| Wiseguy |
| Wiseguy was a different type of cop show. It was about the life of an undercover cop named Vinnie played by Ken Wahl.. In order for him to go undercover and break the mob rings he had to be believable. Thus, he was sent to prison for a crime that of course he didn't do, but in the beginning not even his own Mother was aware of this fact. He was looked down upon by the people he grew up around, when in reality he was one of the best cops around. Throughout the show he would struggle with what was "right" and what was "wrong". He started the job thinking he knew the difference, but as he got deeper and deeper the blacks and whites became grays. Sometimes it was difficult for him to tell the differnce. The part of Vinnie was superbly played by Ken Wahl, but he was not alone in making the show a success. Jonathan Banks and Jim Byrnes also played believable characters. The three of them made a great team and a great show. |
| When Wiseguy first aired in 1987 I immediately fell in love with the program and the stars. I hate to admit it but until Wiseguy aired I had never really paid much attention to the 3 main actors, Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes and Ken Wahl; then all of a sudden they were everywhere, on everything! It was kinda like when you buy a new car, you think you have the only one and "bam" everywhere you turn theres one just like yours! That is the way it was for me with these 3 guys! It seems like one of them was on something on TV every week, other than Wiseguy. Now I make it a point to check and see what's on that one of them is playing in. I also fell in love with the way the stories were told. It was a continuing story each week, you had to tune in the next week to see what was going to happen. Jonathan Banks played Vinnie's field boss, FRANK MCPIKE. Only he and the "lifeguard" played by Jim Byrnes knew where Vinnie was and what he was doing. If Vinnie got into trouble he was to call "uncle Mike" who was the "lifeguard" and "uncle Mike" would send out the troops if need be. My personal opinion is that the first season was the BEST. Stephen J. Cannell, created the series and had the most input that first season. I don't believe I have disliked a series that Mr. Cannell created. The man is an absolute genius, well, at least I think so! |
| Ken Wahl was born in Chicago, Illinois according to the Internet Movie Data Base. For a more complete filmography of Ken and the other guys you can visit the site at http://reviews.imdb.com/ |
| Jim Byrnes was born September 22, 1948 , he grew up in St. Louis, MO. (according to IMDB.) Jonathan Banks was born January 31, 1947 in Washington DC (according to IMDB) |
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| Stephen J. Cannell....Genius behind Wiseguy and some of the best programs on TV. If you will look close you will see him acting in some of the episodes of the shows he creates! |
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