In what must have been one of the shortest lived series on network television, "Cop Rock" was part "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol" and part "The Sound of Music". After chasing down a criminal, the force would take to the street for an organized dance number, then haul the guy back to HQ. This may have been the only series to have been based on a Broadway musical format. Written by Michael Silva <silvamd@cleo.bc.edu>
this show was actually better than the promos would have made it seem. it was by all means innovative, unlike anything else in the time or since. why this show failed is beyond me. the music was catchy and the characters represented the same caricatures we love to watch in law and order and shows of the like. perhaps the selling point (or point of no return, depending upon how you look at it) was the combination of the two. if this show had been produced as a run of the mill cop show it probably would have been popular, and maybe still airing today. but this was a time when the American viewing audience was not willing to take a chance on something new. while the songs used provided a great insight into the minds of the characters, they were the obvious downfall of a promising drama. please join me in my continued mourning of a show that was never allowed to reach it's potential.