The Commish

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 28, 1991
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 3 out of 11
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Critic Reviews

  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Miles Beller
    Apr 16, 2020
    70
    Chiklis as the man with the big badge and large heart puts over the role with grand, embracing humanity. And Saldana as the Mrs. makes the part convincingly real. To be sure, there's more than a tad of schmaltz and stage business afoot here. Yet "The Commish" out-performs the usual cop operas impressed into primetime service this time of year. [27 Sept 1991]
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  2. Deseret News
    Reviewed by: Scott D. Pierce
    Apr 16, 2020
    70
    It's tough for anything to succeed on Saturday night, and this show may be too uneven to hold up for long. But it has possibilities, so let's hope ABC sticks with it for a while.
  3. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Greg Dawson
    Apr 16, 2020
    70
    The Commish is a conventional cop series that will rise or fall on the strength of its main character, so it may have a shot. Chiklis, a stumpy dynamo who played John Belushi in Wired, is instantly likable as Scali, an "unorthodox" police commissioner in suburban New York.
  5. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Apr 16, 2020
    63
    The man, and the actor, command respect, but probably will get precious little in this terrible time period. [27 Sept 1991, p.3D]
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User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Tss5078
    Apr 21, 2013
    8
    Long before he was cracking skulls as Vic Mackey on The Shield, Michael Chiklis was Tony Scali, the Commissioner of the East Bridge PoliceLong before he was cracking skulls as Vic Mackey on The Shield, Michael Chiklis was Tony Scali, the Commissioner of the East Bridge Police Department. The show launched Chiklis's career and when you've seen both The Commish and The Shield, you really get the sense that this guy could play any role. Scali was the complete opposite of Mackey, whereas Mackey solved his problems through violence and intimidation, throwing the book out the window, Scali solved crime by using the book to his advantage. Scali would use his cleverness, his charm, and even his wit to get the answers he needed and was the true opposite of Vic Mackey in every sense of the word. The Commish was so much more than just a simple cop show, it was a family show, and during it's five year run on ABC it was way ahead of it's time. The show ran from 1991-1995 and even then was exploring such topics as bullying, gay marriage, the emergence of the internet, and in one first season episode, way back in 1991, Tony states that reality TV was the wave of the future! Scali wasn't just the clever cop who ran a large police department and solved crimes through extremely clever and unconventional methods, he was a family man. Much of the show intertwines his work with his family and he's just as clever, witty, and delightful at home as he is in the station. As I said earlier, this show launched the career of Michael Chiklis who now is a multiple Emmy Award winner and one of the best people you could have on board for a new series. Veteran actress, Theresa Saldana, plays his wife Rachel, and she's more than just a housewife. She's just as intuitive as her husband and is a working mom, another aspect of the show that was ahead of it's time. Their son David, was the first major role for Kaj-Erik Eriksen, who has seemingly been in everything. You may not recognize his name, but you'll definitely recognize his face from one thing or another. I have been watching the Commish regularly for about 3 months now and I can tell you honestly, this show never gets old. No two cases or personalities are the same, and you'd be hard pressed to find award winning novels that are better written. This is one of the most clever, fun, and heartwarming shows I have ever seen, and even though it's been off the air for nearly 20 years, it's still as relevant today as it was then and I can not possible recommend it enough.… Full Review »
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