10 Ridiculous TV Premises You Won't Believe Were Real

10. Cop Rock

A true fever dream of a series, Cop Rock is half police procedural, half musical, and all weird. Co-created by Stephen Bochco, who helmed some of the USA’s most successful cop shows of all time, Cop Rock was a risky choice for ABC, and their bold move did not pay off.

Put simply, Cop Rock is exactly as insane as it sounds. Your typical police drama storyline plays out - there are crooks and sworn officers, arrests and interrogations, courtroom showdowns and every other aspect of the law we’ve come to expect. Only, every now and then, the characters burst into song.

Cop Rock’s key error (apart from everything about it) was the mishmash of tone. Obviously it didn’t take itself too seriously - except when it did. The storylines were played deadly straight, and the musical numbers for high camp comedy.

The show is now an infamous part of ‘90s American culture, a watchword for bad decision making in the TV business. Perhaps there was a way to do the concept justice, to make it a little more silly, or a little more serious - more likely, though, it was just a terrible idea all round.