The Commish

I really loved this show during its peak years. When it first premiered, I resisted watching it, because I hated the title. I always hate when people try to sound cool by shortening words (and yes, I realize how silly that sounds). Anyway, I tried and tried to watch "Sisters," the competition on NBC at the time. I finally had to give up--it was just too gynocentric (given to endless gnashing of teeth over nebulous, incomprehensible emotional dilemmas). Channel hopping to ABC, I saw something (or someone actually) who caught my attention, and watched the show. "The Commish" turned out to be thoroughly entertaining. The plots, while never earth-shattering, were inventive and often both suspenseful and funny. Michael Chiklis was surprisingly charismatic as the title character. My favorite character was Stan--the story thread which ran through the first three seasons (until Stan was killed off) depicting the mentor/protege relationship between Tony and Stan was the best part of the show. After Stan (Geoffrey Nauffts) was killed and Syd (Melinda McGraw) left the show, unfortunately, "The Commish" lost its way. The plots became less inventive and more serious. I felt like the heart went out of the show. The show at its best, however, was like eating macaroni and cheese--pleasant, familiar, and comforting.

I called it the Andy Griffith Show for the 90s because it was set also in a small town, with goofy officers to assist the Chief, and with some silly plot lines. At the same time, it was a grown-up "Andy Griffith Show", full of the problems of the time affecting the family, both at work and at home. Many of us cannot forget the time in which the son of the Commissioner was taken...and in which the wife of the Commish was raped and almost killed. It was realistically done, and all of the actors should take a deep bow. It was good TV. I want it back.

Settummanque!

An unsung gem from the waning days of Stephen J. Cannell's production company, the big draw of The Commish nowadays is definitely Michael Chiklis. Now best-known as tough guy Lt. Vic Mackey from the lauded FX drama The Shield, it's intriguing to see Chiklis in his earlier series, playing a cop who's the polar opposite of his Emmy-winning Shield character.

The show centers on small-town Police Commissioner Tony Scali, who leads the force in Eastbridge, New York (based on real-life Rye, N.Y., Police Commissioner Tony Schembri, who collaborated on a few scripts for the series). As another poster stated, Eastbridge could easily be the Mayberry of the North, but considering that violent crime can and does happen there, one could also make comparisons to Cabot Cove, Maine or Sparta, GA., two other seemingly sleepy TV towns where trouble often lurks in the shadows.

Most of the time, though, it's petty crime and petty incidents that take up the time of Tony and his quirky force of officers...they're just as likely, if not more so, to help an old lady whose son stole her dentures (as part of a bigger plot to force her to move into a nursing home) or break up a fight between two guys dressed in chicken outfits, as they are to investigate a murder or a drug deal. Also, Tony's home life takes up a good deal of some episodes...he has to help his son get a date or coach the kid's basketball team, he supports his wife in their efforts to have another child...it's little things like this that lighten the mood and make The Commish more than just another shoot-'em-up.

Commissioner Scali is truly a different cop...unlike Chiklis's later character of Vic Mackey, who was more of a criminal than the criminals he pursued, with his brutality and disregard for suspect's rights, Tony relies on wit, charm and good old common sense to solve most problems...but that doesn't mean he doesn't get mad...far from it. He can yell with the best of them if the occasion warrants. Tony Scali might be a kind, sweet man, but he's nobody's pushover.

If Tony is Andy, he needs a Barney. For most of the first season, Irv Wallerstein (Alex Bruhanski) fills that role, until he's killed while working undercover, prompting one of the biggest bursts of anger from the normally-calm Commissioner. After solving Irv's murder, Tony takes on 'visiting' L.A. detective (and high-school buddy) Paulie Pentangeli (John Cygan) as a sidekick. Cygan fills out the season, then disappears to make way for Detective Cyd Madison (Melinda McGraw) for a couple of seasons, then returns to stay for the fourth season and the TV-movie follow-ups. And at home, he has the support of his beautiful and devoted wife Rachel, played by the underrated Theresa Saldana, who sadly seems more remembered for being brutally attacked by an obsessed fan that for any acting roles.

The Commish is definitely a great, lighter cop show if you want to see a cop that favors brains and charm over weapons. My rating...8 out of 10.

The Commish is definitely the best show ever produced on television. It had a perfect balance of comedy and drama. Every episode was filled with clever twists and turns that made each and ever show original. No other program on television has or will ever come close to The Commish's unique chemistry. Every single character on the show is far beyond memorable.

-PauliePentangeli@aol.com http://commishtv.homepage.com

Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" fame) is the police commissioner in a small town, he must deal with everyday problems and scenarios that that entails, but he does it with finesse, if with unorthodox techniques. The arch-typical nice guy and very different than the bad-ass Vic Mackey that Chiklis would later portray. The slightly offbeat show also focuses on The Commish's home life. This was a well written show and very likable in a quaint kinda way. Only plummeting downwards after Geoffrey Nauffts as Officer Stan left the show, among many others. Sadly the show went on for one season to long, plus a TV movie afterwords that didn't help either. The first 3 reasons were great, the 4th one was merely alright, and the 5th one, I would just skip.

My Grade: B-