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Real Stories of the Highway Patrol is a half-hour syndicated television series which ran in the United States for six seasons from March 22, 1993[1] to June 29, 1998, Started in the UK, it's produced by Mark Massari Productions and ITV2 on 2004-2009, Granada and VCI, later 2 Entertain in VHS and DVD releases, and STV Productions in 2010-2016. series 1 premiered on November 15, 2004, series 2 premiered on September 8, 2008, series 3 premiered on January 11, 2010, series 4 premiered in January 14, 2013, series 5 premiered in February 9, 2015 and series 6 premiered in May 30, 2016. for a total of 780 episodes,[2] capitalizing on the success of "real-life" police series such as Cops. Production companies were Mark Massari Productions, and Leap Off Productions, and was distributed by Genesis Entertainment, New World International, and later New World/Genesis Distribution. The show described as Cops meets America's Most Wanted.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2019) |
| Real Stories of the Highway Patrol | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Created by |
|
| Starring | Maury Hannigan |
| Narrated by | Beau Weaver |
| Theme music composer | Larry Brown |
| Opening theme | "I'm Looking Out for You" by Belize |
| Ending theme | "I'm Looking Out for You" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 780 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Mark Massari
Wayne Lepoff Gary Gannaway |
| Producer | Mark Massari |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndicated |
| Release | March 22, 1993 – June 29, 1998 |
The series revolved around the stories of highway patrol officers and state police from across the country, who would give commentary on a particularly difficult (or sometimes, comedic) arrest they made. At times, the officer's work caused them grievous injury and a subsequent commendation from their department. Each crime and subsequent arrest was adapted for the viewing audiences, though some segments were shot in a traditional multiple-camera setup, rather than emulating the single-camera cinéma vérité style of COPS.
The series was hosted by Maury Hannigan, who at the time was Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.
| Series | Start date | End date | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 April 2004 | 21 March 2008 | ITV2 |
| 2 | 8 September 2008 | 13 February 2009 | |
| 3 | 11 January 2010 | 28 December 2012 | STV |
| 4 | 14 January 2013 | 6 February 2015 | |
| 5 | 9 February 2015 | 27 May 2016 | |
| 6 | 30 May 2016 | 29 July 2016 | |
| VHS and DVD | Company | ||
| 1 | 3 January 2005 | 24 July 2009 | VCI |
| 2 | 5 September 2011 | 20 April 2012 | 2 Entertain |
- The show was spoofed in a segment of the 2000 movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
- A similarity of the show was a segment featured in the Beavis and Butt-Head episode "Dream On" called True Stories of the Highway Patrol.
- In 1994, Saturday Night Live parodied the show as Real Stories of the Arkansas Highway Patrol, and featured John Goodman.
- In the first episode of King of the Hill, a character claims that her mother's arrest was filmed on Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.
- In 1998, Ben Stiller parodied Real Stories of the Highway Patrol on Saturday Night Live. Darrell Hammond portrayed host Maury Hannigan when he sported a mustache.
- In the 1998 Leslie Nielsen comedy Wrongfully Accused, host Hannigan appears in a cameo (along with America's Most Wanted host John Walsh) in which he asks Nielsen's character Ryan Harrison, who's trying to make a getaway, if he has any "Real Stories" he'd like to tell.
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