Two cops, gunfights galore, car chases, a vintage 80s soundtrack, and every single buddy cop cliche known to man. Oh … and a completely gnarly ‘stache.  Seriously, who would dare ask for more?

The Good Guys, as television programming goes, is pure summer fluff.  But if it were up to me, they would get an Emmy for the Trans Am alone.  Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) is Dan Stark, the man behind the mustache.  He’s sort of TJ Hooker meets Thomas Magnum, an 80′s cliche with a 70′s sense of style.  He’s a punchline just waiting to happen.  Colin Hanks is his partner and straight man, Jack Bailey (how long is it going to take Stark to figure out his partner is named after not one, but two brands of booze?).  It’s Jack’s job to reign in Stark’s insanity as much as possible.  Fortunately, it’s just not all that possible.

This show has tongue so firmly embedded in cheek you have to wonder how anyone manages to actually say their lines.  Around every corner is another tried but true crime drama plot device … right there where they have no choice but trip over it.  Every move they make seems to get them deeper into trouble while closer to solving the crime of the week.

During the pilot, that crime of the week was a stolen humidifier.  Don’t even ask where the South American Drug Lord comes into it.  Or how they manage to get into not one, not two, but three gunfights with the number one AND number two assassins in the world.  Or what the hell Eric Estrada has to do with any of it.  It’s not giving anything away to point out that, by the end of the pilot, Stark and Bailey do indeed solve the crime in question.  And Stark gets the girl … and the car.

I doubt that Fox has much faith in this odd little show (the short-lived but equally charming Keen Eddie jumps to mind), but they could have a winner here.  Fortunately, whether they stick with it or not, it’s the kind of show you know you can enjoy … no matter how long the ride.

Just buckle up, crank up the 80s soundtrack, kick back and enjoy.  After all, you’re riding in a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, Baby … and Jack Stark is behind the wheel.

The Good Guys airs Mondays on Fox at 9/8c