Inspired by the same two undercover NYC detectives that also inspired the film "The Super Cops" (1974).
Aaron Spelling choose David Soul to play Hutch after seeing him in the movie Magnum Force with Clint Eastwood.
Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky) first described the Ford Torino as "a stripped tomato". He said it was impossible to drive, vowed to destroy it, and when ever there was an opportunity hit something he'd try to hit it.
Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear) was cast after appearing in a previous film by the same director, Barry Sheer.
When the series first hit screens, there were outcries from anti-violence groups for being too violent. The violent aspects of the show died down by the third series focussing on more social issues.
Originally banned by the BBC, the episode "The Fix" was first shown on British television on 31 May 1999 on Channel 4 as part of a Starsky and Hutch theme night.
David Soul hurt the base of his spine when jumping onto the roof of his car in the original movie.
Guest stars that went on to become big names include Suzanne Sommers, John Ritter, Lynda Carter, Jeff Goldblum, Nancy McKeon, Danny DeVito, Melanie Griffith, Adrian Zmed and Kim Cattrall.
The second series episode "Huggy Bear and the Turkey" was a test Pilot for a potential new spin-off series for Huggy Bear – an episode played mostly for laughs, in which Huggy and his friend, former Sheriff J.D. "Turkey" Turquet, form their own Private Detective business.
For the third series alternative scripts were prepared with a new partner for Hutch, Officer Linda Baylor to be played by Roz Kelly, as Paul Michael Glaser voiced his desires to leave the series to concentrate on other projects. She was only seen in one episode "Fatal Charm" along side Starsky & Hutch.
Hutch's clothes became more relaxed and informal for the fourth series, to allow for a back brace as a result of a skiing accident.
By the fourth series, Glaser was still unhappy being tied to the series. It was rumoured that Starsky would be killed off in the final episode "Sweet Revenge", and Hutch would be partnered by Starsky's younger brother Nicholas (seen in "Starsky's Brother"). Starsky lived on, and Glaser was freed of the contract anyway when series was not renewed.
Ford Motor Company actually marketed around 1,000 special edition Gran Torino hardtops during the 1976 model year with the Starsky and Hutch paint job - the shape of the white stripe was not the same as the TV cars; sadly, the Torino was redesigned for 1977 as the LTD II, with the station wagon the only sole survivor.
