Rating: - A Bitter Sweet Season
The 1982-83 Season of The Dukes Of Hazzard was a so-so season, because Bo Duke(John Schneider) and Luke Duke(Tom Wopat) were replaced by their cousins Coy Duke(Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke(Chip Mayer) during the first half of the Dukes Fifth Season, but then Bo and Luke were brought back in the second half of the 1982-83 Season, since the ratings started going down the toilet when they brought the new Dukes, just like I figured it would as soon as I heard about Bo and Luke leaving the show in the Spring of 1982 before The Dukes Of Hazzard even kicked off it's 5th Season in the Fall of 1982, which coincidentally happened to be on the same weekend that KNIGHT RIDER made it's debut on NBC for the first time, which was on the last weekend in September of 1982.

As a matter of fact; THE DUKES OF HAZZARD started getting some hefty competition that year from KNIGHT RIDER during the Fall of 1982 thru the Summer of 1983, since KNIGHT RIDER was shown on NBC's Friday night line-up right after THE DUKES OF HAZZARD's time slot on CBS's Friday night line-up along with the fact that this was season when the General Lee was no longer the hottest car on Friday nights anymore since this was the year and season when KNIGHT RIDER became the hottest car on Friday nights stealing THE DUKES OF HAZZARD's thunder practically causing the General Lee to go out of style.

Therefore, KNIGHT RIDER nearly K.O'd THE DUKES OF HAZZARD nearly causing the Dukes to cancel and nearly causing THE DUKES OF HAZZARD to go downhill, especially since the Knight 2000 had obviously outclassed the General Lee, which also resulted in KNIGHT RIDER stealing a lot of viewers away from THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, since KNIGHT RIDER had practically ruined THE DUKES OF HAZZARD.

In addition to what nearly made this 1982-83 Season to be the last season of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD; KNIGHT RIDER was soaring big time in the ratings along with the fact that KNIGHT RIDER was one of the top rated shows at the time and nearly wiped every show out in the ratings, since KNIGHT RIDER was ranked in 3rd place that year, but THE DUKES OF HAZZARD's ratings were evidently starting to decline big time, due to the transition of bringing in the new Dukes and NBC's premiere of KNIGHT RIDER in the Fall of 1982, which coincidentally happened to come out the same year when Coy and Vance took over the General Lee and replaced Bo and Luke.

Therefore, CBS had to bring back the old Dukes in the second half of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD's 5th Season, in order to save this show to bring the ratings back up, but the 1982-83 Season seemed to barely make it, especially since KNIGHT RIDER nearly wiped out THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, at least until KNIGHT RIDER was moved to Sundays, since KNIGHT RIDER was the bomb and practically unbeatable at the time, especially since KITT was able to do various other things that the General Lee couldn't do.

In addition, this was also the season when Deputy Enos Strate(Sonny Shroyer) returned to the show and to Hazzard County to get his old job back as Sheriff Roscoe's fellow deputy replacing Deputy Cletus Hogg(Rick Hurst) eventually, since Cletus departed from the show after the first 5 episodes of the 5th Season, but it was interesting seeing Enos and Cletus working together as partners temporarily, since Cletus had replaced Enos in the 3rd Season when Enos had departed the show after the 2nd Season when Enos moved to California to take a job with the LAPD, but I always preferred Enos to Cletus, since Enos was never as clutzy as Cletus was and it was kind of interesting seeing other Duke relatives driving the General Lee along with the fact that Coy and Vance Duke seemed almost tougher than Bo and Luke Duke in a way too.

Unfortunately the Bo and Luke wannabes(Coy & Vance Duke) didn't have what it took to make this show work, just like it was for Ponch and Joh on CHiPs when Ponch(Erik Estrada) left CHiPs in it's 5th Season temporarily, due to a salary dispute and then when Jon(Larry Wilcox) was fired and replaced by CHP Officer Bobby Nelson(Tom Reilly)in CHiPs 6th Season, due to the fact that Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada didn't get along very well in real life.

Therefore, NBC ended up cancelling CHiPs after it's 1982-83 Season, since the ratings on CHiPs had toppled when Jon left the show, plus the producers of CHiPs ended up bringing Ponch back permanently when the ratings started going down on CHiPs after showing 3 episodes without Ponch while CHP Officer Steve McLeisch(Bruce Jenner)had temporarily replaced Ponch as Jon's partner trying to help save the show, but was obviously unsuccessful, since Steve McLeisch only lasted 6 episodes and only 3 episodes of them were without Ponch.

In other words, CBS had to use the same strategy with THE DUKES OF HAZZARD that NBC had to use with CHiPs, since THE DUKES OF HAZZARD wasn't the same at all without Bo and Luke and CHiPs wasn't the same without Ponch and Jon, since Bo and Luke were the soul support for THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and Ponch and Jon were the soul support for CHiPs.

As a matter of fact, it just so coincidentally happens that the year Bo and Luke were replaced by Coy and Vance on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD was the same year Jon Baker got replaced by Bobby Nelson on CHiPs as Ponch's new partner, which made both shows plummett in the ratings, except the old Dukes returned in the second half of the Dukes 5th Season, but Jon never returned to CHiPs even though it was going down the toilet with no other hope left to improve the show, which was very similar to what resulted in BUCK ROGERS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA cancelling after their 2nd Seasons.

It was also interesting seeing Richard Moll on this show before his baliff(Bull Shannon) days on NIGHT COURT getting beat up by Bo and Luke in the "Daisey's Shotgun Wedding" episode along with the fact that the ratings on this show surged back up big time when Bo and Luke returned to Hazzard County, which certainly helped save the show.

It's just too bad Jon Baker(Larry Wilcox) couldn't return to CHiPs in it's Sixth Season when the ratings on CHiPs went downhill when they replaced Jon with that Jon Baker wannabe Bobby Nelson(Tom Reilly), because I think the ratings would've gone back up if they'd brought Jon back to the show and got rid of Bobby later, but it wasn't bound to happen since Erik Estrada(Ponch) and Larry Wilcox(Jon)didn't get along in real life, just like Fred Dryer(Hunter) and Stephanie Kramer(McCall) didn't get along in real life on the police drama HUNTER, which was why Stephanie Kramer departed that show after Hunter's 6th Season and got replaced by Hunter's new partner LAPD Sgt. Joanne Molenski(Darlanne Fluegel) in Hunter's 7th Season, which eventually got replaced by Hunter's last partner Los Angeles police Sgt. Christine Novak(Lauren Lane) before HUNTER was cancelled in the Summer of 1991 after it's 7-year run on NBC.

Overall, I would have to say the 1982-83 Season of the Dukes was somewhat of an interesting season, but probably not as good as the others.