Starsky and Hutch told the stories of two detectives, David Starsky and Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson and their attempts to prevent and solve crimes in the fictional Bay City. Their work spanned a wide variety of cases ranging from drug dealing to murder and even once or twice to terrorism, unlike detectives of most conventional police departments who focus on a particular sort of crime. One of the early examples of the "buddy cop" genre that includes shows such as CHiPs and Miami Vice, the partners tended to rely on each other and often did not trust others in the department (sometimes with good reason - the Bay City PD experienced a fair amount of corrupting). This and their sometimes unconventional tactics often worked their long-suffering boss Captain Dobey into a rage, but since the detectives got results, he had trouble arguing with them. For their part, they knew Dobey as one of the few trustworthy bosses. The pair usually rode in Starsky's signature red Ford Torino (sometimes referred to as the striped tomato because it had a large white stripe down each side). While most cops and many detectives have a number of informants, one in particular stands out: Huggy Bear. Antonio Fargas portrayed this petty criminal and rich source of information; his tips and occasional tactical help broke a number of cases.

The series lasted four seasons and in 2004 spawned a theatrical movie featuring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles, with Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear.