policy134 The show was a highly entertaining but something that was even more rare at that time was that it had a continuing story arc. It was seldomly seen in prime time and especially not in shows that weren't soap operas.The first story arc was and still is the best in my opinion. The character Sonny Steelgrave was a more sanitized version of the Scorsese gangsters of the 90's and that's what made him more believable than most characters on TV. Ken Wahl was not my first reason for watching the show although he never had a better role than this one. His exaggerated Italian-American accent made it hard for me to take him seriously. As the series progressed his character became more complicated and therefore he was more worth seeing than in the first story arc. The interval show between the first and second story arcs was one of the best episodes on TV ever.The second story with Kevin Spacey was equally fascinating and you could see why he later became a major star. Joan Severance was good eye candy but nothing more.Like so many series it slowly deteriorated into corn, especially the story arc with Deborah Harry. But all through the series there were ace performers like Jerry Lewis, mimicking his performance in King of Comedy and Tim Curry, a long way away from his Frank 'n' Furter role in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. So even though Ken Wahl was fired the show didn't suffer that greatly and Steven Bauer was a good replacement but the stories got more weak and that was what ultimately killed the show.Side note: It is also funny to see a movie like Donnie Brasco several years later which was a true story and know that Wiseguy was basically the same concept even though it was pure entertainment.

ironjade After Wiseguy vanished from Sky One I believe the UK rights were acquired by the Family Channel which then closed down or changed hands.Presumably the broadcast rights are now in limbo.I agree that the one-off TV movie was pretty dire but Steven Bauer's version was rather good and should have been allowed to develop.Wiseguy, in either version, is one of the best crime shows ever and it's tragic that only a tiny number of people in the UK got to see it on satellite TV. This means that there may never be a region 2 DVD release

MCETXCEM 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

Angeneer Great storylines, great acting, great drama. I still think the Vinnie - Sonny interaction was monumental. I was hooked on it from the first episode. Perhaps it is because I was younger, but I still haven't found a series who would overwhelm me so much.