Brigade de nuit

I used to enjoy watching this show. Since this was on CBS Late Night and through the years it was on, due to work or college, I wasn't able to watch it when it was on. Thank goodness for VCRs!!! Otherwise I would've missed out on a great show.

It featured a great cast was great with Scott Hylands, Jeff Wincott, Sean McCann, Deborah Grover and Susan Hogan. Stephen Mendel as Detective Freddie Carson and Eugene Clark as Detective Colby Burns were the perfect comic relief. Both had great chemistry together and played off each other well. In addition, Tony Rosato as "Whitey" was hilarious as well playing Detective O'Brien and Giambone's "stoolie". I used to love the one liners "Whitey" would lob at both O'Brien and Giambione like, "Hey Giambonie, you need to lighten up on the hairspray", or "you two need to wear more pastels and you can look like those guys on Miami Vice" as they left him when they got the information they needed. Clark Johnson as Detective Dave Jefferson was both sleazy and funny at the same time, not always telling "O.B." and Giambone what they needed to know when Vice ended up getting linked to their cases, but in the end, they got it, but had to work for it.

In some of their episodes, you'll find guest appearances from Danny Aiello and from future stars like Keanu Reeves. I best remember him (Reeves) as the stoner punk villain. He played the role well.

Back in the late summer of 1987, CBS used this show as a summer replacement for a month at the 10 o'clock time slot on a Tuesday night. It did well in the Neilsens, but CBS chose to keep this on their Late Night lineup.

Sometimes, I pull one of these tapes out, blow off the dust and put it in my vcr. It was a great show.

I still have the shows on tape and have blown the dust off and popped them in the VCR. I still enjoy the show.

Night Heat is one of the best TV Series Cop Shows for sure. A great Canadian cast and was shot at night entirely all over Toronto,Ontario. I remember seeing the show being filmed all the time and for us that live in Toronto, it was always fun to figure out where abouts the scenes were shot when watching. Jeff Wincott stole the show with his under rated acting. Too bad that his brother Michael Wincott has been alot more successful that him. Scott Hylands, Sean McCann show there experiemce acting in the show as well. McCann is always great in whatever role he gets, also is a nice guy when you run into him on the streets of Toronto. The entire cast had great chemistry, one of those rare drama shows where the entire cast is talented. Too bad CBS scrapped thier CBS Late Night timeslot, but when they wanted in on the Late Night Talk Show circuit, well Night Heat had to be the sacrifice. Reruns are un up here in Canada I don't know about in the USA. One great thing about the show was they always had good guest stars like Danny Aiello, and Hector Elizondo and they were great with the cast. Another few Canadian shot shows to check out if you can are Hot Shots, Sirens and Diamonds. You will see the same Canadian actors playing bit parts in these ones. If you can catch the Night Heat reruns, I say do so. Not cheesy at all.

I loved watching this show late at night. I was a shift worker and would get home late at night, just in time to watch the network late shows and this one was one of the best, very original. I would love to have these on VHS or DVD. I used to tape it, and of course,no cable at the time, so I had to rely on good reception on my TV, not always getting it when the outside antenna would blow around. This is one of those shows that would be a great addition to my collection. Scott Hylands and Jeff Wincott were fantastic. I loved watching them play off each other. I can see some of the police officers I work with in the two of them.

Guess I'm biased! It was a great Canadian series, shot in Toronto (my birthplace). Being from Toronto, the background scenery was very familiar and added to the realism. My wife and I enjoyed all the actors, although some were being re-cast as different guest villains,etc. a little too much. We especially like the "confrontations" between cops "Kevin & Frank" and "Whitey".

While I can empathize with Canadain viewers who like seeing Canadian actors in roles, and enjoy seeing Toronto and other major Canadian cities on American television, etc., I also can't get past being bothered when a show made anywhere in Canada pretends to be from a gritty American city like New York, especially the New York underworld which would generate the most activity for criminals and work for detectives. Sorry, but Canada is just too sanitized. I had the same problem with "Police Surgeon" in the 1970s. In any event, however, the theme music and opening of "Night Heat" was terrific. I still have a sound recording and play it, even though it runs less than a minute, just because I like it!