Sledge Hammer!: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Sledge_Hammer_1986_9310.jpg|frame|"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."]]

 

{{quote|"Looks like you and I are the only sane ones here."|Sledge, to his Magnum}}

 

 

While Hammer respects his colleagues, his only true friend is his [[Hand Cannon|.44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver]], complete with customized grip and etched sledgehammer signia. Hammer's affection for his gun is so deep that [[Companion Cube|he showers with it,]] [[Cargo Ship|sleeps with it,]] and [[Consulting Mister Puppet|even talks to it.]]

 

The series received critical acclaim, but struggled in the ratings, largely due to its numerous time slot shifts. Even so, ''Sledge Hammer!'' attracted up to nineteen million viewers who followed the show religiously, along with a very abbreviated [[Comic Book]] series from [[Marvel Comics]]. Despite a season finale that [[Kill'Em All|ended with a nuclear explosion]], ABC changed its mind and renewed the show for a second season. The second season suffered from another horrible time slot ([[What an Idiot!|against]] ''[[The Cosby Show]]'') and a reduced budget.

 

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** And his father, Jack Hammer.

* [[Ax Crazy]]: Arguably Hammer himself, although it was often [[Bowdlerise|Bowdlerised]] for comedic effect.

* [[Bench Breaker]]: Doreau does this accidentally in "Wild About Hammer". The villain for that episode ties her to a chair. Sledge manages to untie her ankles from the chair before he's attacked. While those two are fighting, Doreau manges manages to stand herself up on her now freed legs, only to trip, fall over backwards, break the chair, and free herself from the rest of the rope.

* [[Berserk Button]]: Sledge reacts... badly to being called a wuss.

** In the pilot, he ends a shootout by destroying the building the shooter is on with a rocket launcher.

* [[Donut Mess with a Cop]]: Mocked by Sledge.

* [[Drives Like Crazy]]

* [[Empathic Weapon]]: Though the audience never sees anything unusual, Hammer treats his gun as a living, breathing entity.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: Early episodes had a [[Laugh Track]] added by the studio because the executives felt the show was too violent without it. It was removed from the DVD release.

* [[First Name Ultimatum]]

* [[Gag Dub]]: In the German version of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUZMK7fBiZU the opening], someone shouts "ouch!" as if being hit by Hammer's bullet.

* [[Gag Series]]: The second season, even more than the first.

* [[Gun Twirling]]: Sledge does this a lot, including in the above-linked title sequence.

* [[Hand Cannon]]

** Which creates continuity errors since the announcement states that this season takes place five years before, where Hammer met his partner only one year previously.

*** [[Fridge Logic|The continuity error can be reconciled if one assumes the first-season finale took place more than five years after the rest of the first season.]]

* [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]]: Sledge.

* [[Hey, That's My Line!]]: In one episode where Hammer has Humphrey Bogart as a [[Spirit Advisor]], Sledge says "Here's looking at you, kid!", and Bogey answers.... guess what.

** Originally, he insisted his gun's name was "Gun." Though his relationship with his gun (the mere fact that he has a relationship with his gun) fits this trope.

* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: He may be clueless in many respects but he's really good with his .44

** Possibly a subversion, however, when you realize that Hammer has no qualms about ignoring laws against [[Police Brutality]] and excessive force...

* [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]]: Employed several times. The most notable instance occurs in the first-season finale, when Captain Trunk barges into a terrorist making a live television broadcast.

'''Sledge''' (to Trunk): "You talkin' to me?" }}

* [[Lord Error-Prone]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Buddy Cop Show]]

[[Category:American Series]]