Do You Remember Enos From ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ & His Strange Spinoff Series?
If you grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard, you probably remember Deputy Enos Strate. Played by Sonny Shroyer, who turns 90 on August 28, 2025, Enos was the sweet-natured, slightly bumbling officer whose good heart always seemed to shine through. He was so beloved by fans that in 1980, CBS decided to give Enos his own spinoff, simply called Enos. The idea was to take the gentle country deputy out of Hazzard County and drop him in Los Angeles as part of the LAPD’s Special Branch. The show premiered that November and ran through the spring of 1981, producing just 18 episodes in total.
Even with appearances from familiar faces like Daisy, Uncle Jesse and Rosco, the show didn’t connect the way the original did. So, in the fall of 1982, he returned to Dukes at the start of its fifth season. Fans were glad to see him back in Hazzard, where he felt like he belonged.
Everett Collection
Shroyer later appeared in the TV reunion movies during the late 1990s and 2000, once again playing Enos as a California detective. In an old interview with Leta Powell Drake, he reflected on the experience of leaving the hit show for a chance at his own spinoff. He defended the spinoff, adding, “It didn’t fail … it got a People’s Choice nomination and I got a People’s Choice nomination. But they don’t let people under 18 vote for it.” He added that kids were the ones that liked the show and joked, smiling at the camera, “The Enos show was not a flop!”
Looking back, although Enos wasn’t a hit with all Dukes fans, it still proved that his character was very beloved.
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’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
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