The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate a two-person detective agency in San Diego, California.

The show revolves around the decisively polar-opposite Simon brothers, Rick (McRaney) and Andrew Jackson/"A.J."

Their contrasting approaches to investigations and subsequent personality conflicts provide much of the drama and comedy in each week's episode.

Rick is a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran with an earthy, plain-speaking personality and a penchant for cowboy boots, denim, and pickup trucks.

is a stickler for rules in life and at work, Rick is more of a free spirit with street smarts.

Although Rick is a few years older than A.J., McRaney and Parker were both born in 1947 and have only a three-month age difference.

The series was created by executive producer Philip DeGuere, who credited his inspirations to a request from a CBS executive to create something like a modern "Butch and Sundance", and a spec pilot DeGuere had recently read about a divorced husband and wife detective team written by Bob Shayne, whom DeGuere hired to write during the first two seasons.

However, at DeGuere and Shayne's request, CBS decided to give the series another chance by moving it to Thursday nights at 9 p.m., following Magnum, P.I.

In September 1984, The Cosby Show premiered in the 8 p.m. time slot against "Magnum" and was an immediate ratings hit and also substantially increased the ratings of the following NBC comedy shows, such as Cheers airing at 9 p.m. against "Simon & Simon".

The theme consists primarily of an electric bottle-slide guitar lead with a saxophone interlude and remained until the last episode of the final season.

[4][5] The episode "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend" concludes a crossover that begins on the Magnum, P.I.

episode "Ki'is Don't Lie", where Higgins helps the Simons track the woman with stolen Hawaiian artifacts to Latin America.

In return, the Whiz Kids characters Richie Adler, Hamilton Parker, Jeremy Saldino, Alice Parker, and Irene Adler appeared on the Simon & Simon episode "Fly the Alibi Skies" the following night.

Factory announced that they had acquired the distribution rights through an agreement with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.