A.J.
& Rick Simon were brothers, who didn't exactly look alike or act
alike! A.J. was conservative, clean-cut, ambitious and dedicated. Rick
was grubby, laid-back to the point of being lazy and eccentric. A.J. drove
an immaculate convertible and kept his apartment spotless. Rick got around
San Diego in a beat-up pickup truck, lived like a pig on a houseboat and
was more interested in playing his guitar than in working.
Despite
their very different lifestyles, A.J. and Rick were partners in a small,
struggling detective agency, with A.J. spending much of his time trying
to get Rick into a more "business-like" attitude. There was sibling
rivalry - Rick tended to try his younger brothers' nerves - as well as
a little disapproval from their mother, Cecilia, who wasn't too excited
about them taking cases that didn't pay much money.
Across
the street from their office was a rival agency run by crotchety Myron
Fowler. Myron's daughter Janet worked for her dad as his secretary and
sometimes helped Rick and A.J. out on their cases (this did not go over
well with Myron!) After graduating from law school, Janet became an assistant
district attorney, which took its toll on her relationship with the Simons
when she was prosecuting one of their clients.
Meanwhile,
Myron had closed his agency and retired but showed up as a part-time assistant
for Rick and A.J. when he got bored with just sitting around the house.
Undercover police detective Downtown Brown's unorthodox techniques for
dealing with criminals and getting information appealed to Rick and appalled
A.J.
When
Downtown departed the show in the fall of 1987 (actor Tim Reid moved on
to star in his own series titled Frank's Place), he was replaced
by the much less friendly, by-the-book Lt. Abby Marsh.
