18 Wheels of Justice

Reviewed by:

Do not adjust your set. Yes, that’s really the Colt .45 guy. And the Diet Coke guy. And G. Gordon Liddy. You’re watching 18 Wheels of Justice, the Nashville Network’s first original dramatic series.

Once you’re over that lineup, get ready for the real surprise: It’s pretty good! Series star Lucky Vanous hit it big a couple years back, playing the object of a steno pool’s adoration in a steamy series of Diet Coke commercials. He’s the square-jawed hero, a federal agent in deep cover as a cross-country trucker out to foil the evil deeds of crime-lord Liddy. Malt liquor connoisseur and Star Wars casualty Billy Dee Williams plays Lucky’s Justice Department boss.

What’s a truck show without truck stops? And what’s a truck stop without music? The network enlists an endless roster of country artists for guest appearances, including Lee Roy Parnell (“She Won’t Be Lonely Long”) and Gary Allan (“Smoke Rings in the Dark”). And then, of course, there’s the truck: You don’t have to be a country boy to appreciate the specially modified Kenworth T-2000 that serves as Lucky’s mobile do-gooding headquarters. It’s a big-ass truck, with all the extras. Think of a cross between Knight Rider and Walker, Texas Ranger and you’ve almost got 18 Wheels pegged. But of course, neither of those series featured a possibly insane Watergate defendant.