The Reason Larry Wilcox Left CHiPs

Before "Hill Street Blues" broke the network procedural mold in the early 1980s, the television landscape was bustling with hour-long series about cops and firemen and doctors and so on that plunged their characters into a crime or problem of the week (sometimes of the ripped-from-the-headlines variety). The narratives were strictly of the standalone variety (with the occasional two-part episode), so the major elements that kept viewers coming back for more were the formula and the stars. In terms of longevity, the formula could go stale for a bit as long as the stars were still appealing in whatever way drew audiences to the show in the first place. But when people tired of the cast –- or, worse, a major cast member departed the series –- the Nielsen ratings could go south in a hurry.

Is this what caused "CHiPs," the popular NBC series about photogenic Southern California highway patrolmen Francis "Ponch" Poncherello (Erik Estrada) and Jon Andrew Baker (Larry Wilcox) zipping around on their motorcycles and busting traffic nuisances or worse, to call it quits after six seasons in 1983? In a sense, yes.

The series became a sensation in the late 1970s partially on the strength of its cast's chemistry, but primarily due to Estrada's hunky appeal to viewers in the market for a macho yet suave hunk who looked good in a police uniform. Wilcox's Jon wasn't hard on the eyes himself, but he mostly played disapproving straight-man to Ponch's loose-cannon antics.

It seemed like a sweet, high-profile gig for all involved, so why did Wilcox unceremoniously bail on the series prior to its final season?

Estrada might've been the BMOC at "CHiPs," but his rakish demeanor wasn't nearly as ingratiating without Wilcox around to keep his ego in check. Alas, Wilcox evidently had an ego, too, and this drove a wedge between the two as the series went on.

As Robert Pine confessed to The Classic TV History Blog, "There was some discontent, and it was a shame. But that's the way it goes. I try not to take sides in it, because that doesn't get you anywhere."

The rivalry apparently came to a head when Wilcox refused to invite Estrada to his wedding. Given that the show was still shooting at the time, the tabloids went wild with the story. Wilcox could've let the story die by simply not commenting, but he chose to get candid with People about the matter. "I gave it a lot of thought and decided not to invite him," he said. "There's no point going around telling people Erik is my best chum because he's not and never will be."

Wilcox was then replaced by Tom Reilly for what wound up being the show's final season. Though he wasn't invited to cameo in the 2017 "CHiPs" movie, he did eventually achieve enough of a detente with Estrada that the two were able to appear at a reunion-themed fundraiser in Indianapolis for the cop non-profit Blue Angel Connect.

Aside from acting, Wilcox has kept busy over the years by churning out shows and movies via his production company Wilcox Productions. Well, that and engaging him in securities fraud.