See the 'Dukes of Hazzard' Cast Then and Now: Photos

Spanning the course of seven seasons, The Dukes of Hazzard followed the wild antics cousins Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) found themselves in — with their ’69 Dodge Charger, dubbed the General Lee. From January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985, the good ol’ boys delighted audiences far and wide.

The two were like modern-day Robin Hoods, one-upping the bad guys who run things in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia — in this case, county commissioner Jefferson Davis (J. D.) “Boss” Hogg (Sorreell Booke) and sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best). Bo and Duke — on probation for the illegal transportation of moonshine — can always depend on help from the Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) and female cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach). The latter, of course, is famous for being the inspiration and namesake for those iconic short jean shorts, a.k.a. “Daisy Dukes.”

As for why the show still endures — 41 years after it premiered and 35 years after it ended — John, 59, has an idea.

“I’ve heard people say why they love the show over and over,” John reflected in an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly. “The No. 1 thing they say is, ‘I used to watch that show with my grandparents every Friday night,’ or, next generation, ‘I used to come home from school and I’d watch it with my brother and sister.’ There was a real sense of family for what they used to call appointment television.”

The Dancing With the Stars alum continued, “They ate off of a Dukes of Hazzard TV tray, drank out of a Dukes of Hazzard cup, bought their Dukes of Hazzard lunch boxes and thermoses to school — it was a unifying element of their family just watching the show, because everybody watched it at the same time. That’s something we’ve lost a lot of now, with people just watching whatever they want whenever they want, and, I think, usually alone. Which is kind of sad when you can’t turn to somebody and say, ‘Wasn’t that amazing?’”

Scroll down below to see photos of the Dukes of Hazzard cast now!

John Schneider

After always finding himself behind the wheel of the General Lee as cousin Bo, John has also been in the driver’s seat. He played Jonathan Kent on TV’s Smallville, appeared on over 75 TV movies and series from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to DWTS, hit the stage and also made 10 albums. And, he currently stars on TV’s The Haves and the Have Nots.

Tom Wopat

While cousin Luke was on probation for moonshining, Tom, 68, shined in recurring roles on TV’s Cybill and Longmire and extensive appearances onstage, including Broadway runs in Annie Get Your Gun, Chicago, Glengarry Glen Ross and Catch Me If You Can. But, in 2018, he got in trouble with the law when he pleaded guilty to accosting a colleague.

Catherine Bach

Though cousin Daisy made her way the only way she knew how — as a waitress at Boss Hogg’s Boar’s Nest, Catherine, 65, found her way to TV’s African Skies and The Young and the Restless as well as to Nashville to open a boutique, Daisy Country. In between, she had two daughters with her husband of 20 years, Peter Lopez, who sadly took his own life in 2010.

Denver Pyle (1920-1997)

Following his days tending to the Dukes’ homestead as patriarch Uncle Jesse, Denver tended to spend more time at his home instead of Hollywood. But he appeared in the big-screen version of Maverick, reprised his role of Briscoe Darling for the TV pic Return to Mayberry and revisited Jesse for TV’s The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!