Coach

Of all of the shows (Comedies) I have seen, Coach is the the most under-rated and one of the best I have seen. You have one hell of a comedic (and dramatic) actor Craig T. Nelson and when you put together him with a cast that includes Jerry Van Dyke you have success. It's a shame I got into this show after its initial run, but thank God for repeats or I would have missed the greatness this show has to offer. A+ ALL THE WAY

The writers of Coach really had a no-win situation. The best part about the show was that he was taking a team of nobodies and trying to turn a football program around at a fictitious school that supposedly had a once great football program. Minnesota State was the underdog. They started out taking things slow. They didn't rush into making them champions. In th first season they were happy to just get a few wins. Then they made it to their first Bowl game (where they got killed in a blizzard). Then Hayden beat his mentor and won his first Bowl game. This culminated in the team winning the national championship.

That is where the trouble began and the producers knew it. Where do they go from there? Sure, the team trying to defend their championship was enough to sustain one season. But that was it. The main reason for the shows existence was gone.

So what did the writers do in a last ditch effort? They give Hayden another bunch of underdogs, an expansion NFL team. It just didn't work. Coach (the show) was about Minnesota State. Not Florida. The shows really lost a lot of quality after that move. It was a classic example of a show that should have gone out on top a season or two earlier.

This show was particularly good when the show was based in Minnesota. When it went to Florida, it went downhill.

I feel like their is shows that stand the test of time like a "I love Lucy", "All In the Family". However will "Coach" be remembered 15 even 25 years from now? In my opinion it should have consideration. Its was a well written show (for the most part) but most of all, it was the solid cast that kept the show strong for 8 out of the 10 years airing on ABC. Emmy's went to Craig T. Nelson, for his lead role as "Hayden Fox". also a well deserved Emmy Nod went to Jerry Van Dyke, who's very funny character as "Luther Van Damn. Im disappointed however, that its syndicated only at 5:00 and 6:00am. It was dropped fast from Nick @ Nite's prime time lineup in 2004 ,and i never understood why. Im still Anxiously awaiting the release of the show on DVD soon.

i think that this is one of the more underrated series of the late 90's. It was tough to compete against such series as "Cheers" "Seinfeld" and "The Cosby Show" I am sure, but if that show were to debut now it would be more of a hit then it was. (Much like "Wings" in that effect)