David Rasche said Sledge Hammer reminded him of improv classes
Sledge Hammer! is a cult classic.
The series follows the stories of a deranged and unhinged detective who would always look for the most violent solutions to any problem. That was a big part of the problem when it came to Sledge Hammer's staying power on ABC.
It seems as though Sledge Hammer! let its leading star, David Rasche, get away with just about anything. While the series may not be for everyone, it was funny, and that's coming from Sledge himself!
"It has all the cliches of the cop shows," Rasche said in a 1988 interview with The La Crosse Tribune. "I think the show is at its best when it isn't real but is played as a stylized spoof of what other people do."
According to the interview, the series already had quite a bit stacked up against its premiere. Sledge Hammer! premiered in 1986 and had to compete with Miami Vice and Dallas. Then during its second season, Sledge Hammer! was up against The Cosby Show.
Rasche was worried his series would go unnoticed compared to the shows it was up against.
"This is not about a family," Rasche said. "We don't have any cute pets. It's a spoof. Style is an abstraction. When you play with that, people have to get it. Oh! They're doing a parody of the old prision movies."
Nothing was off-limits for the series. The series parodied everyone from Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood, to Sylvester Stallone, and more.
See Also
Rasche went to Chicago's Second City where he performed with castmates that included John Belushi, Bill Murray, and John Candy. He specialized in improv and impressions.
"Actually, doing Sledge Hammer! is just like Second City," Rasche said in a 1987 interview with The Reporter. "You just start laughing and laugh all day until you go home. Generally, when the scripts are good and we understand them, we have a good time. My preference is that the show stays away from being too silly - you know like the Police Academy films when guys slip on banana peels. I like comedy that comes from characterization."
Rasche said he read the scripts for Sledge Hammer! and originally thought to himself: "Is it good, or is it bad, or is it funny?" He took on the series with everything it had lined up against it, and yet, he still succeeded.
"The kind of people who like it are the kind of people I like to talk to," Rasche said. "Eggheads seem to like it and kids, too. I don't mind at all if it's a cult show."
Watch Sledge Hammer! on Catchy Comedy
Saturdays at 12a ET and 9p PT | 12:30a ET and 9:30p PT