An Overlooked Gem from the '80s

msnovtue

I am a true child of the '80s, and one of the best things was the TV and movies of the time. Not always the most sophisticated of stuff, true, but it was fun and entertaining. Watching many if those favorites now, it's painful to see just how bad some actually were (I'm looking at you, "Airwolf".) Others are just woefully dated products of their time, but still have some good storytelling at their core, like "Miami Vice".

"Simon & Simon" is, interestingly enough, neither. It's a show that could have been made or set in any recent decade from the 1970s to now and still worked, because it rests on decent-to-good storytelling, fairly witty writing, and well-developed, interesting characters. This is one of those shows that probably should have been mildly successful for 2-4 seasons and the disappeared into TV history.

What made the difference is the cast they got, in particular Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker. I have a hard time thinking of another set of actors that were more believable as siblings. It was just so effortless how they played off each other. And face it--if you step back a bit, both the Simon brothers could've easily come off as highly irritating and rather unlikable. AJ was a 'preppy' college boy who was basically slumming it, and Rickmwas a grumpy-ass ex-Marine who tended to try to con his way out of uncomfortable situations.

Instead, AJ ended up being a guy who, as much as he griped about his brother's less-than-cultured habits, would go to hell and back to stand up for others, and God Help You if you messed with his family, because the preppy pretty boy could get downright scary if you did. Rick, for all his foibles, bad habits and fast-talking, would be quick to remind you why some say there's no such thing as an "ex" Marine if you messed with his baby brother.

The show in general was a cut above because it was witty, smartly written, and after the initial learning period, let the characters lead the stories rather than trying to force its characters into certain story lines. And when I say it was smart & witty, I don't mean highbrow or overly aware of its own wit. There was *plenty* of lowbrow humor-but the comedic timing and pacing was brilliant. It (mostly) didn't try to go beyond what it was, but instead excelled at just doing that. No need to give AJ a long, high-IQ rant when a pithy comment from Rick covered it nicely.

With all the remakes of everything popping up everywhere these days, I'm a little surprised a network hasn't given Simon & Simon a look. Other than a few time period updates, a witty, entertaining show that could be fairly low-budget would seem like a dream for some enterprising network.... All the same, though, I'm still highly entertained by the original.

score 9/10

msnovtue 14 March 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3661936/