Chicago Soul

I'm a huge fan of James Earl Jones and I vaguely remember this series. It was a serious drama but also very engaging. Jones played Gabriel Bird, an ex-con trying to adjust to life on the outside. The sad thing was that he was wrongly jailed for a murder he could not control. He was a cop in his former life and his partner was going to shoot an innocent woman and her child during a raid and he chose his partner's life over the Innocent civilians. I was oddly into it when it ran and was sad to see it go. I'm not sure if James Earl Jones received an Emmy nomination but he definitely deserved it. Ah, just checked, he was nominated for a golden globe in 1990 for actor in a leading role. He is a fine actor, one whose performance is never overdone. It's probably due to his voice, so commanding and ominous, that he's had to work hard at not overpowering his roles with his voice. I'd purchase the first season if it was available on DVD. It gets my vote.

I wish I'd been able to catch all the episodes when this was on. If it were available on DVD, I'd certainly buy it. The cast and stories were amazing. My favorite moment was the sight of Gabriel Bird enjoying his first hot dog after release from prison. The pure joy in this simple act was a wonder to behold, and James Earl Jones did some great work here.

The previous reviewer wondered if James Earl Jones had received an Emmy nomination. Not only was he nominated - he won, for best actor, for his work in this series. Also Madge Sinclair won the Emmy for best actress, for this series. It was a nice Emmy moment for the series ABC had all but canceled. They brought it back, sort of, as "Pros and Cons" - which I never saw, but it doesn't sound much like the series I loved. Too bad.

It didn't run very long, but "Gabriel's Fire" is a fantastic series for anyone who wants to see the complete range of James Earl Jones' ability as an actor, and not only to hear the range of his beautiful voice! Even just the first episode gives him the chance to show off a broad range of emotion, of action, of genuinely slipping into his character -- the ex-cop, ex-con, Gabriel Bird.

The series begins with Bird in his twentieth year in prison for murder; he killed a white cop during a raid, and was convicted for this, but because of his exemplary military record, his sentence was reduced to life in prison. A friend of his in prison is murdered, bringing Bird through circumstances together with his friend's lawyer, and on this is built the premise of the series.

Jones does take over every scene he's in, but he's got rather an overwhelming personality on the screen; he can't help that, I think =D If you get a chance to see the series, take it!

I remember when this show came on the air and how it ended. It was a terrible shame because James Earl Jones is one of our country's finest actors. Finally, he gets a series of his own but the show never really gained a large following after a season and was canceled by the network. It did have a terrific cast and won Emmys for James Earl Jones and others but the show never truly caught on because it was more character based than action based. For those of us who don't care about action packed movies, I prefer a good drama with characters that you can identify with and sympathize. The series was serious and too sophisticated for most audiences today who prefer to escape from their daily troubles. Of course, good drama can still effective without car chases, violence, etc. Gabriel's Fire based on my memory was a decent show with a purpose but the network felt the audiences weren't enough for it to continue in another season.

With the passing of James Earl Jones, it would be a lovely tribute to show "Gabriel's Fire" again. So many people didn't get to experience the series in the 1990s and would thoroughly enjoy it now. Imagine this series not getting a second season.

I know I only watched a few episodes when it was on, but I can't say I remember the plots of the episodes. I'd love the opportunity to watch every episode now. As far as I know there is no DVD set available, and I wonder why not.

Amazon, Netflix, are you listening??

Sadly, we've lost another remarkable actor and icon.

Mr James Earl Jones.

God rest his soul in peace.