User reviews

The concept of a Priest who spends his spare time solving murders and crimes is nothing new of course, Father Brown had been doing it for decades before Father Dowling arrived on the scene, but this is an American slant on the thing, and good leads like Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson make it work, back before crime shows got too dark and gruesome, this one has plenty of humour, and plays like some of those wonderful old 'B' movies of the 30's & 40's, in other words, just plain old fashioned good entertainment. How many people I wonder realize that 20 years before this, Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson appeared in the same movie together? 'Yours, Mine and Ours' with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, of course Tracy was only about 4 years old at the time, neither could have imagined one day they'd co-star in the same series.

The mystery solving parish priest Father Brown who was the creation of converted Catholic G.K. Chesterton got an American makeover in that most American of cities Chicago for the Father Dowling Mysteries. That man did get himself involved in more situations that were not necessarily related to his calling which made for interesting episodes. Tom Bosley as Father Dowling was a trial to both the Catholic Archdiocese and the Police Department which he was always showing up.

That's usually the way it is with most television series, the private detective or the amateur is constantly showing up professional law enforcement. As viewers we enjoy that.

Unlike Chesterton's detective Dowling did not dwell too much on Catholic dogma, the better to get a universal audience. Tracy Nelson was a young nun who shared Dowling's taste for mystery and adventure and her being a nun and all that that entailed put her in some interesting situations as a Dowling operative so to speak.

Sad to say the show did run out of creative ideas and that was probably due to the parameters imposed by making a priest your lead character. When Dowling confessed to really fathering a child before taking his vows of celibacy you knew the jig was up for this show.

Still it was a pleasant series to watch and Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson gave a good account of themselves in the series.

I loved this show as a teen. My life didn't revolve around TV as my friends did, but this was one of the shows I loved. Murder she wrote, The Equalizer, Quincy MD, Spencer Tracy, all these shows were awesome but Dowling was the best. Anyone thinking otherwise has no understanding of imagination or logic. This show was a great way for a kid in the slums to see that they didn't have to stay there. Sister Steve was an inspiration for me, and her intuitive thinking was astounding. Father Dowling's way of observing the facts taught my friends and I that there is more than one way to see anything. That was great.

This is an awesome show.

Summary The Father Dawling series, while more realistic than Murder, She Wrote it is still an unbelievable series in which a catholic priest with the assistance of a Nun solves murder cases. Yet it is less aggravating to watch as compared to that Jessica Fletcher thing.

I remember this series from my youth. I watched it for a few episodes at intervals. Nowaday reruns of are sometimes shown in the early afternoon. It is the fate of that type of series.

I somehow associated the father with that "Fletcher-woman" from Murder, She wrote. Like Jessica Fletcher feels like a translation of Miss Marple, so Father Dowling looks much like an American implementation of Father Brown. Like Jessica Fletcher the good brother is there to solve the Murder and leaves us to sleep at peace.

Yet while saying this there are some differences with Murder, She Wrote. First and foremost the Dowling series seems to posses more realism and more grey shades. The world is less popcile and apple-pie. Less preposterous. While Jessica Fletcher seems mostly to be busy in small towns(the kind that so often the stage of Stephen King's stories) Father Dowling seems to be more operating in cities. Unlike the Fletcher series the people are less halfwit and Dowling's sidekick the nun is actually a capable attractive woman. Which is a change since with the Murder, she wrote series, the main cast seems to consist of elderly people most of the time. An interesting aside is that the good Father is a catholic.

Another different thing is the method the perpetrator is caught. In Father Dowling it seems to be more a case of catching him/her red-handed. In Murder, She Wrote it is more that the felon admits after being confronted with the truth.

But on the downside, the method with which are solved are also often more ridiculous. Since both Dowling and his trusty sidekick are people of the cloth, they need to disguise themselves a lot during their investigations. This results is the use of the most weakest set of disguises one can encounter. Wear a set of dark glasses and a suit and voilà Dowling is bad dud gangster. The nun takes of her gown and put some cushions underneath her clothes and she is a pregnant mum.

All in all, while this series is not as bad as Murder, She Wrote, this series is hardly worth the trouble watching considering that there are a lot of better series like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Law & Order for that matter. But it probably will appeal to an audience that can only sleep when the murderer is safely locked away in a world that is less disturbing than shown in those other series.

Owen

Father Dowling Mysteries is a who-done-it series in the vein of Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Ellery Queen, Nick and Nora Charles, Miss Marple, et al. The "gimmick" or "twist" here is that our protagonist is a Catholic priest and the pastor of an inner-city parish.

Tom Bosley plays Father Frank Dowling, an amateur sleuth who just "happens to be around" when someone is murdered, abducted, disappears, etc. He then takes it upon himself to investigate the crime and prove that the police department's number one suspect is innocent. Tracy Nelson plays Sister Stephanie (a.k.a. Sister Steve), a young streetwise nun and Father Dowling's partner in crime-solving.

The show is formulaic of the genre:

1. Obvious clues that the police overlook.

2. The police, anxious to "wrap it up," arrest an innocent person based on flimsy circumstantial evidence.

3. Only Father Dowling and Sister Steve possess the analytical minds and cunning to solve crimes.

4. Our sleuths get into all sorts of life-threatening situations only to escape/be rescued at the last minute.

5. Someone makes a benign eleven-o'clock-hour statement about potato salad that triggers a lightbulb moment within our crack sleuths. Father Dowling says something like, "That's it's! Marie, call the police, and tell them to meet us at the loading dock. Come on Steve."

6. The guilty party is subjected to a Father Dowling monologue at the denouement about how he pieced all of the evidence together.

7. Crimes are solved based on hunches and enigmatic clues (and a lot of snooping) rather than forensic evidence (e.g. DNA, fingerprints, trace evidence).

Despite the cliches, however, the show boasts likable characters, interesting plots, and a top-notch cast, particularly Tracy Nelson, who gets to play a wide range of undercover characters who are on the other side of the moral spectrum of Sister Steve's religious beliefs (e.g. Prostitute, pool hustler, card shark, beauty contestant, etc.).

Rounding out the cast of series regulars is the wonderful character actress Mary Wickes as the wisecracking parish rectory housekeeper (a role she's played many times before), and James Stephens, who provides just the right amount of comic relief as a young befuddled priest forever looking for ways to suck up to the (unseen) diocese Bishop.

I really like this show. While I do slightly prefer Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling is an entertaining watch. Tom Bosley is superb in the title role, a performance of great warmth and dignity. Tracy Nelson does show real promise as an actress, she has a likable and quite bubbly personality, and it was a pleasure to see her develop as the series progressed. My favourite has to be the late Mary Wickes as Marie, Wickes was a very underrated actress, and I enjoyed her here. The episodes are benefited by some nice camera-work, lovely locations, a beautiful title tune and good scripts, not to mention a number of funny moments. Of course you may find some over familiarities in the story lines, but overall this is a very entertaining mystery series, probably not the best out there, but worth a watch. 9/10 Bethany Cox

If you like simple, light hearted non violent crime dramas then you'll probably enjoy this

Tom bosely is perfect as father Dowling, hes a very good actor, likeable character and very believable as a priest

Sister Steve however is not a good character, shes boring and annoying , always simpering and her lines are cliches

Prestwick is another very good character , but is greatly underused, he hardly has any stories

Most of the episodes are good, but the one's that are really bad are the fantasy/ surreal one's, Such as the Sherlock Holmes episode, that was terrible

Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed, it's a very formulaic show without any twists, I presume this series was aimed at the elderly

I have seen reviewers bashing the acting level, but I would say the acting is mostly decent , there are some characters who overact ,

but you'll find this in all TV dramas, it's definitely not trying to win any oscars

This is a very charming and relaxing watch, but the lack of budget really shows.

I wish I had DVDs of the early years, I would use them in my Sunday School curriculum. Yes, I know that Sister Steve had some odd undertakings, but I don't think they detracted from the day-to-day exploration of Catholic Christian theology. The site requests additional lines so I'll commend Tom Bosley's warm performance as Father Dowling. Tracy Nelson had the look and personality of a young woman settling into the religious life. I enjoyed the Chicago setting as well. Around the time this show was canceled, I pretty much quit watching television as so much of it was so offensive. This show was substantive without being corny.

Having never seen it heard of this series before, I happened to pick it up at our local library and ended up with the final series. No idea how it lasted as long as it apparently did though. Even if you factor in the very dated styles (big on padded shoulders, and totally devoid of hoodies, yet to arrive), with all the glitz and cheesy details of the disco era, this series is so bad it is actually funny. The acting (I am being kind) is very wooden and stilted and given the silly dialogue, it can't be helped even by good actors, of which there were none. What kept my interest is the fact that this can be enjoyed as complete mindless fluff, as background noise while doing chores or just going into another universe. Really predictable yet unbelievable 'stories/crimes' and a perplexing series that went on for many seasons. No idea what the appeal was then other than as a time filler. What utter nonsense and a waste of energy and resources.

This is a really great detective show,I have watched all the other ones aswell and have found Father Dowling to be the most enjoyable to watch.It has humour,a serious side at times and shows a side to religion that many people may not have seen or known.Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson are excellent in this,both are funny with how they act and the looks that Tom's character Father Frank gives to Tracy character Sister Steve are brilliant,makes me laugh.I also think that James Stephens is brilliant as Father Prestwick.

August 21st 2017

Back in the mid Nineties when I had lived in California I had watched the FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES the first time and loved them. Found out later that they were available on DVD and bought them. Only handicap. You have to use an INTERNATIONAL DVD PLAYER or like me a PC Video download from the internet, here the free VLC MEDIA PLAYER. I agree with the other commentaries. Just I don't see so much the FATHER BROWN MYSTERIES as source as UMBERTO ECO's THE NAME OF THE ROSE. After the major worldwide success of the novell Catholic Monks, Nunns and Priests solving crimes became a rave. On TV, here in Germany, it had a spin of on TV in PFARRER SCHWARZ GREIFT EIN, about a Police Detective turned Priest solving crimes in a poor downtown neighborhood in Frankfurth a. Main. To the history of the FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES it is true. The show had a hard time competing in it's time Slot against THE SIMPSONS and THE CROSBY SHOW. In the end that had lead to the end of it after the three seasons. Sorry that there were no more.

I decided to buy this DVD as a result of seeing Tracy Nelson in another old Movie alongside Ernest Borgnine, where she starred as a single Mum. I then traced her connection as I suspected to Ricky Nelson. I guess readers have figured out I am an 'early-days-of-tv in Australia' person. Tom Bosley does well in this. Sad there are no Subtitles but the sound is not too bad in spite of the lack of them.

Plots, and the solving of the mysteries are often equally as surprising. This was a set of DVD's that included a lower quality TV episode at the start that was probably originally NTSC converted to PAL for Australian and English viewers. Imagine my surprise when one of the later episodes also featured Tracy Nelson's Grandmother Harriet Nelson from the Harriet and Ozzy Nelson TV shows. I won't give away which role she played. So all in all apart from all the other fine actors a real family affair with 2 generations of Nelsons playing in one episode together. I could see some similarities, in a few places, in this to perhaps Peter Faulk's Murder Mysteries in the Columbo series.

In our house we used to play a game called Father Dowling Bingo, where we watched each episode holding bingo cards containing a selection of elements we just knew would appear on the show, such as a criminal behaving incompetently, Sister Stephanie taking on a street-wise individual in a bet and winning, Father Dowling telling a lie to gain entrance to some room etc. Usually somebody had shouted "Bingo" before the episode was half-way through, especially as the series wore on.

Long before series three had started we regarded Father Dowling Investigates as a joke, only worth watching because it was in the "So Bad it's Almost Good" category. My advice for anyone coming to it anew is don't waste your time.

This is very similar. Cozy mysteries solved by a priest and his sidekick nun. It gives off the same comforting, warm vibes as Murder, She Wrote and even a lot of the times has better written mystery plots.

The two leads are perfect. They have a great surrogate father/daughter relationship. Tracy Nelson is sweet and believable somehow as a streetwise nun while Tom Bosley's calm, benevolent yet inquisitive nature really carry the show. Strike that, the pair together carry the show and it's at its greatest when the two are onscreen together.

The cast of returning characters is more or less on par with Murder, She Wrote, too. Alas, it only got a few seasons. A fourth of Lansbury's show. And as much as I love the latter, Father Dowling merits a greater following than it does now. Maybe because it's not as goofy as often as Murder, She Wrote, and memable, but just look at it like Sheriff Tupper's twin brother is a catholic priest who solved mysteries. Highly recommended and hopefully we get a better quality transfer someday somehow. Come on, 80s/90s cosy mystery fans. Watch it. Then watch it again. It's like chicken soup.

I was forced to endure an episode of this puerile drivel recently, as punishment for offending my wife's "friend" (someone she works with but secretly cannot stand but they are higher up in the food chain than she is - it's complicated) Anyway, I was made to watch this rubbish ( my wife hates it too) and I have to say that this is the most inane dross I have ever viewed! A chubby, "folksy" catholic priest (all catholic priests are austere, authoritarian horrors, to be avoided at all costs) teams up with a spunky Nun to solve crimes. That alone is enough to make me run for the toilet. Who on earth thinks up these ludicrous scripts? The Nun disguises herself as many different things (the wife says) including a prostitute? And they have managed to make 3 series of this rubbish! I don't have to watch it, I know (unless the wife punishes me again) but I do have to endure the same maddening adverts for this junk! This program should be banned, the producers locked up for ever and the priest should be sent to a leper colony somewhere very remote. The Nun can play a prostitute though, anytime she likes. Very nice legs...! She is the reason that I gave it one star, otherwise it would have got none!

A delightfully refreshing mystery in the spirit of Miss Marple. The character of Father Dowling, as portrayed by Tom Bosley,,,was a real caring individual, giving a partial absolution to the horrible portraits painted about a few of the clergy, figured in the tabloids. My feeling is that it might help to eradicate some of the distressingly graphic illustrations of priests literally promoted by the media. True or not the mention of a catholic priest in some circles causes an unusual amount of animosity and disdain, for a group who preach that control is one of the responsibilities of every partitioner, their lack thereof is astonishing,,,in conclusion, I enjoyed the series.

Father Dowling has a twin brother, BUT some decriptions say he is a half-brother. It's either o ne or the other-- twins can not be half brothers or vice versa.

Loved this show. However, there was definitely a different Church used in part of season 1 than the rest of the series. Nothing in any Google search says anything about any other Church being used except the Annunciation in Denver. So was one of those "churches" a stage set?

Also, in the earlier episodes a different kitchen set was used. There's never any explanation when major changes are made. Is just so noticeable you just wonder most of it on a stage set?

Not quite sure why we have to put in so many characters. So now I'm trying to fill up space but basically I wish something like Father Dowling was on again. I also wonder was Father Brown fashioned/modeled after Father Dowling or vice versa?

Utter dribble. Storyline would only suit a very stupid person who is in cognitive decline. Im not sure what else if anything compares to this patriarchal nonsense which is a relic of the past and franky embarrassing with the stereotypes depicted.

What is interesting is that CSE is not investigated with any of the episoded given its prevelance in the church.

okay, the theme to this series was a bit far fetched (a priest and a nun investigating the goings on in the criminal underworld indeed!) but nevertheless, it was enjoyable, funny and easy going to watch. It was first shown on British TV around 1989/90 and I instantly became hooked! To me Father Dowling himself was the inspiration I had been looking for. When I was a teenager I had only two ambitions in life; to become a priest or a criminal investigator. Father Dowling was both these rolled up in one! brilliant! Although I must admit, he didn't seem to take Mass all that often considering what his job was. As for Sister Stephanie, she too is the perfect model any young woman could want to follow if they were thinking about becoming a nun. Dressing up like a penguin does not necessarily you won't look pretty, as Stephanie managed to show! It's a pity the Catholic Church can't churn out more people like these two in real life. If it did, its future may look a bit more rosey too!

Like Perry Mason, this series wasn't an original, it was based on a (still ongoing) series of books by Ralph McInerny. Unlike Perry Mason, though, the producers took almost nothing from the books but the characters of Fr. Dowling and Mrs. Murkin, and of those two only Mrs. Murkin bears any resemblance to the character in the book. I'd advise anyone who likes mysteries but was disappointed in Fr. Dowling on TV to read the books, they are excellent.

The most outlandish junk that must've left the church on the floor. Just your everyday life of a priest and a nun, as he drags her along on sorted misadventures. And I don't mean backpacking and fundraisers, try organized crime and serial killers. This is only based on five or so episodes but that's all I needed. The king of them all was a recent one involving Bosley's priest infiltrating the mob! HE DONS GLASSES AND A GANGSTER VOICE TO QUESTION A BARTENDER!! THE NUN DRESSES LIKE A HOOKER IN HEELS! At least Murder, She Wrote stayed within a realm. What's next, Jessica Fletcher as a phone-sex operator?? Thank God (pun, hehe) they crucified this crap after 45 episodes. Avoid it, go to church and pray for its forgiveness.

If Mr. McInerny were alive, he would be rolling in his grave! (in the words of Fr. Dowling's housekeeper, Marie) How he permitted this farce of a series to use his name and character names is a true wonder.

In the early episodes, the producers basically used one location, the former office of the District Attorney in Denver, NOT Chicago, and then set up different CHEAP wooden establishing signs, such as Courthouse, Hospital, Hotel, and changed the camera angle. Also early on, the mansion that served as the home of various guest villains was the same one, from different angles -- and, by the way, the same mansion used multiple times in the 1991 Perry Mason series.

The inevitable car chases were shot one week in several blocks of the Denver Country Club area, the next week in an adjoining neighborhood, and so forth and so on. No need to move all of the equipment very far. Quick and easy. Cheap, too.

The awful portrayals of Catholic priests and a Catholic nun are the most outrageous parts of this series. The simple language of the Church is so easy to find, even for inept writers as we find here. For example, a priest does not "give" Mass, he offers Mass; and Catholics do not "have" Confession, they go to Confession.

Apparently Father Dowling does not say his Office very often, and the writers call his Office, his "Missal." We hear a lot about his busy schedule, but he seems to be on the trail of losers most of his days, and nights. He does bless himself many times, I must admit... the writers (or the director) got that right.

But Sister Steve -- what a joke! We learn early on that basically she became a nun to get out of the rough, crime-filled life she had been living. She did enjoy being a nun, though -- who wouldn't, when it involves chasing criminals, impersonating royalty, breaking into homes and businesses, and so forth? She also seems to have forgotten the daily prayers required of professed religious. The writers endowed her with the ability to change like a chameleon from her nun's habit (NOT uniform) to the lifestyle of the rich and famous or the poor and outcast to anyone in between. I know of no nun who would have the time to do such things, much less the inclination. Her former life seems not to have been left behind as much as covered up and disguised. She lies like a trooper and she ignores the Church's teaching that we should obey the law -- of God/the Church AND of the State.

Those who praise this show for its good, clean scripts are fooling themselves. Many of the episodes feature near-naked women, in places a nun or a priest probably should not be. Some episodes feature Sister Steve drinking and one episode featured an older nun over-imbibing rum in the kitchen. Just easy writing, sometimes intended to get a laugh -- at the expense of reality. Writers of television series tend to enjoy the shocking, especially regarding Catholics and what they hold sacred. What could be more sacred than the sanctuary of a Catholic Church? Yet in Father Dowling, many of the murders/killings are in the sanctuary of St. Michael's.

One episode of Father Dowling has a human "come back to earth as an Angel." First, humans do not become Angels; if their souls go to Heaven, they are Saints. Angels are a whole other type of created being. Second, as far as we know, Angels come to earth for a specific holy purpose.

Angels are incredibly marvelous creatures, intelligent and powerful, yet humble before God. An Angel sent by God with a message for a human being would never gamble or debauch, as the "angel" in Father Dowling does. This portrayal only serves to lessen the glory both of Angels and of God, who has given us His Angels to help us get to Heaven. There is no need for television writers to include such an episode, even if they are non-believers. It is just low and beneath contempt.

I have found that most series that portray Catholics intend them to be caricatures. If that was the intent of the writers of Father Dowling, they succeeded admirably! It is a great deal like a comic book come to life; but the last laugh is on the writers, producers, and directors.