L'as de la crime

Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" fame) is the police commissioner in a small town, he must deal with everyday problems and scenarios that that entails, but he does it with finesse, if with unorthodox techniques. The arch-typical nice guy and very different than the bad-ass Vic Mackey that Chiklis would later portray. The slightly offbeat show also focuses on The Commish's home life. This was a well written show and very likable in a quaint kinda way. Only plummeting downwards after Geoffrey Nauffts as Officer Stan left the show, among many others. Sadly the show went on for one season to long, plus a TV movie afterwords that didn't help either. The first 3 reasons were great, the 4th one was merely alright, and the 5th one, I would just skip.

My Grade: B-

An unsung gem from the waning days of Stephen J. Cannell's production company, the big draw of The Commish nowadays is definitely Michael Chiklis. Now best-known as tough guy Lt. Vic Mackey from the lauded FX drama The Shield, it's intriguing to see Chiklis in his earlier series, playing a cop who's the polar opposite of his Emmy-winning Shield character.

The show centers on small-town Police Commissioner Tony Scali, who leads the force in Eastbridge, New York (based on real-life Rye, N.Y., Police Commissioner Tony Schembri, who collaborated on a few scripts for the series). As another poster stated, Eastbridge could easily be the Mayberry of the North, but considering that violent crime can and does happen there, one could also make comparisons to Cabot Cove, Maine or Sparta, GA., two other seemingly sleepy TV towns where trouble often lurks in the shadows.

Most of the time, though, it's petty crime and petty incidents that take up the time of Tony and his quirky force of officers...they're just as likely, if not more so, to help an old lady whose son stole her dentures (as part of a bigger plot to force her to move into a nursing home) or break up a fight between two guys dressed in chicken outfits, as they are to investigate a murder or a drug deal. Also, Tony's home life takes up a good deal of some episodes...he has to help his son get a date or coach the kid's basketball team, he supports his wife in their efforts to have another child...it's little things like this that lighten the mood and make The Commish more than just another shoot-'em-up.

Commissioner Scali is truly a different cop...unlike Chiklis's later character of Vic Mackey, who was more of a criminal than the criminals he pursued, with his brutality and disregard for suspect's rights, Tony relies on wit, charm and good old common sense to solve most problems...but that doesn't mean he doesn't get mad...far from it. He can yell with the best of them if the occasion warrants. Tony Scali might be a kind, sweet man, but he's nobody's pushover.

If Tony is Andy, he needs a Barney. For most of the first season, Irv Wallerstein (Alex Bruhanski) fills that role, until he's killed while working undercover, prompting one of the biggest bursts of anger from the normally-calm Commissioner. After solving Irv's murder, Tony takes on 'visiting' L.A. detective (and high-school buddy) Paulie Pentangeli (John Cygan) as a sidekick. Cygan fills out the season, then disappears to make way for Detective Cyd Madison (Melinda McGraw) for a couple of seasons, then returns to stay for the fourth season and the TV-movie follow-ups. And at home, he has the support of his beautiful and devoted wife Rachel, played by the underrated Theresa Saldana, who sadly seems more remembered for being brutally attacked by an obsessed fan that for any acting roles.

The Commish is definitely a great, lighter cop show if you want to see a cop that favors brains and charm over weapons. My rating...8 out of 10.

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 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

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.