The Commish

The Commish
[DVD Commish]

Viewers familiar with Michael Chiklis' gritty portrayal of Vic Mackey on The Shield may be surprised to see his earlier starring role as Tony Scali, the police commisioner of fictional Eastbridge, NY. In this series from Stephen J. Cannell, the producer who brought us The Rockford Files, Wiseguy, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, Hunter and Silk Stalkings (just to name a few), the emphasis was placed equally on Tony Scali's work and home lives -- at work, there were police cases to be supervised and crimes to be solved, often featuring very quirky or comical characters; on the homefront, he had a wife and a son to take care of. There was a terrific supporting cast to The Commish, which changed over the seasons, as actors came and went. The Commish was more of a "gentle" show, emphasizing the character foibles with humor, but it didn't shy away from serious storylines and dramatic moments. And, most importantly, it gave Michael Chiklis a chance to really shine on screen. I recommend this to anyone who's a fan of classic "cop" shows from the 1970s and 1980s, but who's not really into the "gritty" ensemble shows like Hill Street Blues or NYPD Blue. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [subscribe to Scott's monthly "It's All Geek to Me!" booklist newsletter or any of the 35+ other newsletters available through the libraries Books, Movies & More email newsletter service!]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ The Commish episode guide at epguides.com ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.