BUDDY FARO
September 25, 1998 - December 4, 1998
8 episodes
CBS
Starring: Dennis Farina, Frank Whaley, Allison Smith, Charlie Robinson
Created by: Mark Frost
Plot: Buddy Faro (Farina) was a legendary detective who abruptly disappeared in 1978. Twenty years later, he is tracked down by a PI, Bob Jones (Whaley) and he re-opens his agency with actress Julie Barber (Smith) and his old partner, El Jefe (Robinson).
This was a really fun pilot but it left me with very little understanding of what kind of show Buddy Faro was going to be. It was very much an origin story that had an awful lot of exposition to get through. The entire first half of the episode was nothing like the type of show Buddy was destined to become because we had to actually spend time finding the missing detective. However, it was clear from the get go that Buddy Faro was a very stylish show. It seemed to be relishing an old school noir feel with a jazzy score that paid homage to the late 60s spy and secret agent shows like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. For being a network pilot from 1998, the production design was awfully stylish and somewhat ambitious.
Eventually, the pilot settled in a bit and we got a sense of what the show would look like on a weekly basis (albeit with limited time since they didn't have a ton of episode left). The show's style remained distinct and strong even in the more grounded second half of the pilot. Dennis Farina was charming and funny in the title role. The other characters weren't developed or well because this pilot was more about style than anything else. But I have to say, the way the pilot ended with a jazzy version of "A Lot of Livin' to Do" playing and Farina cruising down the street in a convertible with a knowingly cheesy "Buddy's Back" sign, well, it made me want to watch more Buddy Faro.
Buddy Faro was part of a retro night for CBS. A year after their failed comedy block party lineup, they had reboots of old reality shows Kids Say the Darndest Things and Candid Camera in the 8pm hour and the old-skewing Don Johnson starrer Nash Bridges at 10pm. So it made sense that the 9pm hour could be given to a lighter dramedy that called back the spy and private eye shows of the 60s. It could bridge the nostalgic hour at 8pm to the crime drama at 10pm. Dennis Farina also had a string of successful supporting roles in movies by the time Buddy Faro came on the air. So it was a pretty valiant effort by CBS on a night that had been trouble for them outside of 10pm.
The pilot received mostly mixed to positive reviews and even won an Emmy in 1999 for Art Direction. Entertainment Weekly praised the cast and look on the show but said it needed to better with "mundane things like plots and twists." Variety said it was the "freshest, snazziest hour premiering on the Big Four" that fall. The Standard Times said it "moves so fast and is often so deliriously stylish that we willingly forget its silly and contrived story line." However, pilots usually are the best looking episodes of a series so if there wasn't substance, the style could wane quickly. Despite the positive reception, it couldn't find an audience on Friday nights and CBS cancelled the series after just eight episodes.
Tomorrow: Very Very Séance!
Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Fantasy Island!
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