Car 54, Where Are You?

1960s tv sitcom

Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon are two cops from New York 53rd precinct and a constant source of headache for their superiors.

Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon are two officers in New York Police Department 53rd precinct, who work together for a longest time in the area? What is their secret? Well, they are completely different - Toody and keen and well meaning, but not very bright, while Muldoon is a silent type, who has more reserved approach to their job. Together they patrol one of the areas, where there is no much crime, at least on paper. In reality Toody and Muldoon found a way to keep everybody happy - they keep a blind eye on some smaller offences, while residents and shop owners keep the order in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately the keen nature of Toody keeps getting them in trouble with his superior, Captain Block, and by default drags Muldoon in his misadventures.

Sitcom created by Nat Hiken, author of The Phil Silvers Show, who with Car 54, Where Are You? proved that he was one of the best comedy writers of 1950s and 1960s. The setting in precinct of NYPD was in that point in time original, so far audience only knew "serious" police shows, like Dragnet, M Squad or Manhunt, so for some critics it was rather controversial to portrait policemen as incompetent.

Hiken hired actors he worked with on The Phil Silvers Show and managed to build a show that seemed original and funny. Toody and Muldoon were complete opposites of each other, Toody often played the character similar to Lucy in I Love Lucy, a well meaning, but clumsy police officer, who puts his partner in hot water. With time it was repetitive, but, the episodes were sometimes uneven, some of them seemed a bit too slow-paced, in some the jokes were predictable, most of the characters were one-dimensional, but overall the show is still surprisingly entertaining over 60 years since the premiere.

Rating	6.4
Funny	7 / 10
Entertaining	3 / 5
Characters	3 / 5
Nonrepetitive	3 / 5