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Reviews
Delvecchio (1976)
solid show, precursor of Hill Street Blues
Delvecchio was a good, solid show with a fine cast. It was on the very edge of being renewed for a second year, and one wonders what Judd Hirsch's career would have been like if his first hit had been a drama rather than a sitcom. Delvecchio was created by Steven Bochco several years before Hill Street Blues. Although it lacked the stylistic innovation of the later show, Delvecchio had equally interesting characters - and some of the actors moved from the one show to the other, most importantly Charles Haid and Michael Conrad. There were even more connections. As 1976 was pre-VCR for me, I made an audio tape of several episodes. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Hill Street episode some years later and found the exact same, line to line, dialogue in one of their plot arcs as in the Delvecchio episode "Bad Shoot." Apparently it was so good it had to be used again!
Shell Game (1987)
witty show, never given a chance
"Shell Game" had a witty premise, charm, and fine chemistry between the lead actors. James Read showed a comedic skill here that he's had no real chance exhibit elsewhere. The network treated "Shell Game" as expendable, scheduled it opposite a top ten hit, and didn't give it a chance to build a following. A shame.
Coronet Blue (1967)
this show caused a summer sensation
Only about a dozen episodes of Coronet Blue were made and it wasn't chosen for broadcast during the regular season. Someone had the idea to show it during the summer - and it was a ratings sensation. Everyone wondered what the mysterious words "coronet blue" really meant, and hope that the show would go into production again so we'd find out. But no more episodes were ever made, and no writer stepped forward to give viewers the answer to the mystery!
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
excellent character-based series
DS9 is the most "character-based" of the Star Trek series, and I prefer this. It doesn't have to go from gimmick to gimmick as a ship goes to different worlds. Naturally that disappoints some people, but others (like me) find it both refreshing and gripping.