Holmes & YoYo only ran for 13 measly episodes during the 1976-77 season, but it has really stuck in my mind. Something about a 427 pound robot cop with a heart of gold captured my fidgety nine-year-old imagination and never completely let go. The series seemed like a faded dream and I could never find any information on the legendary-to-me comedy. Thankfully, with the passing of time and the rise of YouTube and Wikipedia I can now foist some of that Holmes & YoYo magic upon you.
Oh no! Yo-Yo's a Ro-Ro!
Holmes & Yo-Yo made its debut September 25, 1976 on ABC. Each episode ran 30 minutes in length and starred Richard B. Shull as luckless Detective Alex Holmes and John Schuck as Gregory Yoyonivich aka “YoYo.” YoYo the android, or as the show’s opening calls him “A completely mobile computer specially programmed for police work,” could perform many dandy crime-fighting feats such as, uh, twirling head-over-heels, absorbing bomb blasts and taking Polaroid photographs with a push of his nose.
Have a look at the show’s opening which sets up the premise beautifully:
Unfortunately, some critics, such as TV Guide which voted Holmes & YoYo onto their ’50 Worst TV Shows of All Time’ list, haven’t remembered the show as fondly as I have. To which I say “Phooey, sir or madam critic!”
Check out part one of episode three, ‘The Dental Dynamiter’ below. If you enjoy the first nine minutes you can easily find parts two and three afterward. This is the most I’ve seen of Holmes & YoYo since 1977. The nine-year-old inside me is dancing The Robot with joy.