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.
