Half Nelson

Only a handful of episodes were made, but man were they good! I still remember them.

A tongue-in-cheek detective show with Pesci perfect as the gumshoe. Strong supporting cast of actors who didn't take themselves too seriously and a great episode-ending plot device with Dean Martin as himself, talking to Joe. Dean didn't look so good, but it was sure nice to see him on the show after his "roasts" ended in '82. Whenever Dean was on the screen it was a lot of fun. The other supporters included Bubba Smitha and Dick Butkis, I think. The whole security firm plot landed itself to all sorts of Rockford Files type adventures and it's sad that it didn't last.

Anybody else remember this one?

Half Nelson, a 1985 NBC mid season replacement starred Joe Pesci of Raging Bull and Goodfellas fame. Half Nelson is probably one of the funniest and silliest private eye shows to ever hit prime time television. I put Half Nelson right up there with Police Squad Files, a 1982 ABC television series which became the Leslie Nielson Naked Gun comedies of the 1990's and the forgotten t.v. show Cop Rock.

Joe Pesci should have taken a page of Leslie Nielson book and turned Half Nelson into a successful movie franchise. The elements was all there: outrageous dialogue, outrageous car chases, over sized guns with long barrels, and outrageous, but funny as hack story lines. Half Nelson also starred Fred Williamson of Black Caesar and Three The Hard Way fame. I have not seen this show since it originally aired.

I give this show *** stars-good. It is not my knowledge on DVD or have been released on DVD.