The Eternally “Mod” Michael Cole

A Classic TV Retrospective On One Of TV’s Top Male Icons

Michael Cole’s role as Pete Cochran on the classic TV series, The Mod Squad was party to genius casting on the show that presented fellow leading performers Clarence Williams III (Lincoln “Linc” Hayes) and Peggy Lipton (Julie Barnes), alongside stellar support from by Tige Andrews (Captain Adam Greer).

As a result, the series, which originally aired on ABC from 1968–1973 became one of TV’s most popular police/detective shows. Executive produced by Aaron Spelling, Mod featured a trio of hip, young, hot police officers (“one white, one black, one blonde,” as designated by the promotional tag). The charismatic combination of these actors was “solid” (as Linc might have said), as they delivered the goods, sometimes with just a subtle glance, and without saying a word. As Michael Cole explained, such silent moments spoke volumes:

“I don’t know how that happens across the board, but with The Mod Squad, it was due to Aaron Spelling’s astuteness for casting. When you have the kind of mutual respect that myself, Clarence, Peggy, and Tige shared…with the rest of the cast, the writers, producers, directors, all the way up to and including Aaron…sometimes character dialogue gets in the way. If a show is written well…and Mod Squad was…if it’s clear that the characters do love one another…which…