt. Colt "Mace" Howards
A police officer who worked for the Philadelphia Police Department. He is known for his tactical strategies, his laser "Mazooka," and his love for a femme fatale named Nightshade. He is representative of a S.W.A.T. Officer.
Dave E. "Highway" Harlson
A police officer who worked for the California Highway Patrol. He is a known ace cycle trooper who is not good at baking cookies. He is representative of a Motorcycle patrol officer.
Voiced by: Ray James.
Stan "Barricade" Hyde
A soft-spoken police officer who worked for the Detroit Police Department. He is known for his calm demeanor, his M.U.L.E. device, and crowd control. He is representative of Riot Control. He also seems to have training in Hostage Negotiation.
Donnie "Hardtop" Brooks
A rookie police officer who works for Empire City's Police Department. He is the driver of the COPS' Ironsides vehicle and has a crush on ECTV news reporter Whitney Morgan. He is representative of a Patrol and Pursuit Officer.
Voiced by: Darrin Baker. Born May 7, 1965. Image via Imdb.
Hugh S. "Bullseye" Forward
A police officer who worked for the Miami Police Department. He is the best police helicopter pilot on the force which earned him the nickname "Bullseye." He is representative of a Police Helicopter pilot.
Voiced by: Peter Keleghan. Born September 16, 1959. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Tina "Mainframe" Cassidy
A police computer specialist who works for Empire City's Police Department. She is the best computer jockey ever whose talent in computer wizardry has helped solve even the most chaotic of capers. She is representative of a Police Technical Analyst.
Voiced by: Mary Long. Born in 1951. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Susie "Mirage" Young
A female police officer who worked with the San Francisco Police Department. She is known for her talented work in undercover investigations. She is representative of a Vice Officer.
Voiced by: Elizabeth Hanna. Born Apr 2, 1953. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Mayor Davis
The mayor of Empire City.
Voiced by: Marvin Goldhar. Born in 1934. Died March 31, 2002. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
The criminals are not inferior to the C.O.P.S. in terms of diversity. The Big Boss is an even uglier than the fatso Kingpin from Spider-man. His etarded cousin Beserko does most of the dirty work, and is also the one most often arrested by COPS. Beserko is so moronic and annoying that it just is not fun to see him or to ever think he's an actual threat to the COPS. Fortunately Big Boss has also employed other criminals who pose a much bigger threat to the COPS than Beserko. Big Boss' entire gang further consists of Rock Krusher, Ms. Demeanor, Turbo Tu-Tone, Dr . Badvibes and his robot Buzzbomb, Nightshade, Buttons McBoomBoom and Squeeky Kleen.
Brandon "Big Boss" Babel
The primary antagonist of the series. Brandon "Big Boss" Babel is a crime lord who plans to rule Empire City with an iron fist...literally.
Doctor Badvibes
Dr. Percival "Percy" Cranial is a brilliant, though completely deranged mad scientist. Ever since he was fired from Comtrex Technologies Incorporated for stealing top secret electronics, he works for Big Boss devising inventions and robotic minions for Big Boss's gang. He has a glass dome on top of his head which shows his abnormally large brain and is known to create literal brainstorms by charging electricity through his brainwaves to form a cloud that can produce rain, thunder, and lightning.
Voiced by: Ron Rubin. Born May 12, 1959. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Buttons McBoomBoom
Constantine Saunders is minion of Big Boss. He is seen wearing a red suit and fedora and carries around a violin case that hides his favourite playtoy, a deadly modified Thompson submachine gun with a scope attachment that he uses to blast away at any target at will. Buttons McBoomBoom hides underneath his suit a cybernetic torso that conceals twin machine guns with which he blasts away after he unbuttons his shirt to reveal them in the heat of battle against either the COPS or a bug.
Stephanie Demeanor is a middle-aged, super-strong woman with the appearance of a normal businesswoman. She works for Big Boss. She has the muscular physique of a champion bodybuilder.
Voiced by: Tabitha St Germain. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Berserko
Barney L. Fatheringhouse is an impulsive, dim-witted thug who is the proud nephew of Big Boss.
Voiced by: Paul de la Rosa. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Rock Krusher
Edmund Scarry is a super-strong thug who works for Big Boss. He often uses a heavy-duty jackhammer in order to get into bank vaults. At one point he was romantically involved with Ms. Demeanor.
Voiced by: Brent Titcomb. Born Aug 10, 1940. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Turbo Tu-Toner
Ted Stavely is a minion of Big Boss who serves as his getaway driver. He was the one responsible for causing the car wreck that resulted in Baldwin P. Vess gaining a cybernetic torso.
Voiced by: Dan Hennessey. Born Aug 25, 1941. Image via Behindthevoiceactors.
Rafaella Diamond was born into a rich family. She ended up disowned when she turned to crime stealing expensive and exotic jewellery for the thrill of it, not out of financial needs. She now works for Big Boss, and is secretly in love with Mace.
Voiced by: Jane Scholettle.
The Bugman
A short criminal who uses an insect-controlling device that enables him to control insects to commit his crimes after people stopped showing up to his flea circus. He joined up with Big Boss' gang, but left when he did not get a high pay. This causes Nightshade and Buttons McBoomBoom to steal his bugs and the insect-controlling device and use them in their crimes. When Mainframe and Bowser and Blitz found him after tailing Gaylord, they help him into regaining his insect-controlling device. Though Buttons and Nightshade are defeated, Bugman is also arrested. He was last seen restarting his flea circus in prison where his entertaining of the guards is a diversion for Gaylord who secretly makes for the keys. In "The Case of the Lesser of Two Weevils," Bugman escapes from prison when Gaylord gets captured by his rival the Boll Weevil. When Boll Weevil was defeated, Bugman and Gaylord went back to show business.
1. The Case of the Stuck-Up Blimp
2. The Case of the Crime Circus
4. The Case of Berserko's Big Surprise
5. The Case of the Bogus Justice Machines
6. The Case of the Prison Break-In
7. The Case of the Pardner In Crime
8. The Case of C.O.P.S. File #1 Part 1
10. The Case of the Blur Bandits
11. The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo
12. The Case of the Blitz Attack
13. The Case of the Baby Badguy
14. The Case of the Thieving Robots
15. The Case of the Highway Robbery
16. The Case of the Crime Convention
17. The Case of the Crook With A Thousand Faces
18. The Case of the Super Shakedown
19. The Case of the Criminal Mall
20. The Case of the Big Bad Boxoids
21. The Case of the Half-Pint Hero
22. The Case of the Brilliant Berserko
23. The Case of the Big Frame-Up
24. The Case of the Sinister Spa
25. The Case of the Cool Caveman
26. The Case of the Wayward Whiz Kid
27. The Case of the Stashed Cash
28. The Case of the Big Boss's Master Plan Part 1
30. The Case of the Criminal Games
31. The Case of the Iceberg Pirates
32. The Case of the Giveaway Gold
33. The Case of the Big Little Green Men
34. The Case of the Crook With a Conscience
35. The Case of Mace's Romance
36. The Case of the Crime Nobody Heard a.k.a. The Case of the Boy Nobody Wanted
37. The Case of the Bogus Bride
38. The Case of the Visiting Mother
39. The Case of the Ghost Crooks
40. The Case of the Lying Lie Detector
41. The Case of the Disappearing Dough
42. The Case of Mukluk's Luck
43. The Case of the Baby Badguy's Return
44. The Case of the Rock and Roll Robbers
45. The Case of the Boy Who Cried Sea Monster
46. The Case of the Runaway Buzzbomb
47. The Case of the Missing Masterpiece
48. The Case of the Lesser of Two Weevils
49. The Case of the Big Boss's Bye-Bye
50. The Case of the Iron C.O.P.S. and the Wooden Crooks
51. The Case of the Midas Touch
52. The Case of the Ready Room Mutiny
53. The Case of the High Iron Hoods
54. The Case of the Kangaroo Caper
55. The Case of the Missing Memory
56. The Case of the Lowest Crime
57. The Case of the Crooked Contest
58. The Case of the Ransomed Rascal
59. The Case of the Spotless Kingpin
60. The Case of the Lawless Lady
61. The Case of the Lost Boss
62. The Case of the Bad Luck Burglar
63. The Case of the Big Boss's Big Switch
64. The Case of the Red-Hot Hoodlum
65. The Case of the Invisibile Crime
C.O.P.S, Central Organization of Police Specialists, fighting crime in a future town, protecting Empire City from Big Boss and his gang of crooks. It's crime fighting time.
Andy Heyward
W.H. Stevens Jr.
Rick Morrison
Reed Shelly
Bob Forward
Mark Edward Edens
Ted Pedersen
Duane Capizzi
Dick Cooper
Stef Donev
Jim McDermott
David Carren
J. Larry Carroll
Ardwight Chamberlain
Perry Martin
Mark McCorkle
Robert Schooley
Carole Bruce Mendelsohn
Ken Ryan - Agent Baldwin P. 'Bulletproof' Vess
Len Carlson - Brandon 'Big Boss' Babel / Sgt. Colt 'Mace' Howard / Walker 'Sundown' Calhoun
Paul De La Rosa - Berserko
Ron Rubin - Dr. Badvibes
Mary Long - Officer Tina 'Mainframe' Cassidy / Commissioner
Darrin Baker - Officer Donny 'Hardtop' Brooks
John Stocker - Sgt. P.J. 'Longarm' O'Malley
Ray James - David E. 'Highway' Harlson / Stan 'Barricade' Hide
Brent Titcomb - Rock Crusher
Nick Nichols - Buttons McBoomBoom / Rex 'Bowzer' Pointer
Jeri Craden - Whitney Morgan
Marvin Goldhar - Mayor Davis / Squeaky Kleen / Mr. Keen
Dan Hennessey - Turbo Tu-Tone
Peter Keleghan - Hugh S. 'Bullseye' Forward
Jane Schoettle - Rafaella 'Nightshade' Diamond
Tabitha St. Germain - Ms. Demeanor
Elizabeth Hanna - Suzy 'Mirage' Young / Audrey Ferrer
C.O.P.S on Wikipedia
C.O.P.S on IMDb