The Commish (1991–1995)

Slightly offbeat television police comedy/drama. Tony Scali is the police commissioner in a small town, where solutions to difficult situations often require considerable creativity. Tony's... See full summary »

Creators:

Stephen J. Cannell, Stephen Kronish

Stars:

Michael Chiklis, Theresa Saldana, Kaj-Erik Eriksen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Michael Chiklis	...	Tony Scali (92 episodes, 1991-1996)
Theresa Saldana	...	Rachel Scali (92 episodes, 1991-1996)
Kaj-Erik Eriksen	...	David Scali (92 episodes, 1991-1996)
Geoffrey Nauffts	...	Stan Kelly (66 episodes, 1991-1994)
Melinda McGraw	...	Cyd Madison (46 episodes, 1992-1994)
Jason Schombing	...	Ronnie Lopez (42 episodes, 1991-1996)

Storyline

Slightly offbeat television police comedy/drama. 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

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Plot Keywords:

police

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Taglines:

In a small town, crime is a big deal.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Polizeichef

Filming Locations:

North Shore Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Productions, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, Three Putt Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Tony Scali was supposed to be in his late thirties. Michael Chiklis was actually 28 years old when cast as Scali, in part because he looked much older than his real age. When Chiklis lost weight during the course of the series, the network, fearing that such weight loss might negatively effect the ratings, reportedly had Chiklis stuff his clothing to appear older and heavy set. Chiklis was also discouraged from shaving his hair off to look still older.

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Quotes

Ricky Caruso: I got women lining up to me like a bakery. I'll admit it, I have no shame.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Dead Talk Back (1994)

User Reviews

Great show

The Commish was a slightly different cop show - the emphasis here was not on heavy violence but on "the commish" himself, played by that gifted actor, Michael Chiklis. Chiklis brought great likability to the role of Tony Scali, a good guy in a small town dedicated to family and his work as police commissioner. Teresa Saldana played his wife, and the two were totally believable together. The cop part of the show sported a fine cast including Geoffrey Nauffts, Melinda McGraw, and Gina Belafonte. The emphasis seemed to be on warmth, as you really looked forward to seeing the whole group. I never found the episodes as dark or as interesting as other police shows, but that was never the point of "The Commish." Like many Stephen Cannell shows, the series was driven by the personality of the main character and an excellent ensemble. "Wiseguy" may have had more hard-hitting scripts, and "Rockford Files" may have been more fun, but "The Commish" was comfortable and highly entertaining.

Michael Chiklis is one of those actors who can do anything. An accomplished stage performer, he did return to theater after the run of "The Commish" but came back to television as a policeman again - this one with a real dark side - on "The Shield," a big hit for F/X. "The Shield" was truly the evil brother of "The Commish," and it's the rare actor who could carry off both so perfectly. Though I'm a great admirer of "The Shield," I admit that TV isn't as bright without Tony Scali.