I watched this show every week with my Dad in the 70's. I think this is still one of the best PI shows to ever come on TV. James Rockford was a real guy, he had real feelings with real humor and James Garner played Rockford to a T. The supporting cast was also great with his Dad Rocky and who could forget Rockfords troublesome friend Angel. This show is an American TV classic, I still like to catch the re-runs sometimes. There won't be another one like it.

Good old Jim Rockford, took a lot of ass whippings but always cracked the case

I actually saw a deal on Wikipedia about six months or so ago that said that in the summer of 1978, NBC, CBS, and ABC were working out a deal that would have sent "The Rockford Files" from NBC to CBS in exchange for "M*A*S*H", and "Little House on The Prairie" from NBC to ABC in exchange for broadcast rights for a new series "Taxi".

unlike most of the heroes in the tv shows he was real i cant count how menny times he got his asss kicked and the guy that playd his dad was a trip he was cool to

Loved this show. Beer drinking PI with his Firebird (or was it a camero) living in a trailor on the beach. Classic.
I watched this show the first couple of years with my father (who could pass for James Garners brother) and continued to watch after my dad passed away. Rockford kept my dad with me even when he was gone. I know that seems weird, but we all deal with death in strange ways.

Huh?
Rockford was the ultimate PI/detective show, the series that redefined the genre.Garner was brilliant, the writing was top-shelf, the cast was excellent.
Rockford introduced us to Tom Selleck, among others...