Holmes & Yo-Yo
Encyclopedia
Holmes & Yo-Yo is an American
comedy television series that aired on ABC
for 13 episodes during the 1976-1977 season. The series follows Detective Holmes and his new android partner Yo-Yo, on their adventures and misadventures, as Holmes teaches Yo-Yo what it is like to be human, while trying to keep his quirky partner's true nature a secret from criminals and fellow cops.
, a former staff writer for Get Smart
, which featured an android character named Hymie who was, in most respects, a prototype for Yo-Yo. Several episodes of Holmes & Yo-Yo were directed by John Astin
, who played Gomez
in The Addams Family
.
stars as Detective Alexander Holmes. John Schuck
stars as his partner Gregory "Yo-Yo" Yoyonivich. Co-stars were Andrea Howard
and Bruce Kirby
. Jay Leno
appeared in the pilot as a gas station attendant.
Besides super-strength, Yo-Yo's other abilities include speed reading, and the ability to analyze clues at the scene. Yo-Yo had a built-in Polaroid
camera: each time his nose was pressed, a Polaroid photograph of his view would be taken and ejected from his shirt pocket. Yo-Yo's control panel was built into his chest, which could be opened by pulling his tie. The level of Yo-Yo's batteries was critical, because if they ran down his memory and, effectively, his being would be erased. In one episode his batteries came very close to running down completely, and he was charged by being pushed against an electric fence with his arms extended. Yo-Yo weighed 427 pounds, and his heavy build could absorb the shock of a bomb.
Much comedy was derived from Yo-Yo's constant malfunctions. Some of his common problems included:
Another running gag involved Yo-Yo's ability to read an entire book by simply fanning its pages; his invariable comment after doing so: "I enjoyed it!"
's List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time. Although the series lasted only 13 episodes (undaunted by the failure of the series, ABC green-lighted a similar concept the same season called Future Cop
with Ernest Borgnine; it had the same success as Holmes & Yo-Yo), the influence of Holmes & Yo-Yo can be felt in other "robot cop" series and films that followed, most notably the RoboCop
films and TV series, and the 1993 series, Mann & Machine
which used the same premise as Holmes & Yo-Yo, only with more serious storylines and a sexy female robot instead of the stout Yoyonovich.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy television series that aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for 13 episodes during the 1976-1977 season. The series follows Detective Holmes and his new android partner Yo-Yo, on their adventures and misadventures, as Holmes teaches Yo-Yo what it is like to be human, while trying to keep his quirky partner's true nature a secret from criminals and fellow cops.
Production
The executive producer is Leonard SternLeonard B. Stern
Leonard Bernard Stern was an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the classic word game Mad Libs.-Life and career:...
, a former staff writer for Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
, which featured an android character named Hymie who was, in most respects, a prototype for Yo-Yo. Several episodes of Holmes & Yo-Yo were directed by John Astin
John Astin
John Allen Astin is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and other similarly eccentric comedic characters.-Early years:...
, who played Gomez
Gomez Addams
Gomez Addams is the fictional patriarch of The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s....
in The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
.
Cast and characters
Richard B. ShullRichard B. Shull
Richard Bruce Shull was an American character actor.-Career:Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Zana Marie , a court stenographer, and Ulysses Homer Shull, a manufacturing executive. Shull attended the University of Iowa and served in the U.S. Army before starting his Broadway career...
stars as Detective Alexander Holmes. John Schuck
John Schuck
Conrad John Schuck Jr. is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best-known for his roles as police commissioner Rock Hudson's mildly slow-witted assistant, Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama McMillan & Wife, and as Lee Meriwether's husband, Herman Munster...
stars as his partner Gregory "Yo-Yo" Yoyonivich. Co-stars were Andrea Howard
Andrea Howard
Andrea Howard is an American actress who worked mostly on television in the 1970s and 80s, most notably in the films The Nude Bomb as Agent 22 , and Thank God It's Friday as Sue . She also appeared in the American daytime soap opera Santa Barbara as Veronica Gayley in and the comedy series Holmes...
and Bruce Kirby
Bruce Kirby (actor)
Bruce Kirby is an American character actor.Though he has been a working actor since the 1950s, Kirby is most familiar to Columbo fans as the gullible Sergeant Kramer. He also appeared in the 1971 movie called How to Frame a Figg with Don Knotts and the 1972 comedy Another Fine Mess with Rich Little...
. Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
appeared in the pilot as a gas station attendant.
Plot
Detective Alexander Holmes is a clumsy down-on-his-luck cop who constantly injures his partners. The department gives him a new partner, Gregory Yoyonivich. Yo-Yo, as he likes to be called, is good-natured, if a bit clumsy, and also surprisingly strong. During one of their first calls, Yo-Yo is shot and Holmes discovers that his new partner is an android, a sophisticated new crime-fighting machine designed by the police department as their secret weapon on crime. "You're not a person!" is Holmes' stunned response.Besides super-strength, Yo-Yo's other abilities include speed reading, and the ability to analyze clues at the scene. Yo-Yo had a built-in Polaroid
Instant camera
The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation....
camera: each time his nose was pressed, a Polaroid photograph of his view would be taken and ejected from his shirt pocket. Yo-Yo's control panel was built into his chest, which could be opened by pulling his tie. The level of Yo-Yo's batteries was critical, because if they ran down his memory and, effectively, his being would be erased. In one episode his batteries came very close to running down completely, and he was charged by being pushed against an electric fence with his arms extended. Yo-Yo weighed 427 pounds, and his heavy build could absorb the shock of a bomb.
Much comedy was derived from Yo-Yo's constant malfunctions. Some of his common problems included:
- Uncontrollably spinning head over heels when near an electric garage door that was opening or closing.
- Bullets causing him to break out dancing
- Magnets flying at him
- Picking up radio signals from Sweden
- Repeating "Bunco Squad, Bunco Squad, Bunco Squad" over and over when his circuits blew.
Another running gag involved Yo-Yo's ability to read an entire book by simply fanning its pages; his invariable comment after doing so: "I enjoyed it!"
Episodes
| # | Title | |Production code |
|---|
Reception
Today, Holmes & Yo-Yo is considered one of the worst television series ever made. it ranked number 33 on TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
's List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time. Although the series lasted only 13 episodes (undaunted by the failure of the series, ABC green-lighted a similar concept the same season called Future Cop
Future Cop (TV series)
Future Cop is an American science fiction television series which starred Ernest Borgnine and Michael Shannon. It was based on the TV movie of the same name and predated RoboCop by ten years. The series was aired on ABC in 1976 and was re-piloted as "Cops and Robin" on NBC in 1978...
with Ernest Borgnine; it had the same success as Holmes & Yo-Yo), the influence of Holmes & Yo-Yo can be felt in other "robot cop" series and films that followed, most notably the RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
films and TV series, and the 1993 series, Mann & Machine
Mann & Machine
Mann & Machine is an American science fiction/police drama series that aired for nine episodes on NBC from April 5, 1992 to July 14, 1992.-Synopsis:...
which used the same premise as Holmes & Yo-Yo, only with more serious storylines and a sexy female robot instead of the stout Yoyonovich.