Rating: 
Summary: Spacey & Russ : Breakout Performances
Review: Once again, the writing and performances stand out in this batch of episodes.This is the arc which introduced America to the brilliance of Kevin Spacey and William Russ! It kills me to see a talent like Russ taking jobs on 'Boy Meets World' to pay the bills, when he's so good in 'Wiseguy'. If you liked the 'Sonny Steelgrave' arc, then this is a no-brainer purchase as well.
Rating:
Summary: Buckwheat
Review: Stephen Cannell's "Wiseguy" is the ground breaking crime drama that set the stage for numerous lesser television series that followed, including the Sopranos. Fine writing supported by excellent acting.
Rating:
Summary: This Just Keeps Getting Better
Review: The ability to watch all the episodes of the arc just adds to the presentation. The dolby digital sound is amazing. I really enjoyed the interviews with Kevin Spacey and the producers. The vision of the arc and the transition from Sonny Steelegravew was terrific. I can only hope that the remaining arcs will be distributed as well as the few final episodes with Steven Bauer that were never aired
Rating:
Summary: This Just Keeps Getting Better
Review: The ability to watch all the episodes of the arc just adds to the presentation. The dolby digital sound is amazing. I really enjoyed the interviews with Kevin Spacey and the producers. The vision of the arc and the transition from Sonny Steelegravew was terrific. I can only hope that the remaining arcs will be distributed as well as the few final episodes with Steven Bauer that were never aired
Rating:
Summary: vinnie vs. mel = classic
Review: this awsome series continues, as vince terranova takes on the proffitt organization(mel + susan) and henchman roger loccoco, a vietnam vet and special forces reject. this arc is classic. it's got everything you could ask for in a drama. set on the west coast, vince is set up to meet loccoco by chance by the pool, sharing bloody mary's. next thing you know he's on a jet to meet mel-(kevin spacey) a paranoid genius and junkie,and his beautiful sister, ( i still have a crush on her) joan severance, both turned in exelllent performances, as evil brother and sister, meanwhile roger (william russ) and vinnie are bonding and becoming friends. and go on a series of crazy adventures. the usual cast members, johnathan banks, jim byrnes, elsa raven, gerald anthony are all solid in their roles. a must see and must have for the wiseguy afficianato.
Rating:
Summary: Wiseguy...Just brilliant!
Review: This boxset features part 2 of season 1 of the excellent late 80's show Wiseguy.After the outatanding Sonny Steelgrave arc, you'd think that they could'nt follow it up,but they did.The Mel Proffit story line is complex and utterly compelling with great acting (Ken Wahl, Kevin Spacey and William Russ)and amazing writing. This was truely cutting edge television, it has it all!Again Ken Wahl was excellent as FBI undercover agent Vincent Terranova and Kevin Spacey was awesome as paranoid,psychotic international arms/drug dealer Mel Proffit.This is a must buy for anyone who is interested in high quality, well written television. BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Drama
Review: This was an arc of outstanding quality. I find some of the official reviews a bit misleading. While this arc starts about the Profits, the writers were smart enough to realize their strange quality would only last so long. About the middle of the arc the focus starts to shift to Roger. But this focus is so slow and subtle! I can remember as a teen watching each week for Roger and being sure that something was happening with that plot. How wonderful for the audience to be treated to not one, but two complex stories in one arc and not be insulted by a poor transition. There were at least 5 wonderful plots here, two major, three or four minor, but all wonderfully realized. So if a possibly incestuous couple isn't your cup of tea, don't let that stop you from watching this outstanding arc. I also think that people should know that this is not straight crime drama, it is more like the story of Vinny so we follow him along but aren't bored by the more formula parts of the tales of an FBI agent. This show never takes the "law and order" type formula of crime, arrest, trial, jail, and the good guys aren't always good but they aren't bad in the more cliche' ways I have seen in other dramas. Everyone in this show is a human first and agent, crime boss, etc second.
Rating:
Summary: The Profitt Arc Soars!!!
Review: Wiseguy was truly a ground-breaking entrant into the episodic world of television, and the first "arc" featuring Sonny Steelegrave took the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster. Just as we were getting off of that "ride", along came the Mel Profitt arc to throw us back onto the 'coaster! Kevin Spacey burst onto the scene with an amazing performance as the brilliant, psychotic criminal mastermind, Mel Profitt. His "balance", sister Susan, (the sexy Joan Severance) was herself twisted by her own genius and inability to distinguish right from wrong. Her familial attraction to Mel drove her to both protect him emotionally yet dispense his heroin "as needed" (0nly the toes, knows...), with more than a hint at familial lust, displaying the ongoing duality prevelent in this arc. Vinny Terranova works for the OCB and poses as a criminal...Roger Lacocco (the great William Russ) poses as a criminal and actually works for a splinter group of the NSC (?)...Mel Profitt is a criminal genius and an emotional cripple...Susan Profitt is his counter-balance and emotional guide, yet is herself an emotional cripple as well, waiting for Vincent's strong embrace to take her away from it all...words won't do these episodes justice, so please, run, don't walk, to purchase this DVD series. You won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: At last! - So Unexpected, Underrated and Overdue!
Review: Wisegy, like classic Star Trek, was very different in tone each season, but this was the season where it rewrote the book. Of course, Kevin Spacey was great, but so too were the writing and supporting cast. I always hope for Spacey to comment on Mel Profitt and the Wiseguy series, but it never happens. This arc was a blast! This storyline twists to and from strange comedy, drama, taboo, suspense and underworld machinations in a beat each episode. Through Vinny's eyes, we are going along for the ride trying to understand Mel, his sister, their staff and never knowing what is around the corner or who could be trusted. The icing on the cake are the Twin Peaks inspired scenes which aired at the same time as Lynch's masterpiece. What could come off as kitchen-sink elsewhere, was instead an eccentric and eclectic mix of characters and subplots weaving in old horror movies (really!) and riddles. Wow.
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