What worked for McCloud in the 70s worked as well for Due South in the 90s. The idea of a visiting law enforcement official coming into a strange environment and working with local police. In the process everybody learns something. It was certainly a success for McCloud it also worked for the British series Dempsey&Makepeace with an American cop over in London and a shortlived series called Houston Knights where a cop from Chicago works with the Houston PD.
In Due South a Canadian Mountie Paul Gross is sent on assignment to Chicago and is partnered with David Marciano, Italo-American detective. Let us say that both fit stereotypes perfectly. And the chemistry was perfect.
When Marciano left the show and Gross was partnered with someone else the show definitely lost something. Marciano may have been annoyed at times with Gross's perfect character, a Mountie straight out of Nelson Eddy. But Gross is well read on a seemingly unlimited amount of subjects that actually help on investigations. Marciano learned to respect that.
One joke was strictly for Canadians. Gross has his dog as every Mountie since Sergeant Preston did. He called him Diefenbaker. Very few south of the 49th parallel would get calling a dog after one of Canada's Prime Ministers. But Diefenbaker was a blunderbuss of a character and I'm sure Canadians found that hilarious.
I wish the show was still running, but only with Marciano and Gross.
In Due South a Canadian Mountie Paul Gross is sent on assignment to Chicago and is partnered with David Marciano, Italo-American detective. Let us say that both fit stereotypes perfectly. And the chemistry was perfect.
When Marciano left the show and Gross was partnered with someone else the show definitely lost something. Marciano may have been annoyed at times with Gross's perfect character, a Mountie straight out of Nelson Eddy. But Gross is well read on a seemingly unlimited amount of subjects that actually help on investigations. Marciano learned to respect that.
One joke was strictly for Canadians. Gross has his dog as every Mountie since Sergeant Preston did. He called him Diefenbaker. Very few south of the 49th parallel would get calling a dog after one of Canada's Prime Ministers. But Diefenbaker was a blunderbuss of a character and I'm sure Canadians found that hilarious.
I wish the show was still running, but only with Marciano and Gross.