Season 5 of the Dukes of Hazzard

 Season 5 of the Dukes of Hazzard brought new characters to the show: Vance Duke and Coy Duke, played by Christopher Mayer and Bryon Cherry. Their mission: replace Bo and Luke, while stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat were absent for the show. (due to a dispute with Warner Bros.)

It was an impossible task. Christopher and Byron were not allowed to develop their characters. They were required to be carbon copies of Bo and Luke.

Many fans rejected the substitute Dukes and ratings fell. It was not the fault of the cast or crew, who really did their best to keep the episodes fun and entertaining.

Season 5 had some fresh moments. Episodes like "The Great Insurance Fraud" and "Witness: Jesse Duke" offered more emotion than the standard adventure. Fans who had stuck around were warming up to the new Dukes - or had at least become used to them.

But as rough as the beginning had been for Christopher and Byron, the ending wasn't any better.

When John and Tom returned to the show, Coy and Vance were were given just a few minutes of screen time to say goobye to Hazzard County. The keys to the General Lee were handed over to Bo and Luke, and that was that. The rest of the episode played out as if Coy and Vance had never existed, and their names were never mentioned again.

Christopher Mayer and Bryon Cherry starred in 19 episodes of Season 5. A respectible run, for two men who had the most difficult job in Hollywood during 1982.

Their voices and animated characters also appeared in 13 episodes of "The Dukes" cartoon.

Byron Cherry is still involved with Dukes of Hazzard events, and will be at Cooter's Place 25th Anniversary Festival in Luray, VA, July 19-22. Go say howdy to Coy if you have the chance!

Christopher Mayer passed away in 2011, at age 57.