  the partners is an american sitcom that aired on september 18, 1971 through september 8, 1972 on nbc. ==synopsis== the program featured don adams and rupert crosse as bumbling detectives (adams' lenny crooke being the more inept of the two). veteran actor john doucette played the exasperated captain andrews, a character not unlike "the chief" portrayed by edward platt in adams' earlier get smart. dick van patten (who later gained fame as the father on eight is enough) played the sycophantic desk sergeant higgenbottem. adams' real-life cousin, robert karvelas (best known as agent larabee from get smart) had a recurring role as freddie, a character who compulsively confessed to crimes he did not commit. the pilot featured guest appearances by joey forman (adams' crooke mistakenly bursts into his apartment while foreman is showering and orders him to "drop the soap"), art metrano and yvonne craig (best known as batgirl from abc's batman). ==production notes== unlike many television programs of its day, the partners eschewed a traditional opening title sequence. the opening credits were merely interspersed during the first few minutes, akin to the technique that has become quite commonplace today. the theme music, which accompanied the closing credits and occasionally popped up during the program itself, was composed by lalo schifrin, best known for the theme to mission: impossible. ==cast== *don adams : det. lennie crooke *rupert crosse : det. george robinson *john doucette: captain andrews *robert karvelas: freddie butler *dick van patten: sgt. higgenbotem ==characters== unlike many other sitcoms of the 1960s and 70s, there is no family
1970s_American_television_series 1971_American_television_series_debuts 1972_American_television_series_endings American_television_sitcoms English-language_television_programming NBC_network_shows Television_series_by_Universal_Television