A different way of telling a story

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I remember watching Wiseguy in it's original run ... the first season was fantastic, the shows were well written, the actors were well chosen for their parts ... the chemistry between Vinnie and McPike, Vinnie and Sonny, Vinnie, McPike and Lifeguard, the emotional ending of the Steelgrave arc ...then the chemistry between Vinnie and Lacoco in the next arc ... I haven't been as devoted to a season of TV since until the first season of '24'.I have the first 2 DVD sets. The show is holds up great, and what's even better, I've introduced a number of friends and family to the series, and they have all enjoyed them. The series did start to slide downhill after the first season, though I enjoyed the 'KKK' arc, and though not great ...I really did enjoy the "Dead Dog Records" arc. I still say the few minutes of Vinnie and Pattie doin' the nasty towards the end of the arc was some of the hottest scenes I had ever seen on network TV, I'm looking forward to seeing if My memory of it was accurate when the DVD comes out.One thing I am VERY upset about though, on the DVD, last Steelgrave episode, where Sonny is leaning against the jukebox, beaten and bloodied, and Vinnie is across the room, in the same condition, there is NO "Knights in White Satin" !!!!????? That song was so important to that scene, it just doesn't feel right if you have seen the original televised version and then see the DVD version ..it looses A LOT in the translation ... I understand that they couldn't get the rights or it would have cost too much to get the rights .. but I have to admit, I was very, very disappointed when that came around :(Other than that lil(?) gripe, it was awesome to see Vinnie and McPike back in action again ... and yes ..I will probably by the complete series as it is released.

Wiseguy was a risky series that starred Ken Wahl as Vinnie Terranova as an undercover operative for the OCB(Organized crime bureau), In its initial season you could not beat it you had Ray Sharkey as Sonny Steelgrave, William Russ as Roger Loccoco, and Kevin Spacey as Mel Profitt, each story line would stretch into story lines that would last as many as eleven episodes, with few stand alone episodes in season oneIn the end of season one, Vinnie Terranova said to Frank McPike Played by Character actor Jonathan Banks(I won't be coming back Frank), meaning he was quitting, we'll he should have; because in the next three seasons(Season 4 Ken Wahl was replaced by Steven Bauer(Mistake!!)we had to go through a heaping pile of crap to ever get a decent episode out of Wiseguy after the first season, I think Women viewers stayed tuned to See Ken's sexy face, Oh Pinch Me!!, the only Arc that came close was the Washington D.C Arc which was tied into the Profitt/Loccoco Arc from season 1Ratings (*****)= Excellent (****) = Good (***) = Average (**) = Poor (*) = Pathetic1) Steelegrave Arc= (*****)Excellent!! 2) Profitt/Loccoco Arc (*****)Excellent!! 3) Pilgrims of Promise (*) Why Bother!! 4) Garment Industry Arc (*) Boring 5) Dead Dog/Music Arc (*) Waste of Our Time on Has been artists 6) Mob War Arc/ (**) Good Start to Season 3 7) Washington D.C Arc (***) Better Than the rest 8) Lynchboro Arc (**) Picked up by Roger Loccoco's appearance Most stand alone episodes **Sucked to the Extreme**, and were boring, they should have ended this series after the 1st season or made the good arcs and there were few, into a second seasonI will buy the 1st two DVD box sets, but I doubt I would buy any othersI understand Ken Wahl is currently disabled due to large bouts with Alcoholism and accidents he had due to his condition, that is truly a shame, anytime you base your life on past glories, you are in trouble!!I have gone to Ken Wahl's website and I could care less about what he has to say, he is what happens when depression and no work causes an actor to go off the deep end, lets remember he is now 49, not the 33 he was when the series began, why do you think he won't do interviews on the DVD box sets, because he no longer looks 33

An absolute cracker of a cop series, "Wiseguy" only occasionally had stand-alone episodes, for the most part telling its stories in arcs that could run for up to 10 episodes; it's not every show that ends its first season with the hero being arrested by his partner! (Obviously they were just doing their jobs, but still...)With the great triple act of Ken Wahl as Vinnie, Jonathan Banks as his friend and partner McPike, and Jim Byrnes (pre-"Highlander") as liasion Lifeguard - a rare television role for the handicapped in that his affliction was never even mentioned - the best arc by far was the first one with Sonny Steelgrave (the late Ray Sharkey), which occupied practically the entire first season; then the incestuous Proffitts - my first exposure to Kevin Spacey as the mad Mel ("Only the toes knows...") and the staggeringly sexy Joan Severance (pre-Black Scorpion) as his equally disturbed sister Susan; the enigmatic Roger Lococco (William Russ, better here than on "Boy Meets World"); even the venture into the music world was effective. Stephen J. Cannell and his team of writers and directors spun gripping and tense tales of the battles between good and evil, bringing you so close into the world of Vinnie Terranova that you found yourself sympathising with the heavies without ever turning against the people who were, after all, the good guys - kudos to them all, but especially David J. Burke and Stephen Kronish. The show also boasted one of Mike Post's greatest ever themes; heavy brass and strings instead of rock'n'roll or synths set the tone perfectly.So effective was this series that I can even forgive the degeneration of the show in its third year, when Ken Wahl's squabbles with the producers began to affect the end result; as far as I'm concerned, the episodes with Steven Bauer don't exist. (As for the TV movie, the less said about that sorry affair the better.) "CSI"'s Carol Mendelsohn used to write for this show; she hasn't lost her touch.The series is airing in repeats, it seems; not to be missed.

Thank God for those reruns, allowing those of us who weren't smart enough to tape it at the time to do so now! There isn't anything I don't like about this series, other than the fact that it ended. Great acting, great scripts, great production values - this is a production everyone involved with can be proud of. It was unique and ahead of its time in that watching it now I don't think it looks or feels dated at all. There are some great contemporary crime dramas on TV now, but none with the arc structure that made Wiseguy so compelling. Even though the story lines ran in arcs, each episode is eminently watchable in and of itself. Gosh, I miss it, and I sure miss Ken Wahl.