Series creator Buddy Ruskin, a former Los Angeles police officer, used his experiences with a special L.A.P.D. youth squad as the basis for this show.
At the end of every episode, the camera pulls back as the Mod Squad walks off in one direction.
When the series premiered, Williams was 29, Cole was 23, and Lipton was 22.
The "Woody", a 1950 Mercury wood paneled station wagon, was wrecked in The Death of Wild Bill Hannachek (1969). At the end of the episode, the Squad watches their "old buddy" burn, and Linc utters the classic line, "Good bye, old paint". In the reunion movie, "The Return of Mod Squad (1979)," Pete is rich, so he buys a woody when the three of them unite for the task of finding the bad guy.
Peggy Lipton went on to appear on "Twin Peaks," which had its own band of misfit teenage sleuths. Clarence Williams III later made a guest appearance as well.