After playing Cooter for all seven seasons of the series from 1979 to 1985, Jones turned to politics and was elected to the US House from a district near Atlanta in 1988. For seven seasons, Jones was one of a small band of friends and family helping Bo and Luke Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard. The Dukes of Hazzard was a hit for CBS and its popularity never waned. Jones also credited the series with pulling him out of a self-destructive, alcoholic lifestyle that led to the failure of several marriages. “It was like being in a Beatles movie,” Jones said.