Die Schnüffler

I am a picky guy when it comes to TV shows, but just a few episodes were enough to establish this show, a show before its time, as one of my all-time favorites. I was absolutely befuddled when I discovered it was cancelled! It was a groundbreaking show with style, verve and heart. What else would you expect with the class of Vereen and Goldblum? They seemed destined to be famous sidekicks, forever at odds in their view of everything! The network didn't realize the value of what it had, ergo the inevitable mismanagement.

The odds are not good for this show ever being issued on DVD, in my opinion, despite its accomplished cast, because the TV promotion machine did not establish sufficient fan base. And there weren't enough episodes to pick "the best of." But if a DVD became available, I would sure buy it.

You'd think that a series with two accomplished actors would be available on DVD based upon the current offerings of 70's and 80's material. Conceptually, I think this could work as a current movie vehicle. I think the comedic chemistry between Goldblum and Vereen was great. I never knew of the Simon and Simon or the Moonlighting link. Upon hearing that knowledge, I can reflect that I liked those shows as well. Once again, writing in the category of "things which will never happen", those are two other shows which I'd like to see published on DVD. I suppose Moonlighting perhaps has enough of an appeal and following where it may be available.

I was but a young lad when this show premiered, but I must say I have never forgotten it. It was my first "favorite show" that I was not influenced by an outsider to like. Didn't I say I was young? I do wish someone would show reruns of this show or at least release it to DVD. It would bring back fond memories of an innocent time. If you've never seen this, your missing out. This was Jeff Goldblum and Ben Vereen at their best! It was funny, it had mystery, and it had originality! However, it didn't last long. Perhaps the people of that time didn't know how to appreciate a show about nothing that had everything, yet. I vote for reruns!

In my opinion this is Stephen J. Cannell's greatest creation. The series was kind of a -What if Jim Rockford split in two? The shy, dream-laden private-eye want-to-be and the accomplished con artist team up to solve various mysteries. Goldblum and Vereen are cast perfectly. This was television fun at it's best with the homage to the pulp detectives and the MacGyver of disguises. The villains were typical Cannell with mobsters to motorcycle gangs, but these two heroes made the endings, for me, much more satisfying because of the clever characters. Saddest is how this series was miss-scheduled by ABC and destroyed in the ratings by CBS.

Why doesn't A&E, or Lifetime, ever show this? Jeff Goldblum's only foray into series TV as a regular demonstrates that he should have done it much more often. His naive, karate-chopping ex-stockbroker private eye-wanna be is probably one of the most unique characters to be seen on TV. Ben Vereen is more your typical con-man type (which Stephen Cannell re-visited a few years later in "Sonny Spoon"), but Vereen makes the part entirely his own.

Mix with goofy, homage plots (they did Maltese Falcon twice), and you have Moonlighting without the ego trips.

-----

Revised: Well, the series is now out on DVD, and obviously Jeff Goldblum has gotten a new series in the intervening years. Having fully watched a few episodes, I won't say that the memory cheats. But the first couple of episodes are rather complex, and not in a good way. The plots tend to meander along and new characters are introduced late in the game and you're left wondering who they are. "Robin Tucker's..." makes a big ado about being at the Robin Tucker Ballroom... and then the ballroom really has nothing to do with the case. The main characters are still endearing, and Goldblum has some very odd mannerisms (like hopping over a hedge to confront a bad guy). But the voice-over in the early episodes goes on quite a bit, even for a parody/homage. Goldblum sometimes goes over the edge from endearing to obnoxious, or just idiotic. Like when he drops his gun and kicks it along trying to pick it up. Lionel is naive, not stupid. Still, it's better than a lot of shows of the era... and a lot since then.