Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
1980
This short-lived series had the kind of plot that could only exist in the early 80s. E.L. "Tenspeed" Turner is a fast-talking con man and master of disguise; Lionel "Brown Shoe" Whitney is an uptight, disgruntled stockbroker with a black belt in karate and an obsession with pulp detective novels. When this unlikely pair of complete opposites accidentally cross paths, they decide to team up and start a private detective agency.
- Stars: Ben Vereen, Jeff Goldblum
- Created by: Stephen J. Cannell
- Tags: action-com
Where to Watch :
Episode Tropes
- False Arrest: Episode 2, "Pilot: Part 2" (1980). E.L. poses as a limo driver and picks up Lionel, his fiancé, and her family at the airport. After dropping off everyone else, E.L. and Lionel get involved in a car chase that ends with E.L. bailing out and leads to Lionel getting arrested for stealing the limo.
- Jumper: Episode 4, "Savage Says: There's No Free Lunch" (1980). E.L. and Lionel see a man standing on the ledge of a tall building, shouting that he's going to jump, but it turns out that a criminal is holding a gun to the man's back, telling him what to say.
- Magic Fingers: Episode 9, "It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air" (1980). E.L. is impersonating a sheik's assistant in a presidential suite in Bel Air when some of the sheik's real staff show up. To impress them, E.L. pretends he can turn on electronic devices by reciting nursery rhymes, including turning on the vibrating bed.
- Lie for Me: Episode 14, "Diamonds Aren't Forever" (1980). Lionel's parents are coming to visit, and to help Lionel impress them, E.L. "borrows" a swanky office so they can pretend it's theirs. Unfortunately, the office is at the center of some nefarious activities.
- False Arrest: Episode 14, "Diamonds Aren't Forever" (1980). Lionel's parents are visiting LA, so he borrows a car from E.L. to taxi them around the city, while he's parked on the street, the police arrest him for grand theft auto because apparently E.L. didn't acquire it in a strictly above-the-board manner. Later, Lionel, his parents, and E.L. all get arrested again for stealing the same car.