# Riptide (American TV series)

Riptide is an American detective television series that ran on NBC between January 3, 1984 and April 22, 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray.
The series was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell and was a joint production of Stephen J. Cannell Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television for NBC. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. A midseason replacement, it debuted as a two-hour TV movie in early 1984. After its cancellation, reruns were aired on the USA Network during the late 1980s. The series currently appears occasionally on the schedules of getTV and Decades.

## Premise

Cody Allen (Perry King) and Nick Ryder (Joe Penny) are two former Vietnam War Army buddies who decided to open the Pier 56 Detective Agency (later known as the Riptide Detective Agency) in Los Angeles, California. Realizing that computers and technology play a major role in many investigations, they recruit the help of Murray "Boz" Bozinsky (Thom Bray), a brilliant but nerdy scientist and computer hacker whom they met while serving in the Army.
The team operates out of Cody's boat, the Riptide, moored at Pier 56 at King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach. The men have several other tools in their fight against crime and injustice, including Murray's robot, The Roboz (which, unlike most television robots, does not speak); Nick's aging Sikorsky S-58T helicopter, The Screaming Mimi, which Nick occasionally used for his sideline business, aerial harbor tours; and Cody's speedboat, the Ebb Tide. Nick also owns a classic red Chevrolet Corvette, and in early episodes, Cody drives an orange "Woodie" station wagon which is later replaced by a four-wheel drive custom GMC Jimmy.
Lt. Quinlan (Jack Ging) is a local police officer who continually harasses the trio. Lt. Parisi (June Chadwick), the agency's police contact during the final episodes, is more cooperative. During the first few episodes, Mama Jo (Anne Francis) is the crusty skipper of the Barefoot Contessa, a tourist boat with an all-female crew. Introduced later in the first season is Max, a comedian at a local club. Second-season episodes also feature Dooley (Ken Olandt), a dock boy who occasionally assists the team in their escapades.
The show's penultimate episode, "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em", shows Cody and Nick acting as consultants to Rosalind Grant (Annette McCarthy) and Cary Russell (H. Richard Greene), the bickering stars of a television detective show pilot that closely resembles and parodies Moonlighting, Riptide's former primetime competition on Tuesday nights.
Although local mobsters were depicted in most episodes, some reflected sensitive topics, such as corruption within the U.S. Army, high-level cover-ups, and black operations by corporate America. The third season's "Home for Christmas", with a performance by James Whitmore, has a strongly emotional tone.

## Cast

* Perry King as Cody Allen
* Joe Penny as Nick Ryder
* Thom Bray as Murray "Boz" Bozinsky

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 14 | 14 | January 3, 1984 (1984-01-03) | May 22, 1984 (1984-05-22) |
| 2 | 22 | 22 | October 2, 1984 (1984-10-02) | May 14, 1985 (1985-05-14) |
| 3 | 22 | 22 | October 1, 1985 (1985-10-01) | April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22) |

### Season 1 (1984)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Riptide" | Christian I. Nyby II | Stephen J. Cannell & Frank Lupo | January 3, 1984 (1984-01-03) |
| 2 | 2 | "Riptide" | Christian I. Nyby II | Stephen J. Cannell & Frank Lupo | January 3, 1984 (1984-01-03) |
| Mama Jo and the crew rescue Kimba Hall, a young woman stranded when an explosion damages the boat she was on, killing everyone else aboard. While searching for the real criminals, Cody Allen, Nick Ryder, and Murray "Boz" Bozinski work to prove that Kimba Hall had nothing to do with the Trade Wind's deadly explosion, or the smuggling operation the police believe is connected. Guest starring: Karen Kopins, Robert Viharo, Patrick Dollaghan, Gianni Russo, Marla Heasley, Eugene Butler, Lee Patterson, Francis Xavier McCarthy, Ray Girardin, Robin Evans, Ingrid Anderson ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Conflict of Interest" | Ron Satlof | Stephen J. Cannell | January 10, 1984 (1984-01-10) |
| The wife of a well-known mobster, Tina Brazil, heads to Cody and Nick for help when she gets wind that her husband, Ricky Brazil, is plotting a murder. Guest starring: Kristen Meadows, Robert Desiderio, Bill Overton, Eli Cummings, Gianni Russo, Charles H. Hyman ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Somebody's Killing the Great Geeks of America" | Bruce Kessler | Babs Greyhosky | January 17, 1984 (1984-01-17) |
| When an attempt is made on the life of Murray's friend Natalie Kramer (Cindy Pickett) from the high IQ society, the agency investigates, uncovering a larger plot to assassinate a U.S. Senator. Guest starring: Guiding Light star Cindy Pickett, Joe Michael Terry, Rodney Kageyama, Jeffrey Lampert, Vahan Moosekian ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Hatchet Job" | Ron Satlof | Mark Jones | January 31, 1984 (1984-01-31) |
| Murray tries to get more involved in the physical elements of the investigations, and while employed by the Pier 56 merchant's association to locate a burglar plaguing the docks, the agency is also hired by an escaped mental patient (Maylo McCaslin) to solve her boyfriend Jack's murder. Guest starring: Maylo McCaslin, Randi Brooks, Beau Star, Deborah Shelton, Mike Genovese, Tom Pletts, Katherine Kelly Lang ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Mean Green Love Machine" | Guy Magar | Stephen J. Cannell | February 7, 1984 (1984-02-07) |
| The guys are hired by their old friend and dock neighbor Brandy to help her find her father Lane and his wife Dee-Dee Preston (Mary-Margaret Humes), who've gone missing in Cabo San Lucas. Guest starring: Mary-Margaret Humes, Tamara Stafford, Sam Scarber, Robert Sampson, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Bruce Tuthill Special guest star: James Luisi ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Diamonds Are for Never" | Gloryette Clark | Babs Greyhosky | February 21, 1984 (1984-02-21) |
| After witnessing the murder of her friend Arthur Truman, Connie (Kathryn Witt), a flight attendant, encounters Murray in a movie theater and the agency helps her seek out Arthur's archaeologist brother Walter (John Anderson) in Peru, uncovering a diamond smuggling operation in the process. Guest starring: Kathryn Witt, Peter Hobbs, Pepper Martin, Robin Evans, K.C. Winkler, Maurice Sneed, Jason Edwards Special guest star: John Anderson ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Hardcase" | Victor Hsu | Mark Jones | February 28, 1984 (1984-02-28) |
| When the agency investigates a suspicious boat that appears in a slip at King Harbor, they find that it's connected to the murder of a doctor, which the police suspect Sherry Meyers (Kelly Preston) of committing. Guest starring: Kelly Preston, All My Children star Paul Gleason, Jeffrey Josephson, Joshua Bryant, Robin Evans, K.C. Winkler, Karl Johnson, Lew Saunders, Lewis Arquette, James Edgcomb, Ken Lerner, Xander Berkeley Special guest star: William Smith Also starring: Marsha Warfield Marsha Warfield appears as a comedian working at Straightaways restaurant, and Paul Gleason as the detective. ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Four-Eyes" | Bruce Kessler | Babs Greyhosky | March 6, 1984 (1984-03-06) |
| The crew reluctantly take a job from the shady Myron Bell (Danny Wells), a well-known local attorney, and end up mixed up first in the client's divorce from his wife Joan (Joan Freeman), and then in his murder. Guest starring: Stepfanie Kramer, D.D. Howard, Danny Wells, Michael Baseleon, Joan Freeman, General Hospital star Mary Beth Evans, Craig Litter ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "#1 with a Bullet" | Arnold Laven | Stephen J. Cannell | March 20, 1984 (1984-03-20) |
| Two singers of a hit music group are involved in a devastating car crash that leaves one dead and one in serious condition at the hospital. The guys are hired by the singers' fanclub to deliver flowers to his bedside, only to find that it may not have been an accident after all. Guest starring: Brant von Hoffman, Kelbe Nugent, Murphy Cross, Reid Smith, Peter Leeds, Ted Sorel, Mary Betten, Brian Libby, Jack Shea, G. Rockett Phillips, Richard Kuhlman Special guest star: Edward Winter Also starring: Marsha Warfield ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Long Distance Daddy" | Bruce Kessler | Babs Greyhosky | March 27, 1984 (1984-03-27) |
| A member a gun smuggling racket goes to drastic measures to get rid of the head of the racket and the witnesses to his crime--Nick's sponsor child from Cambodia and his critically ill sister. Guest starring: Doug France, Frank Annese, Marshall Teague, Dean Wein, John Louie, David Graf, Julia Kono, Bobby Kelton, Tony Ciccone, James Emery Special guest star: Joseph Sirola Also starring: Marsha Warfield ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Double Your Pleasure" | Michael O'Herlihy | Tom Blomquist | April 3, 1984 (1984-04-03) |
| Murray drags a reluctant Cody and Nick to a party where Cody meets an attractive young woman who asks for their help finding her missing sister. But there may be more to Sheila than meets the eye. Guest starring: Marta DuBois, Ron Karabatsos, Eric Server, Deborah Richter, Robert Rothwell, Sandra de Bruin, Ellen Crawford Special guest star: Dennis Franz ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Raiders of the Lost Sub" | Dennis Donnelly | Mark Jones | May 15, 1984 (1984-05-15) |
| As the agency are experiencing a slow business week, Murray's sister, Melba (Geena Davis), arrives in town for help in proving that Hitler had a port on the west coast of the U.S. during World War II. Guest starring: Geena Davis, Stefan Gierasch, Lance Henriksen Special guest star: Steven Keats Also starring: Marsha Warfield ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Something Fishy" | Michael O'Herlihy | Frank Lupo | May 22, 1984 (1984-05-22) |
| Boz and Nick both fall for the same beautiful dolphin trainer, whose charges become implicated as accomplices in a drug-smuggling scheme. Guest starring: Elyssa Davalos, Anthony Charnota, Christopher McDonald, Victor Mohica, Morgan Most, Judd Omen ||||||

### Season 2 (1984–85)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 15 | 1 | "Where the Girls Are" | Ron Satlof | Babs Greyhosky | October 2, 1984 (1984-10-02) |
| The Riptide trio are hired to protect three high maintenance college students (Daphne Ashbrook, Juliana Donald, Claudia Christian) from kidnappers while they visit Los Angeles. Guest starring: Daphne Ashbrook, Alex McArthur, Claudia Christian, Juliana Donald, George Clooney, Don Stark, Joe W. Davis, Charlie Dell Special guest star: Ken Olandt This episode marks George Clooney's first-ever speaking role. ||||||
| 16 | 2 | "The Orange Grove" | Michael Lange | Stephen J. Cannell | October 16, 1984 (1984-10-16) |
| Brigadier General "Pitbull" Johnson (Gerald S. O'Loughlin), who the Riptide crew knew in Vietnam, is suspected of dealing cocaine, and an FBI agent (Kurtwood Smith) pressures Cody, Nick, and Boz into luring him out. Guest starring: Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Kurtwood Smith, Stanley Kamel, Al White, Michael Swan, Arnold F. Turner Special guest star: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 17 | 3 | "Catch of the Day" | Michael Lange | Story by : Ed Decter Teleplay by : Frank Lupo | October 23, 1984 (1984-10-23) |
| A woman appears out of the water to warn Arnie, a mentally challenged fisherman and friend of the Riptide crew, that a ship is in danger. But the authorities refuse to believe him when he describes her as a mermaid, so Nick, Cody, Boz, and a reporter work to prove Arnie's telling the truth. Guest starring: Patrick Collins, Burr DeBenning, Christopher Stone, Lana Clarkson, Ken Foree, David Clover, Gene Ross, Randy Hamilton Special guest star: Tricia O'Neil ||||||
| 18 | 4 | "Mirage" | Bruce Kessler | Tom Blomquist | October 30, 1984 (1984-10-30) |
| While teaching science at the local college, Murray befriends a beautiful student who asks his help to get away from her abusive husband. He agrees to help her, but the trio soon find out that she is not as innocent as she appears to be. Guest starring: Wendy Kilbourne, Randolph Powell, Jacqueline Scott, Adam Ageli Special guest star: Kabir Bedi ||||||
| 19 | 5 | "Beat the Box" | Arnold Laven | Stephen J. Cannell | November 13, 1984 (1984-11-13) |
| Murray's lie detector causes aggravation for Nick and Cody, but also proves quite helpful when a writer they are hired to protect jumps from a high building and the journalist who hired them (Ray Wise) seemingly suffers a mental break down on air. Guest starring: Ray Wise, Joan Sweeney, William Traylor, Sal Viscuso, Jack Hogan, Geof Prysirr, Larry Gilman, Robert O'Reilly Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 20 | 6 | "Father's Day" | Tony Mordente | Tom Blomquist | November 20, 1984 (1984-11-20) |
| A troubled woman abandons her baby at a church and the priest (Robert Logan Jr.) asks the crew to look into what trouble the woman has gotten herself into. But things are more difficult than usual when the priest also leaves the baby with the boys. Guest starring: Robert Logan Jr., Sherry Hursey, Charles Cooper, Elaines Wilkes, Liz Sheridan, Steve Allie Collura, Dennis Haysbert Special guest star: Paul Gleason Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 21 | 7 | "Be True to Your School" | Michael Lange | Stephen J. Cannell | November 27, 1984 (1984-11-27) |
| Nick, Cody, and Murray go to Nick's 15-year high school reunion, which turns into a job when someone shoots up the event. Guest starring: Arthur Rosenberg, Sam J. Jones, Gerard Prendergast, Bart Braverman, Howard George, Barbara Whinnery, Charles Guardino, David Kagen, Mark Harrison Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 22 | 8 | "It's a Vial Sort of Business" | Bruce Seth Green | Babs Greyhosky | December 4, 1984 (1984-12-04) |
| Mr. and Mrs. Collins (Jason Bernard and Kim Hamilton) hire Nick & Cody to find their son (Clarence Gilyard), who dropped out of college to try to make it in Hollywood, and who is apparently tangled up in some criminal scheme. Guest starring: Alan Fudge, Joe Dorsey, Clarence Gilyard, Jason Bernard, Kim Hamilton, Vince McKewin, Fil Formicola, Ken Wright, James Andronica Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 23 | 9 | "Peter Pan Is Alive and Well" | Tony Mordente | Babs Greyhosky | December 11, 1984 (1984-12-11) |
| A manager of a beach club hires the trio to investigate the robbery of valuables on the beach, but the boys end up protecting Cody's ex-roommate, a playboy lifeguard, instead. Guest starring: Jonathan Perpich, Peter Brown, Tom McGreevy, Lynn Herring, Beth Miller, Robyn Peterson and Steve Tannen Special guest star: Fionnula Flanagan Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 24 | 10 | "Catch a Fallen Star" | Mike Vejar | Tom Blomquist | December 18, 1984 (1984-12-18) |
| The trio save an elderly woman (Edith Fellows) from a pair of thugs and soon find out that she was once a famous movie star who disappeared over fifty years earlier. Guest starring: Edith Fellows, David Ackroyd, Paul Stewart, Byron Morrow, Rachel Bard ||||||
| 25 | 11 | "Gams People Play" | Ron Satlof | Tom Blomquist | January 8, 1985 (1985-01-08) |
| The Riptide agency is hired to protect a beauty contestant whose life is being threatened. Just when they find out the identity of the stalker, the man is found dead and the woman is the prime suspect in his murder case. Game show hosts Gene Rayburn and Bob Eubanks appear as themselves. Guest starring: Rod McCary, Kelly Ann Conn, Bridget Hanley, Dennis A. Pratt, Mindi Iden Special guest star: Bill Macy Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 26 | 12 | "Prisoner of War" | Michael O'Herlihy | Babs Greyhosky | January 15, 1985 (1985-01-15) |
| After witnessing a fatal hit and run, Nick's new girlfriend disappears into the red-light district. While searching for her, they inadvertently become involved in a turf war between two local pimps. Guest starring: Nancy Stafford, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Anthony James, Eve Roberts, Bill Quinn, Yung Sun Special guest star: Glynn Turman ||||||
| 27 | 13 | "Baxter and Boz" | Michael Lange | Bill Nuss | January 22, 1985 (1985-01-22) |
| Murray meets a famous inventor (John Astin) who's down on his luck, leading him to hire the boys to expose a dangerous design flaw in helicopters that are being sold to the US military. Guest starring: James Sloyan, Kenneth Gray, Clara Perryman, Ann Turkel, James Hornbeck, Lou Felder, Teri Ann Linn, Phil Hoover Special guest star: John Astin Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 28 | 14 | "Curse of the Mary Aberdeen" | Ron Satlof | Steven L. Sears & Burt Pearl | January 29, 1985 (1985-01-29) |
| A man who was supposed to have died 18 years before (Richard Lynch) suddenly appears to hire the agency to find the Mary Aberdeen, a cursed boat he wants to find "before it kills again." Guest starring: Bert Freed, Jack Riley, John Sanderford, Jeff Osterhage and Wolfe Perry Special guest star: Richard Lynch Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 29 | 15 | "Boz Busters" | Bob Bralver | Babs Greyhosky & Tom Blomquist | February 5, 1985 (1985-02-05) |
| After leaving the agency for his dream job at a robotics company, Murray goes missing, and Nick & Cody have to find him before he disappears forever. Guest starring: Mitchell Ryan, Rosalind Cash, Catherine Shirriff, Joseph Chapman, Robert Symonds, Will MacMillan, Gela Nash-Taylor, Clare Torao, Tom Williams, Sue Giosa Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 30 | 16 | "Oil Bets Are Off" | Michael Lange | Paul Bernbaum | February 12, 1985 (1985-02-12) |
| When she believes the police aren't properly investigating her father's murder, oil heiress Juliet Hafner (Joanna Johnson) hires the trio to look into the case. Guest starring: Joanna Johnson, Seth Jaffe, Cástulo Guerra, Shawn Ora Engemann, Tony Goodstone, Guy Christopher, J. Bill Jones ||||||
| 31 | 17 | "Girls Night Out" | Bob Bralver | Steve Beers & Alan Cassidy | February 19, 1985 (1985-02-19) |
| Two suburban women (Belinda Montgomery, Lenore Kasdorf) are forced by a loan shark (James Cromwell) to become burglars to pay him back. After they are caught hitting the Riptide, the boys decide to help them to get out of their predicament. Guest starring: Lenore Kasdorf, James Cromwell, Jeannetta Arnette, Mark Schneider, Milt Oberman Special guest star: Belinda Montgomery ||||||
| 32 | 18 | "Polly Want an Explanation" | Michael Switzer | Jim Carlson & Terrence McDonnell | March 5, 1985 (1985-03-05) |
| The Riptide agency, a wannabe-FBI agent, trouble prone con man Mack McPherson (William Russ) and his parrot all get in trouble with organized crime after McPherson writes an incriminating article about a mobster. Guest starring: Robin Riker, William Russ, John McLiam, Richard McGonagle, Gary Wood, Phil Rubenstein, Bob Larkin Also starring: Ken Olandt ||||||
| 33 | 19 | "The Twisted Cross" | Robert Sallin | Story by : James Andronica Teleplay by : Tom Blomquist | March 12, 1985 (1985-03-12) |
| The trio are hired by a woman whose ex-husband won't let her see her son. They soon learn that the father is part of a neo-Nazi group led by a man named Kefler (Jere Burns). Guest starring: Robert Gray, Katherine Cannon, Jere Burns, Randy Norton, Millie Slavin, Cameron Thor, Christopher Michael Moore, Corkey Ford Also starring: Ken Olandt Due to its content, this episode was never broadcast in Germany until it was aired in 2013 on PayTV ||||||
| 34 | 20 | "Fuzzy Vision" | Bruce Kessler | Paul Bernbaum | March 19, 1985 (1985-03-19) |
| The trio head out to sea for a vacation of relaxing and fishing, but their plans are stopped when the armature blows on the boat and they're trapped in a weird little town where a woman who can see into the future (Jan Sterling) is suspected of murder and everybody thinks Cody is the infamous and very unpopular Jake Tyler. Guest starring: Jan Sterling, Kevyn Major Howard, Bill McKinney, Lynn Hamilton, Woody Eney, Arnold Johnson, Jon Van Ness, T. G. Sheppard, Scott Lincoln, William Boyett, Med Flory, Kay Freeman ||||||
| 35 | 21 | "Arrivederci, Baby" | Michael Lange | Babs Greyhosky | May 7, 1985 (1985-05-07) |
| Oceanographer Angelo Guirilini (Cesar Romero) hires the trio to investigate when his son is badly wounded under mysterious circumstances during a diving expedition. Guest starring: Dana Elcar, Ava Lazar, Russell Todd, Glenn Morrissey, Steve Lattanzi, Bradford English, Nick Cavanaugh, James Andronica Special guest star: Cesar Romero Dana Elcar stars as Harry "The Oilman" Silverman. ||||||
| 36 | 22 | "Harmony and Grits" | Bob Bralver | Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky | May 14, 1985 (1985-05-14) |
| Murray drags a reluctant Nick and Cody to a "harmonising" seminar. But the topic of the seminar takes a back seat to a large brawl and a concerned wife who's afraid her husband is having an affair. Guest starring: Lee Bryant, Lyle Alzado, Dean Wein, Peter Jason, Francine York, Christopher Thomas, Kathryn Skatula ||||||

### Season 3 (1985–86)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 37 | 1 | "Wipe Out" | Bob Bralver | Tom Blomquist | October 1, 1985 (1985-10-01) |
| Hard up for work, the Riptide crew reluctantly take on the case sent to them anonymously, asking them to investigate the death of a surfer that took place in 1964. Guest starring: Richard Hatch, Simone Griffeth, Suzanne Snyder, Ted Neeley, Mitchell Anderson, Michael Galardi ||||||
| 38 | 2 | "Thirty-Six Hours Till Dawn" | Bob Bralver | Babs Greyhosky | October 22, 1985 (1985-10-22) |
| The Riptide Agency are hired to escort Renee Sinclair, the estranged wife of underworld crime-lord Sonny Sinclair, to his trial where she is to be the star prosecution witness. During the extraction, Nick and Renee are trapped in a canyon together, and Cody and Murray have to find them before Sinclair's people do. Guest starring: Cristina Raines, Michael MacRae, Stewart Moss, Cástulo Guerra, George Clifton ||||||
| 39 | 3 | "Does Not Compute" | Michael Lange | Tom Blomquist | October 29, 1985 (1985-10-29) |
| After a liberal city councilman (Larry Linville) accuses the police department of framing him for corruption, Lt. Quinlan hires the crew to prove the police department innocent. Murray's investigation angers the hacker behind the attacks, and he turns his eyes to the Riptide. Guest starring: Larry Linville, Nicholas Pryor, Tracy Reed, Sharon Barr, Johnny Lee, Howard Caine, Jack Wells, Toni Attell, Jerry Potter ||||||
| 40 | 4 | "The Bargain Department" | Kim Manners | Stephen J. Cannell | November 5, 1985 (1985-11-05) |
| After their insurance is mysteriously cancelled, Cody and Murray opt to sell the agency to a corporate investigation firm led by Oscar Davenport (Robert Walker, Jr.), whose offer also includes jobs for the three of them, over Nick's strenuous objections. Their new jobs turn out to be anything but ideal, and Cody, Nick, and Murray team up to find out what was really behind the failure of the Riptide Detective Agency. Guest starring: Robert Walker, Jr., Kate Charleson, Tom McFadden, William Cort, George Solomon, Jan Merlin, Solomon Trager ||||||
| 41 | 5 | "Who Really Watches the Sunset?" | Michael Lange | Burt Pearl & Steven L. Sears | November 12, 1985 (1985-11-12) |
| A reporter with only six months to live (Darleen Carr) hires the trio to find out who infected her with the disease that will kill her. Guest starring: Darleen Carr, Harvey Vernon, Paul Willson, Jim Bentley and Nancy Linari Special guest star: Daryl Anderson ||||||
| 42 | 6 | "Still Goin' Steady" | Michael Switzer | Terry D. Nelson | November 19, 1985 (1985-11-19) |
| Murray's lucrative winning streak on a popular quiz show is in jeopardy when his high-school crush arrives asking for his help, and Nick and Cody soon find out she's not all she appears to be. Guest starring: Kay Lenz, Michael Lombard, James Carroll Jordan, Johnny Mountain ||||||
| 43 | 7 | "Robin and Marian" | Robert Sallin | Paul Bernbaum | December 3, 1985 (1985-12-03) |
| When the Riptide is burgled and the Roboz stolen, the guys track the goods down to a man who considers himself a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor--and the "rich" unfortunately includes a dangerous counterfeiting gang who are desperate to get their property back. Guest starring: Walter Olkewicz, Miriam Flynn, Frank Ramírez, Michael Champion, Geno Silva, Rex Ryon, Scott Nemes, Gabriel Damon, Olivia Burnette, Suzanne Dunn ||||||
| 44 | 8 | "Requiem for Icarus" | Chuck Bowman | Burt Pearl & Steven L. Sears | December 10, 1985 (1985-12-10) |
| Nick meets up with an old friend who he hasn't seen or heard from in five years, after his daughter becomes concerned about her father's erratic behavior. Saving him becomes all more important for the team once they find out he is both suicidal and deeply involved in a smuggling operation. Guest starring: Clu Gulager, Lisa Denton, Carl Franklin, Carl Strano, Gus Corrado Last appearance of Jack Ging as Lt. Quinlan. ||||||
| 45 | 9 | "Home for Christmas" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Tom Blomquist | December 17, 1985 (1985-12-17) |
| Rather than celebrate a holiday he hates, Nick spends his Christmas escorting the remains of a young soldier home to his father (James Whitmore), only to find out upon arrival that the body doesn't belong to the man's deceased son. Guest starring: Ken Swofford, J.D. Hinton, Fred Grossinger, Hugh Gillin, Anne Bellamy, Stephen Liska Special guest star: James Whitmore ||||||
| 46 | 10 | "Lady Killer" | Michael Lange | Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky | January 7, 1986 (1986-01-07) |
| A serial killer is targeting engaged women in King Harbor, and the crew meet their new police contact: a gorgeous blonde named Lt. Joanne Parisi. Guest starring: Robin Strand, Eli Marder, Brian Matthews ||||||
| 47 | 11 | "A Matter of Policy" | Michael Preece | Steven L. Sears & Burt Pearl | January 14, 1986 (1986-01-14) |
| While Murray is off at a computer conference, Nick learns he's inherited a large sum of money from the recently deceased father of a soldier he tried to save in Vietnam, but according to the dead man's niece (Kim Darby), his death was no accident. Guest starring: Kim Darby, Richard Sanders, John S. Ragin, James F. Kelly, Jay Ingram, F. William Parker, Alice Nunn, Brad Harris ||||||
| 48 | 12 | "The Wedding Bell Blues" | Michael Switzer | Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky | January 21, 1986 (1986-01-21) |
| Cody, Nick and Murray are hired by an eccentric millionaire (Richard Lewis) to find a model that he wants to marry--only to be caught up in a heated mob war between the model's family and the family of her jilted fiancé. Guest starring: Richard Lewis, Paul Lambert, Al Ruscio, Molly Fontaine, Arthur Taxier, James Purcell, Christian LeBlanc, James Staley ||||||
| 49 | 13 | "The Frankie Kahana Show" | Bruce Kessler | Frank Lupo | February 11, 1986 (1986-02-11) |
| When their night out is interrupted by someone attempting to kill their host, a Hawaiian lounge singer, the crew end up embroiled in the case. Guest starring: Andy Bumatai, Cal Bellini, Jeri Gaile, Charles Tyner, Jineane Ford, Harold Ayer, Nathan Jung ||||||
| 50 | 14 | "Smiles We Left Behind" | Tony Mordente | Babs Greyhosky | February 25, 1986 (1986-02-25) |
| 51 | 15 | "Smiles We Left Behind" | Tony Mordente | Babs Greyhosky | February 25, 1986 (1986-02-25) |
| When Danny Lee doesn't arrive from San Francisco for his cousin's wedding, the crew offer to go to San Francisco to pick him up. Soon they realize that more than Lucy's wedding is at stake--the case involves attempted murder, espionage, nuclear secrets, and more dangerously, Cody's ex-fiancée, Janet (Jane Badler). Guest starring: Jane Badler, Anna Bjorn, Joel Brooks, Rosalind Chao, George Cheung, Christopher Pennock, Ben Slack, Scott DeVenney, B.J. McAllister, Norman Lee Harris, Richard Partlow ||||||
| 52 | 16 | "The Pirate and the Princess" | Kim Manners | Terry D. Nelson | March 7, 1986 (1986-03-07) |
| The Riptide crew reunites with Angelo and Giovanna Guirilini (Cesar Romero and Ava Lazar from Season 2's Arrivederci, Baby) as they try to find the lost treasure of pirate captain William Tyson. Guest starring: Ava Lazar, Christopher Cary, Paul Land, Warren Berlinger, Russell Todd, Christopher Neame, Cesar Romero and Stan Haze ||||||
| 53 | 17 | "Playing Hardball" | Bob Bralver | Paul Bernbaum | March 14, 1986 (1986-03-14) |
| Cody and Nick go undercover as baseball players at the behest of the minor league team's owner to investigate a drug problem in the locker room. Guest starring: Nicholas Guest, Ray Abruzzo, Linda Thompson, Barbi Benton, Robert Hanley Special guest star: Steve Allen ||||||
| 54 | 18 | "The Play's the Thing" | Richard Forrest | Tom Blomquist | March 21, 1986 (1986-03-21) |
| A string of murders is connected to the search for an undiscovered Shakespeare manuscript and the Riptide agency unhappily teams up with Gloria Burghoff (last seen in Season 2's Polly Want An Explanation) to find it. Guest starring: Frances Bay, Gino Conforti, Bernard Fox, Terry Kiser, David Ruprecht, Joseph Ruskin, David White, Robin Riker ||||||
| 55 | 19 | "Dead Men Don't Floss" | Chuck Bowman | Story by : Steven L. Sears & Burt Pearl Teleplay by : Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky & Frank Lupo | April 4, 1986 (1986-04-04) |
| When an article in a magazine praises Nick for "his" agency, the guys each take a separate case to see which of the three is really the best detective. Meanwhile, the author's jealous boyfriend (Christopher McDonald) is on the hunt for Nick. Guest starring: Dennis Burkley, Danny Cooksey, Stephen James, Lu Leonard, Christopher McDonald, Lee Wilkof, Lisa Nelson, Peggy Walton-Walker, Laurie Ambert, Kit Fredericks, Carmen Filpi, Jeff Silverman ||||||
| 56 | 20 | "Chapel of Glass" | Bob Bralver | Steven L. Sears & Burt Pearl | April 11, 1986 (1986-04-11) |
| As Lt. Parisi's wedding nears, a case the guys are working on strikes close to home, and may call into question everything she knows, as her fiancé is implicated in a deadly scheme. Guest starring: Vincent Baggetta, Michael Lally, Cliff Emmich, R.J. Bonds, Lewis Dauber ||||||
| 57 | 21 | "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em" | Tony Mordente | Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky | April 18, 1986 (1986-04-18) |
| The Riptide Detective Agency is hired to consult for a new detective television show. The lead actors (H. Richard Greene, Annette McCarthy) follow the guys around over a week while investigating an actual case. Guest starring: Annette McCarthy, H. Richard Greene, Thom Sharp, Al Pugliese ||||||
| 58 | 22 | "Echoes" | Perry King | Babs Greyhosky | April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22) |
| While investigating a case, Cody is shot and Murray is forced to kill the shooter. While Cody recovers in the hospital, Nick and Murray hunt for the truth. Guest starring: Lonny Chapman, Elinor Donahue, James Lemp, Linda Hoy, Chuck Lindsly, Hap Lawrence, Jon Locke, Walker Edmiston Series star Perry King (Cody) directed this series finale. ||||||

## Home media
### United States

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a three-disc DVD set of Riptide: The Complete First Season on February 14, 2006, available in the United States only. Although the Sony release includes all of the episodes from the season, many of the opening teasers are missing.

### Canada

Visual Entertainment has released all three seasons of Riptide, available in Canada only. Unlike the U.S. release, all of the opening teasers are intact. However, several episodes have music replaced and sequences edited out due to copyright issues. On October 14, 2008, VEI released Riptide: The Complete Series, a 13-disc box set featuring all 58 episodes of the show. The release was initially scheduled to be released on September 9, 2008, but was delayed for unknown reasons. As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
| DVD name | Ep. # | Release date |
| Riptide: The Complete First Season | 14 | November 7, 2006 |
| Riptide: The Complete Second Season | 22 | October 30, 2007 |
| Riptide: The Complete Third and Final Season | 22 | February 12, 2008 |
| Riptide: The Complete Series | 58 | October 14, 2008 |

### Germany

In Germany the show is known under the title Trio mit vier Fäusten (Trio with Four Fists).
Universum Films has released all three seasons of Riptide for Germany on May 29, 2009 (Season 1), July 31, 2009 (Season 2) and September 25, 2009 (Season 3).
The DVD sets feature 4:3 Pal, DD 2.0 mono German and English, no teasers, but with a bonus episode of 21 Jump Street (Season 1). The Season 2 boxes will contain an episode not broadcast in Germany, "The Twisted Cross", in English with German subtitles. The German box sets have the original music of the U.S. series, unlike the Canadian box sets 2 and 3.