Show Guide: 'The Hat Squad'

Synopsis: Police officer Mike Ragland and his wife Kitty have adopted three boys whose parents' lives were taken by violence; having been told stories about the police "hat squads" of the past, the three boys grew up to become an elite police unit called The Hat Squad, dressed in street clothes and fedoras. They consist of Buddy, who was just a baby when his father died; Rafael, who doesn't carry a firearm and uses a wide variety of methods to subdue criminals; and Matty, who is studying to become a lawyer. (Courtesy CBS, 1992)

The Cast:
Don Michael Paul as Buddy
Nestor Serrano as Rafael
Billy Warlock as Matty
James Tolkan as Mike Ragland
Janet Carroll as Kitty Ragland

Production Credits:
Produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions

The Episodes:
Season One Episode Guide (CBS)
1-01 Pilot--09/16/1992
The Squad's first case involves catching a murderer who is terrorizing the only witness, a young boy.
Written by: Stephen J. Cannell
Directed by: Rob Bowman

1-02 The Widow Maker--09/23/1992
Matty is beaten up by a cop who moonlights as a killer. They devise a plan to capture this killer, but things are not a clear-cut as they seem to be.
Written by: Stephen J. Cannell
Directed by: Rob Bowman

1-03 92 Seconds To Midnight--09/30/1992
Raffi goes undercover to protect a little girl when her father is forced out of his retirement from crime by a robber planning a two-million-dollar subway heist.
Written by: Bill Nuss
Directed by: Rob Bowman

1-04 Family Business--10/28/1992
It's a family feud when the Hats clash with a family of extortionists that uses strong-arm tactics. An additional obstacle: saving the family's tormented youngest member from a life of crime.
Written by: Stephen J. Cannell
Directed by: Kim Manners

1-05 Phoenix Rising--11/04/1992
The guys must act quickly when a deranged explosives expert escapes from prison and targets Mike, the cop who put him behind bars for murder.
Written by: Charles Grant Craig
Directed by: Vern Gillum

1-06 Ten--11/11/1992
Bad brothers blow away Buddy's buddy, leaving a young boy fatherless, so the Hats scramble to confront the hit men before they leave town.
Written by: Charles Grant Craig
Directed by: Tucker Gates

1-07 Rest In Peace--12/09/1992
Buddy travels to Las Vegas as he tracks a mob boss he thinks murdered his natural father. But the killer is closer to home, as is someone who has a contract to kill Buddy.
Written by: Charles Grant Craig, Bill Nuss
Directed by: Bruce Kessler

1-08 Lifestyles Of The Rich And Infamous--01/02/1993
The team must protect a murder witness from a killer who is also the heir to a fortune. Meanwhile, Rafael is mistaken for the "Kissing Bandit."
Written by: Bill Nuss
Directed by: Kim Manners

1-09 A Dog's Life--01/09/1993
Frustrated by a canine capable of detecting smuggled drugs, a drug lord puts a bounty on the dog's life. The DEA sniffs out The Hat Squad to protect the dog, but the brothers can't help but sink their teeth into the larger case.
Written by: Bill Nuss
Directed by: Rob Bowman

1-10 Dead Man Walking--01/16/1993
The Hats get a tip from a death row inmate about some bad cops. They must get the evidence against the cops before the cops find them.
Story by: Stephen J. Cannell
Teleplay by: Charles Grant Craig, Bill Nuss
Directed by: Kim Manners

1-11 The Liquidator--01/23/1993
The Hats are called on to protect a woman from a mob-hired hit man.
Written by: Stephen J. Cannell
Directed by: Brad Turner

1-12 Frankie Stein--Unaired
Matty gets in trouble when he tries to prove that recently released criminal Frankie Stein is committing armed robberies.
Written by: David Greenwalt
Directed by: Kim Manners

1-13 The Twelfth Victim--Unaired
A serial killer threatens a blind psychiatrist, and the team is assigned to protect her.