The Commish: Season 1

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Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Season Details & Credits

ABC | Season Premiere Date: September 28, 1991

Starring: Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Theresa Saldana, Michael Chiklis

Summary: Tony Scali is the police commissioner in a small town, where solutions to difficult situations often require considerable creativity. Tony's easygoing manner and clever intellect are much more useful to him than weapons or brute force in his fight against crime.

Creator: Stephen J. Cannell and Stephen Kronish

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Suspense

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E22. The Puck Stops Here
Air Date: May 16, 1992
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S1:E21. Video Vigilante
Air Date: May 9, 1992
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S1:E20. Shoot the Breeze
Air Date: May 2, 1992

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Critic Reviews

Greg Dawson

Apr 16, 2020

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. Read full review

Scott D. Pierce

Apr 16, 2020

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. Read full review

Miles Beller

Apr 16, 2020

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]

Ken Tucker

Jun 9, 2013

Chiklis' Scali is such a happy saint that he verges on the insufferable — no one can be this generous, this clever, this jolly. Read full review

David Hiltbrand

Jun 25, 2013

The series makes a weak slab at the Hill Street Blues mix of humor and pathos. But Chiklis is a marvel of believability, vividly creating a character who is disarming, droll, clever and compassionate. Read full review

Michael Hill

Apr 16, 2020

Take a good character and put him in a lame show peopled by cliches and what you get is a waste of a good character. Read full review

Marvin Kitman

Jul 12, 2013

It's hard to believe that anybody could make such a ludicrous police drama after "Hill Street Blues." [30 Sep 1991]

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Tss5078

Apr 21, 2013

Long 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 playLong 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.… Expand

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Seasons & Episodes

50

Series Overview
Season 5

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- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: November 30, 1995
Season 4

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- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 1994
Season 3

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- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: September 25, 1993
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 26, 1992
Season 1

50
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 28, 1991
- tbd
  S1:E22. The Puck Stops Here
  Air Date: May 16, 1992
- tbd
  S1:E21. Video Vigilante
  Air Date: May 9, 1992
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  S1:E20. Shoot the Breeze
  Air Date: May 2, 1992
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  S1:E19. Judgement Day
  Air Date: April 4, 1992
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  S1:E18. Sex, Lies, and Kerosene
  Air Date: March 21, 1992
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  S1:E17. Officer April
  Air Date: March 7, 1992
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  S1:E16. True Believers
  Air Date: February 29, 1992
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  S1:E15. The Wicked Flee
  Air Date: February 22, 1992
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  S1:E14. Skeletons
  Air Date: February 8, 1992
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  S1:E13. Charlie Don't Surf
  Air Date: January 18, 1992
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  S1:E12. The Fourth Man
  Air Date: January 4, 1992
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  S1:E11. No Greater Gift
  Air Date: December 21, 1991
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  S1:E10. The Commissioner's Ball
  Air Date: December 7, 1991
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  S1:E9. Two Confessions
  Air Date: November 30, 1991
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  S1:E8. The Hatchet
  Air Date: November 16, 1991
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  S1:E7. Behind the Storm Door
  Air Date: November 9, 1991
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  S1:E6. A Matter of Life or Death (2)
  Air Date: November 2, 1991
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  S1:E6. A Matter of Life or Death
  Air Date: November 2, 1991
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  S1:E5. A Matter of Life or Death (1)
  Air Date: November 2, 1991
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  S1:E4. Nothing to Fear But ...
  Air Date: October 26, 1991
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  S1:E3. The Poisoned Tree
  Air Date: October 12, 1991
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  S1:E2. Do You See What I See?
  Air Date: October 5, 1991
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  S1:E1. In the Best of Families
  Air Date: September 28, 1991
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  S1:E1. The Commish
  Air Date: September 21, 1991