Season 4 • Episode 24
LatestTwo actresses, one of whom is Rooster's cousin, are in fear for their lives after a murder allows them to make off with $50,000 in stolen money.
Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma. While popular, Toma received intense criticism at the time for its realistic and frequent depiction of police and criminal violence. When Musante left the series after a single season, the concept was retooled as Baretta, with Robert Blake in the title role.
Acting
Robert Blake's twitchy, lived-in performance defines antihero television.
Writing
Cannell's scripts balanced procedural grit with surprisingly tender moments.
Production
Authentic New Jersey locations before gentrification sanitized everything.
Creator
Stephen J. Cannell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Baretta birthed the 'loose cannon cop who doesn't play by the rules' archetype that dominated '80s action cinema.
The show was nearly cancelled mid-season one until ABC moved it after Charlie's Angels, where its gritty realism weirdly thrived as counterprogramming.
US
