The Last Precinct

Why isn't this show available anymore? It so needs to be on Nick At Night or something similar. I've only had the chance to see a couple of episodes of The Last Precinct, but I sure do wish it was on cable somewhere. Such a funny show! Adam West is great in it as well as Ernie Hudson. The characters were all so diverse; the transvestite, the Elvis impersonator, the no nonsense leading man (Perpich) and wow, is he cute in that!! I've been able to view some of Perpich's other work, and this one really shows his comedic talent. Thank you and if you get a chance to see one of these 'lost' episodes, I do hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chronically underrated police spoof with likable Perpich as a modest uniformed cop labouring thanklessly with his ragtag colleagues, including zany captain Adam West and bumbling sub-continent exchange Vijay Amritraj (former pro tennis player) as they take on a drug smuggling ring. Wings Hauser does a fair comedic turn (not his usual style) as an uber-cool sheriff's deputy always trying to outsmart the regular cops, with predictable results.

Plenty of slapstick, situational humour and bawdiness buffer the general lack of substance in the storyline, while a plethora of crazy characters maintains the momentum in spite of the shaky narrative. Ducommun (in John Candy mould) and his laughing dummy (often ejected from a motorcycle sidecar as a running joke) set the tone early and most of the characters are quickly established by their own quirky brand (e.g. the Elvis impersonator, the randy archives clerk, the bodybuilding police woman etc, etc).

Soap opera fans will no doubt recognise a lusty Katherine Kelly Lang as the centrefold-cum-roller-skate waitress in the first scene, and even veteran actor Keenan Wynn appears briefly as an ageing cop with hemorrhoids. Nothing too sophisticated, just a series of lightweight gags and bozo characterisations by a relatively distinguished cast; the only disappointment here is that "The Last Precinct" remains so obscure. If you can locate a copy, check it out - maybe not a keeper, but good for a few laughs.