Man of the People

Yes, that's how long it's been since I saw this show in its original run on TV.

And jeez, I wish someone would release this in some form, even streaming or DVDs transferred from home VHS.

This was a show I loved watching all those years ago, and I had high hopes that it would last more than one season. In some ways this series was ahead the curve, with the idea of a "man of the people" holding elective office for ulterior motives.

Just as Jack Kelly took his Bart Maverick persona into "real world" politics, so James Garner adapted his Bret Maverick style to a modern day political scenario in this underrated gem of a series that was too humorous to be a drama yet too touching to be a true sitcom. As councilman Jim Doyle, Garner created a charismatic politician who used his con-man skills to "fight city hall" from within, never letting legalities or protocol get in the way of truly serving his constituents and seeking justice. Councilman Doyle (like Garner's Jim Rockford) seemed to be surrounded by annoying personalities, most notably the self-serving mayor, delectably portrayed by Kate Mulgrew, which gave his victories a sense of poetic justice. If you have the chance to catch this short-lived, almost-completely-ignored treasure, don't miss it!

I was sorry to see this show go off the air. It was at a changing point in sitcoms, on the eve of seinfeld, but not quite.

Jim Garner, shady, but loyal to his people, constantly bickering with the ever beautiful Corinne Bohrer over what was right and wrong.

This show, if given time and a slight recasting in secondary characters, would have easily given us a flavor of Rockford for the 90's.

The casting was fine in Jim's district office. Two beautiful girls, one made a bit less sexy than her true beauty, and Jim.

The mayor's office was a shambles and no one there fit the wonderful little city that Jim represented.

I've recently seen this show on tape and it was shows like this one that would easily have once been seen on a lively 1970's Saturday night. Certainly this show , given a full season to percolate, would have fit right in with the "Mary Tyler Moore show" and "bob newhart".

Times have changed and we likely will not see this type of show again. Too bad.