The Commish

This show initially looked like another boring cop show, but proved to be exactly the opposite. I never saw this on ABC. I started watching reruns on cable. It is hard to explain why I loved this show so much. Maybe it was the small town. Maybe the irony, it was hard to predict the endings. Maybe it was Michael Chiklis? I don't know. I loved the entire cast, which is rare for me. I loved all the deputies especially Sid. I keep hoping it will be back on the air soon. Not my favorite show ever, but a GREAT one.

"The Commish" was one of the best shows in the early 90s. Michael Chiklis was wonderful and extremely believable in the title role. Also, the supporting cast was always very good. The writing was excellent in the beginning until perhaps the 3rd season. Then, it turned into the usual Cannell fare. Mr. Cannell always wrote/produced excellent shows in the beginning, but once he and his production company ran out of ideas, they looked to current events and/or clichés to pull them through. This is true of "The A-Team," "Hunter," "Night Rider," "Rockford Files," and, of course, the cliché-in-and-of-itself, "21 Jump Street." "The Commish" was flying high until each episode became a carbon-copy of the last one. Of course, that is the fate of many a TV show and is to be disregarded. All this aside, it was an excellent show that made Saturday nights enjoyable for a few years.

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

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!

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.