Balding, paunchy and with a propensity to sing operatic arias in the shower, Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis) is the unorthodox police commissioner of the (fictional) New York state town of Eastbridge, where solutions often require creativity rather than guns or brute force.
Theresa Saldana adds a wonderful dimension as his assertive and supportive wife, Rachel, a teacher at Eastbridge Grammar School.
She and Tony live at 1209 Beach Street with their children, David (Kaj-Erik Eriksen) and infant Sarah (played alternately by Dayna and Justine Cornborough).
Brooklyn-born Tony is a Catholic, while Rachel is Jewish.
Scali had three different lieutenants during the show’s run – Lt. Irving “Irv” Wallerstein (Alex Bruhanski), his longtime buddy and second-in-command, who was killed in the line of duty in Season 1; Lt. Paul “Paulie” Pentangeli (John Cygan), his childhood best friend; and elegant former FBI agent Cydavia “Cyd” Madison (Melinda McGraw), who left Eastbridge at the start of season four to work as a commissioner in another city. Pentangeli returned for the remainder of the series.
In the final scene of the 1994 season finale, Scali was shot at point-blank range in his own home by a professional hitman. The killer had been hired by a vengeful convict arrested by Scali for the car-bomb murder of one of the latter’s top officers, Stan Kelly (Geoffrey Nauffts).
The ABC series was shot on 16mm film in Vancouver, Canada.
Commissioner Tony Scali
Michael Chiklis Rachel Scali
Theresa Saldana David Scali
Kaj-Erik Eriksen Sarah Scali
Dayna Cornborough
Justine Cornborough Stan Kelly
Geoffrey Nauffts Lt. Cydavia “Cyd” Madison
Melinda McGraw Ronnie Lopez
Jason Schombing Carmela Theresa Antonia Pagan
Gina Belafonte Richard “Ricky” Caruso
Nicholas Lea Lt. Paul “Paulie” Pentangeli
John Cygan Dan Boylan
John Ottavino Lt. Irving “Irv” Wallerstein
Alex Bruhanski
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Theresa Saldana adds a wonderful dimension as his assertive and supportive wife, Rachel, a teacher at Eastbridge Grammar School.
