Chico and the Man
Paint Job
TV Flash files “Paint Job” as a desk essential hour — Chico and the Man (1974–1978) on NBC, season 2, episode 1, aired 1975-09-12, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S02E01: listed hour 23 of 86 in the Chico and the Man guide, first listed hour of season 2. It aired 1975-09-12 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Long Live the Man” (S01E22). Next is “This Hallowed Garage” (S02E02).
Essential hour: “Paint Job”. Paint Job is the East L.A. shop still the whole world. Odd-couple sitcom as labor farce: the garage remaining the set, the partnership still the joke and the bruise.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Paint Job sit in the Chico and the Man guide?
S02E01 is listed hour 23 of 86 — first listed hour of season 2, season 2 episode 1.
When did Chico and the Man S02E01 air?
Paint Job aired 1975-09-12 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I watch past Prinze's death?
The classic pairing is Albertson and Prinze in the East L.A. garage. After 1977 the series continued in altered form; that continuation is a production document, not the original spark.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Freddie Prinze's Chico spars with Jack Albertson's cranky East L.A. garage owner until tragedy cuts the partnership short. Intergenerational odd-couple sitcom that put Chicano lead energy on NBC, then became a cautionary production story. Looking good as a goodbye.
So about the group chat that only wants to talk about the ending: cranky garage owner Ed Brown spars with optimistic young Chico in an East L.A. sitcom that made Freddie Prinze a 1970s rocket, and then the partnership is cut short. (I said spoiler-free, mostly. The death in 1977 is extra-textual weather everyone already brings. The hour is still a two-hander first.) NBC's Chico and the Man (1974–1978), from James Komack, ran four seasons, 86 episodes, pairing Jack Albertson with Prinze's lightning charm in an…
Filed against
- Jack Albertson as Ed Brown
Jack Albertson’s Ed Brown ran the East L.A. garage like a loaded argument — crank, varnish, and a generation gap you could hear from the sidewalk. Freddie Prinze’s Chico walked in and the 1970s sitcom became an odd-couple duel until…
- Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez
Freddie Prinze sparred as Chico Rodriguez on Chico and the Man — East L.A. garage odd-couple sitcom, Jack Albertson's crank, intergenerational heat that put Chicano lead energy on NBC until tragedy cut the partnership short. Looking good…
- Scatman Crothers as Louie Wilson
Scatman Crothers's Louie Wilson warmed Chico and the Man after the garage already had a fight — Freddie Prinze's Chico sparring with Jack Albertson's cranky East L.A. owner until tragedy cut the partnership short. Intergenerational…
- Della Reese as Della Rogers
Della Reese’s Della Rogers gave Chico and the Man a wisdom voice in an East L.A. garage orbit — 1970s catalog odd-couple sitcom, then Touched by an Angel turning the same authority into CBS faith-drama comfort. TV Flash files her as the…