Cheers

To ABC's renewal for next season of Sledge Hammer! starring David Rasche (right). We're delighted this slam-bang farce will return -- if only to see how the writers are going to resolve its season-eding nuclear-explosion cliffhanger [The Spa Who Loved Me].

Make My Day, Squirt!

ABC's Sledge Hammer! wwill be adding two new characters next season. One is the ex-wife Hammer has talked about; the producers say it's about time we got to meet her. The other is a bomb-disposal expert; Hammer (David Rasche) could have used one last season when he tried to disarm a nuclear warhead [The Spa Who Loved Me]. And if you think this macho cop is a good role model for your kids, take heed: there are plans afoot for a Sledge Hammer! comic book and even a water-filled version of Hammer's "best friend": his gun.

Take His Wife -- Please

Macho cop Sledge Hammer's ex-wife will be appearing later this season on the ABC series [Here's To You, Mrs. Hammer]-- and she'll be played by star David Rasche's real-life wife, Heather. The idea wasn't Rasche's but executive producer Alan Spencer's. "That way," quips Spencer, "I didn't have to hear anyone complain about miscasting." The former Mrs. Hammer will turn up to announce she's getting remarried, which doesn't sit well with our hero. Spencer says Heather's role is probably "a one-time deal. But then again, that was my feeling about the series." -- P.F.

Thursday Night Preview

Sledge Hammer! spent the first half of this season on Thursdays -- getting clobbered by The Cosby Show. Tonight [Sledge, Rattle, 'N' Roll], ABC shows its appreciation by moving the foundering sitcom detective to at new time slot -- opposite NBC's Miami Vice and CBS's Dallas. Davy Jones, who once upon a time starred in an Emmy-winning Outstanding Comedy Series (The Monkees) is tonight's guest villain. (9:30 PM 7, 11, 13)

This blurb pretty much explains why the show never had a chance.

Video Cassette Report

Hammered: The Best of Sledge. This video collects four episodes from Sledge Hammer!, the wild ABC cop spoof that starred David Rasche (left). (1:40 NWV [New World Video] $39.95)