O Comissário

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.

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!

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.

Couldn't take to it initially, but that was because I was impatient and didn't get it. This is easy to watch tv, but it gets better as the characters bed in. Give it a go, but give it more than 5 or 6 episodes, you won't be disappointed.

The Commish was a slightly different cop show - the emphasis here was not on heavy violence but on "the commish" himself, played by that gifted actor, Michael Chiklis. Chiklis brought great likability to the role of Tony Scali, a good guy in a small town dedicated to family and his work as police commissioner. Teresa Saldana played his wife, and the two were totally believable together. The cop part of the show sported a fine cast including Geoffrey Nauffts, Melinda McGraw, and Gina Belafonte. The emphasis seemed to be on warmth, as you really looked forward to seeing the whole group. I never found the episodes as dark or as interesting as other police shows, but that was never the point of "The Commish." Like many Stephen Cannell shows, the series was driven by the personality of the main character and an excellent ensemble. "Wiseguy" may have had more hard-hitting scripts, and "Rockford Files" may have been more fun, but "The Commish" was comfortable and highly entertaining.

Michael Chiklis is one of those actors who can do anything. An accomplished stage performer, he did return to theater after the run of "The Commish" but came back to television as a policeman again - this one with a real dark side - on "The Shield," a big hit for F/X. "The Shield" was truly the evil brother of "The Commish," and it's the rare actor who could carry off both so perfectly. Though I'm a great admirer of "The Shield," I admit that TV isn't as bright without Tony Scali.