Die Straßen von Philadelphia

David Morse is back on primetime as a former Philly cop, now working as a cab driver. Hack is a combination of Walker Texas Ranger (without the karate), and Early Edition.

Morse's, Mike Olshansky is a solid, and benevolent character who still carry's on his former duty's as a police officer, and helps people in need, even the ones that may not be so deserving of it.

He is not alone in his tasks, as he can count on his x-partner, Marseilles Washington, played by Andre Braugher from Homicide. The relationship between Olshansky and Washington can be a bit bellicose at times, but genially the two like one and other, and share a common respect.

Hack is also aided by the spiritual guidance and wisdom of long time friend, Father Tom "Grizz" Grzelack (George Dzundza).Father Tom plays an important part in Mikes life and is definitely a great character for the series.

All in all Hack is probably the best new Drama Series for 2002-2003 season. Sorry CSI Miami.

WHY oh WHY! was this great programme cancelled?! Such a shame to see this winner pulled from our TV screens . . .

I had heard of the US show only after I had come across it on previous UK TV broadcasts, when I caught only 1 or 2 episodes. And I always wanted to watch it from the start, to get the full effect, plus an introduction to the lead character & a background to the tale. So when it recently arrived on the Freeview TV schedule over here in the UK I gladly started watching it. I am currently still on series 1, but am an avid fan. As yes, I was not let down: it is great.

David Morse is engaging as the quietly cool lead: the taxi driver with a heart of gold. Very warm & reliable. OK, there is nothing new there re the Hero To The Rescue: after all, how many guys have we seen in TV dramas who regularly "save the day"?! And this hero is the ubiquitous "damaged" ex-cop, to boot! ,-) . . .

But any repetition in charactererisation seems negligible. The programme is so well put together as a character-plus-story that any typecasting doesn't matter.

And the concept of a taxi driver as the lead character - the cabbie who sees all sides of the world pass through his cab - is so fresh an idea, that it works a treat.

Plus there is a new angle in the portrayal of the lead as an erstwhile cop who DID slide down onto the dark side, to the detriment of his career. This is is a new - and brave for network TV - twist to the old idea of a damaged-&-divorced ex-cop. This type of lead protagonist is all too often written as wrongly! charged with a crime, who thus - at the back of each episode in their tale - has a running storyline of the character having to prove his or her innocence. In 'Hack' our hero 'Mike Olshansky' is different: he is not only flawed but it was not - in what is a change to the backstory of many TV leads - innocent in this; he did indeed take what wasn't his to take, leading to his Philadelphia police career taking a tumble. A nice fresh tilt for a mainstream US TV drama.

So I was disappointed to find out here at IMDb that the programme only went on for 2 series. After all, we have seen loads of shows produced that are centred on cops, forensic teams, hospital staff, etc., but have never (to my knowledge!) had a show like this, centred upon an ex-cop taxi driver. It was a original & good premise for a long-running show, & could have run & run.

I haven't seen any of series 2 yet, so I don't know if it carries on in its strength or - uh-oh!! - worsens (as, sadly, too many US TV shows now seem to do) but I shall enjoy it in the meantime . . .

And as for the show being cancelled - sigh!! - after changes in the production team led to the ethos of the programme changing after series 1 ended: I maintain the well-known mantra: if it ain't broke don't mend it. I am getting tired of seeing too many good US TV programmes go downhill after a change of horses mid-programme. Changing any TV drama mid-stream ruins the characterisation & continuity. It's like changing a playwright mid-play, so that the theatregoer returns after the interval only to find that he is watching a completely different style of play! ,-D

I am currently on episode 10 . . . right, straight onto episode 11 . . . popcorn at the ready!! :-D

Not a bad show, and David Morse is good in his character. The only issue is that most of the episodes take about 20 minutes to rev-up, that's when they're not arcing a story line. Sometimes it's just ponderously slow. And when the plot does get going, it's suddenly solved. Boom. Like that. They go from figuring it out to the epilogue without busting the guy on camera - he's just suddenly nabbed. Okaaaaay. Run out of money much for the episode? And to the extra whining that his name is not in bold in the credits... when you're an A-Lister, maybe it will be ;)

But like I said, it's a pretty decent show with an interesting premise.

"Hack" was a wonderful show that meant a lot to us fans. The heroes were not perfect and many times they not only sinned, but flat-out broke the law. It inspired many people, especially the people of Philadelphia whom we've become used to seeing the actors and crew on our streets. Why hasn't Paramount Home Video yet produced the DVD set of the series? It is only 40 episodes and us fans would love to have it to cherish forever. Paramount has produced so many horrible shows that went right to DVD, I cannot understand why "Hack" still is not available for sale on DVD. We write letters and emails and no one from Paramount even has the courtesy to respond. Yes, there are still die-hard, loyal fans of "Hack" and we are strong!

I've been watching this on Netflix streaming as of late. I don't even remember this show while it was on TV, and can't believe it only lasted 2 or 3 seasons. I found the premise to be intriguing and original. The characters are strong and likable. The chemistry between Morse and his son, Morse and his former partner, (Andre Braugher), and even Morse with his estranged wife, make for good sub-plot lines. Oh... and Morse and the Priest (Dzundza.) The main thrust of the show is his vigilante persona, which he pulls off well, with his passengers who are in need. There are some interesting twists at times, as occasionally the passengers in need turn out to be villains, and not the victims. He's human, has flaws... and wrestles with his inner demons, but at least he acknowledges his shortcomings and struggles to make things right. Great shots of Philly, by the way. The viewer can almost taste the flavor of this great city.