There were a few shows I watched as an eight year-old that I probably shouldn’t have been allowed to view. WWF(E) Monday Night Raw. Probably not Married with Children. Definitely not Silk Stalkings (although it proved popular among the whole family. Except that we all watched in separate rooms). Sometimes 20/20. But one show that aired in the 10pm slot that I think was okay for me, even then, was The Commish. Why I was watching ABC at 10pm on Saturday nights at that time I’m not sure (perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Growing Pains anchored the two-hour comedy block and failed “TGIF” spin-off “I love Saturday Night.” Yes, that’s definitely it), but despite dealing in serious crimes The Commish was a show that (I think) had a soft touch and a real heart.
It’s hard to believe that before Michael Chiklis starred as a bad-ass shady cop on The Shield, looking like a cross between Bruce Willis and Andrew Zimmern, he played a doughy, lovable, balding police commissioner of a sleepy town in upstate NY, whose biggest problem was finding his pen
(as it turns out, the network was unsure about casting Chiklis, and apparently later asked him to stuff his shirt and not shave his head in order to look older/schlubbier. TV magic!)
Keep reading: Lieutenant Cyd Madision AND Stephen J. Cannell!
Jumped The Snark 