Real Stories of the Highway Patrol
Encyclopedia
Real Stories of the Highway Patrol (Sometimes referred to as RSHP) was a half hour syndicated
television series which ran in the United States
for six seasons from 1993 to 1999 for a total of 780 episodes, capitalizing on the success of "real-life" police series such as COPS
. Reruns were aired on the now-defunct Fox Reality Channel
.
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 series is currently owned and distributed by 20th Television
.
officers and state troopers
from across the country, who would give commentary on a particularly difficult arrest they made. More often than not, the officer's work caused him grievous injury and a subsequent commendation from his police department. Each crime and subsequent arrest was dramatized for the viewing audience. Unlike COPS, not all of the footage in the show is COPS similar camera recorded.
The series was hosted by Maury Hannigan, who at the time was Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol
.
many times of the day.
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television series which ran in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for six seasons from 1993 to 1999 for a total of 780 episodes, capitalizing on the success of "real-life" police series such as COPS
COPS (TV series)
Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
. Reruns were aired on the now-defunct Fox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel was an all reality television channel available on cable and satellite television in the United States. It was launched on May 24, 2005 and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were previously on the Fox network...
.
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 series is currently owned and distributed by 20th Television
20th Television
20th Television is an American television production and syndication company that was formed in 1992 by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, a division of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of News Corporation....
.
Format
The series revolved around the stories of highway patrolHighway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
officers and state troopers
State police
State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
from across the country, who would give commentary on a particularly difficult arrest they made. More often than not, the officer's work caused him grievous injury and a subsequent commendation from his police department. Each crime and subsequent arrest was dramatized for the viewing audience. Unlike COPS, not all of the footage in the show is COPS similar camera recorded.
The series was hosted by Maury Hannigan, who at the time was Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
.
RSHP in other Media
- RSHP was known to be spoofed in a segment of the 2000 movie The Adventures of Rocky and BullwinkleThe Adventures of Rocky and BullwinkleThe Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a 2000 comedy film based on the television cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by Jay Ward. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader , Boris Badenov , Natasha Fatale , and FBI agent Karen...
. - A similarity of the show was a segment featured in the Beavis and Butthead episode "Dream On" called True Stories of the Highway Patrol. It occurs when Beavis dreamt when he was in the TV show, hitting people with his night stick.
- In the first episode of King Of The HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
when it's revealed that Luanne will be staying with the Hills she is in tears claiming that her mama's arrest will be on RSHP. - In 1998 Ben StillerBen StillerBenjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
did a spoof of "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol" on SNL. - In the 1998 Leslie Neilsen comedy Wrongfully AccusedWrongfully AccusedWrongfully Accused is a 1998 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen as a man who has been framed for murder and desperately attempts to expose the true culprits. The film was written, produced, and directed by Pat Proft and is a parody of the 1993 film The Fugitive.-Plot:World-famous violinist Ryan...
, host Hannigan appears in a cameo (along with America's Most WantedAmerica's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
host John WalshJohn WalshJohn Edward Walsh is an American television personality, criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate and formerly the host, as well as creator, of America's Most Wanted...
) 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.
Episode Status
All episodes are assumed to exist. The first two seasons of episodes were last aired on the now-defunct Fox Reality ChannelFox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel was an all reality television channel available on cable and satellite television in the United States. It was launched on May 24, 2005 and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were previously on the Fox network...
many times of the day.