Tequila e Bonetti

I really wanted to like this cop show. But for me the 3-way partnership of Detective Nick Bonetti (Jack Scalia) and his delightful partner Angela Garcia (Mariska Hargitay) and that annoying "talking", and I do mean every voice-over thought that could be culled out of that dog, got to be too much.

The dog is cute enough but the constant voice-overs of his every thought just became too much of the tale. Just a few clever thoughts voiced per episode would have worked better. You really don't want to be beating him to his lines.

Making the dog the 3rd partner put him front and center to the episodes and, for me got in the way of any kind of gripping action and interplay of the 2 human partners. Nobody seemed to be having that much fun nor really working their performances, except maybe that annoying dog, LOL. I might have enjoyed that canine a whole lot more if he only had the occasional clever punch line. He really is an adorable dog, don't get me wrong.

So for me, this comedic cop drama fell flat. Bonetti himself had his own annoying quirks. His character was the Hollywood depiction of a typical Italian machismo Brooklyn cop as a fish-out-of-water cop in L.A. The back story of his accidental fatal shooting of a 12-year-old girl gave us some sympathy for his mental anguish-tortured soul as shown to some, i.e. the ex-wife but not to others. such as his boss. as in his 'I'm over it" false bravado. Bonetti is an accomplished pianist as we see him at the keyboards in all three of the first episodes. So we see he has a bit of a cultured, hip side to his cop persona.

Created by Donald P. Bellisario who is also top writing credit for the episodes of this one-season show as well as executive producer. His amazing and prolific talent is so many classic shows such as NCIS, Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap, JAG, Airwolf and Black Sheep Squadron, and the list goes on, really had me hopeful for a show I'd missed in 1992-1993.

The first three episodes was it for me, I just couldn't stomach any more of Bonetti himself or the abundant voice-over thoughts of that cute but annoying dog. It was pretty clear to me I wanted to ax this after the 1st episode, and by the 3rd episode, reaching for that ax had become an obsession. I succumbed.

Brooklyn homicide detective Nick Bonetti (Jack Scalia) moves to Cali to restart his career after accidentally shooting to death a 12 year old kid. His new home is South Coast PD. It's a clash of cultures. Capt. Midian Knight (Charles Rocket) partners him up with rookie cop Officer Angela Garcia (Mariska Hargitay). Worst, he assigns him a scruffy dog named Tequila (voice by Brad Sanders). Garcia is a single mom to a little girl after her policeman husband was killed by an armed kid.

Producer Donald P. Bellisario has a lot of hit shows over the decades. He must love Turner & Hooch. This is not one of his better ones. This is a mess of tones. The pilot is bad with broad comedy and bad stereotype acting. Every episode starts with the reminder that our lead killed an unarmed black kid in NYC. Even back then, that's not a good look. This is a year after Rodney King. Bellisario is completely out of touch on that point.

Scalia is doing a Brooklyn Italian stereotype and it is annoying. There is a lot L. A. weird that the show is trying to contrast with Scalia. Some of that is toned down in the later episodes, but the damage is done. Sometimes, the show is super serious and dark. Sometimes, it is super stupid and silly. It is a struggle between the clashing tones.

The talking dog is always right there and he is voiced like a black street wise guy. Some people do have complaints. I actually am fine with it. At least, the dog is much better than our lead. I would rather have the dog be the lead as he tries to help the bumbling Bonetti solve the cases. Quite frankly, the guy is not always a good detective either. He literally has his gun stolen and not realize it. He finds it at a murder site and doesn't know that it's his. He is aggressive, but he is not always smart.

For me, the main draw is Mariska Hargitay. It is 7 years before SVU. So, she's a rookie cop struggling with a Brooklyn know-it-all cop. Let's make this a prequel for Olivia Benson. She may be the only unequivocal positive from the show. It was mercifully canceled after a half season.

One of the best tv series ever of 90's and still today.

The Hollywood and journalists have been not fair and... not understood the real meaning of this serie.

The good message and it's incredible they have criticized the scripts... but did they really ever see the series ? Mmm I don't think so.

Each episode is a message of life of good teaching and Mr Bellisario was great. In Italy we were advantaged by our Voice of the Dog, but it could be a famous series, shame on who blocked it.

Locations, dresses, dialogues, story, photography, screenplays, messages, ironic, funny stuff and not only violence or sex like in all other American tv series, these are the best of this tv series.