If you grew up in the mid-80s, Friday nights usually meant two things: a bowl of cereal you weren't supposed to eat and the high-flying martial arts of a kid who seemed way cooler than anyone in your neighborhood. We’re talking about Sidekicks. This show was a weird, wonderful, and short-lived relic of 1986 that somehow burned itself into the collective memory of every kid who ever tried to do a roundhouse kick in their backyard.
Honestly, the Sidekicks TV show cast was such a specific mix of 70s sci-fi royalty and a literal martial arts prodigy that it’s a miracle it didn't last ten seasons. Instead, we got one glorious year on ABC (and a pilot movie called The Last Electric Knight) before it vanished into the vault of forgotten TV. But for those of us who remember Ernie Lee and Sgt. Jake Rizzo, it wasn't just another cop show. It was the dream that maybe, just maybe, a kid could be the one saving the grown-ups for a change.
The Electric Duo: Ernie Reyes Jr. and Gil Gerard
At the heart of everything was the chemistry between a pint-sized powerhouse and a grumpy detective.
Ernie Reyes Jr. played Ernie Lee, the "Last Electric Knight." This wasn't some kid who took a few karate classes at the YMCA. Reyes was a legitimate phenomenon. His speed was terrifying. He was basically the Bruce Lee of the elementary school set. Before he was beating up Foot Soldiers in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ocen, he was here, taking down full-grown criminals with spin kicks that defied physics.
Then you had Gil Gerard. Most people knew him as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Seeing him swap a starfighter for a beat-up detective’s car as Sgt. Jake Rizzo was a pivot. Rizzo was your classic reluctant guardian. He was a bachelor cop who suddenly found himself responsible for a kid who could probably kill him with a well-placed palm strike. Their dynamic worked because it felt earned. It wasn't just "cop and kid"; it was a mutual respect between two people from totally different worlds.
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The Supporting Players Who Kept It Grounded
While Ernie and Jake were the draws, the rest of the Sidekicks TV show cast filled out a world that felt surprisingly cozy for a show about punching people.
- Nancy Stafford played Patricia Blake. She was the social worker who kept a watchful eye on Ernie's living situation. Most people remember her from Matlock, but here she provided the necessary emotional anchor (and a bit of romantic tension for Rizzo).
- Keye Luke was the legendary Sabasan. He was Ernie’s grandfather, appearing mostly in flashbacks or "spiritual" moments. If he looks familiar, it’s because he was Master Po in Kung Fu and Mr. Wing in Gremlins. He brought a gravitas to the show that it probably didn't deserve, but man, it worked.
- Frank Bonner played Detective R.T. Mooney. Coming off his iconic role as Herb Tarlek in WKRP in Cincinnati, Bonner brought the comic relief. He was Rizzo's partner and often the one left scratching his head while a ten-year-old dismantled a gang of thieves.
Why Sidekicks Was Actually Kind of Groundbreaking
You have to remember the context of 1986. Most "martial arts" on TV was pretty hokey. You had stuntmen in bad wigs doing slow-motion chops. Sidekicks changed that.
Because Ernie Reyes Sr. (Ernie's actual father and a world-class martial artist) was the fight choreographer, the action was legit. It was fast. It was rhythmic. It looked like the Hong Kong cinema that was just starting to seep into the American consciousness. They didn't hide the kid's face because he was actually doing the moves.
Basically, the show treated its young lead like a legitimate action star. That was huge for kids at the time. We weren't used to seeing someone our size being the most capable person in the room.
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The Real Story Behind the Scenes
It wasn't all just flying kicks and "yes, Sabasan" wisdom. The production was a joint effort between Walt Disney Television and Motown Productions. Yeah, that Motown.
This strange pedigree led to a show that had a surprising amount of heart. It dealt with Ernie trying to fit into a regular school while carrying the weight of an ancient tradition. It touched on Rizzo’s loneliness. Sorta deep for a 30-minute block on Friday nights, right?
The show initially aired at 9 PM on Fridays, which was a tough slot. When it moved to Saturdays to fill the gap left by the canceled Life with Lucy, it struggled to find a permanent footing. By June 1987, the "Electric Knight" had fought his last battle on ABC.
Where is the cast now?
People always wonder what happened to these guys. Ernie Reyes Jr. went on to have a massive career in stunts and acting, appearing in The Rundown and even doing some MMA. He actually had a serious health scare a few years back with kidney issues, but the martial arts community rallied hard for him. He's a fighter, truly.
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Gil Gerard stayed active in the industry but also became very open about his personal health struggles, including a public battle with weight and a life-saving gastric bypass surgery that he even made a documentary about. He’s always been a class act regarding his time on the show.
How to Revisit the Series
If you're looking to scratch that nostalgia itch, finding Sidekicks today is a bit of a scavenger hunt. It hasn't had a massive 4K restoration or a Netflix revival. Your best bet is usually digging through YouTube archives where fans have uploaded old VHS rips—complete with 80s commercials for breakfast cereal and GI Joe figures.
Actionable Insights for the Nostalgic:
- Search for "The Last Electric Knight": This was the pilot movie. It sets up the whole lore of Patasan and Ernie's arrival in Rizzo's life.
- Follow Ernie Reyes Jr. on Socials: He’s still very active in the martial arts world and occasionally shares behind-the-scenes memories of the show.
- Check out the 1992 Movie "Sidekicks": Don't get confused! There is a Jonathan Brandis/Chuck Norris movie with the same name. It’s completely different, though it shares the same "kid learns karate" DNA.
- Value your VHS tapes: If you happen to have original recordings of the ABC broadcast, keep them. These episodes are increasingly rare in high quality.
The show might be a footnote in TV history for some, but for those of us who grew up with it, the Sidekicks TV show cast represented a time when anything felt possible—even becoming an "Electric Knight" before bedtime.