Spin City: The Complete First Season

Spin City ran for six seasons — four good and two starring Charlie Sheen. When it began in 1996, Spin City marked the return of Michael J. Fox to television, pairing him once again with Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg. Though Spin City bore little resemblance to its predecessor, Fox’s character (Michael Flaherty) often emulated the scheming yet lovable Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties. While that show tackled the social issues of the ’80s, Spin City used its political setting to address similarly important topics, as well as indulge in traditional sitcom wackiness. Following the antics of the New York Mayor’s office, Spin City initially paired Deputy Mayor Flaherty with a live-in girlfriend (Carla Gugino). Although Gugino’s character initially appeared to be a cornerstone of the series, her character left the show halfway through the first season. Gugino wasn’t bad but her presence often held the storylines back, resembling more archaic sitcom fare. Along with her, other kinks disappeared and the show began to hit its stride at the end of the season. The fun of the show is the characters’ balance between political fluency and infantile misbehaviour, with that balance constantly resting on the tiny shoulders of Michael J. Fox. Along with Fox’s innate charm, the supporting cast consistently bolstered the sitcom format, especially Barry Bostwick as the clueless mayor and Alan Ruck as the malevolent Stuart. The first season also features a line-up of guest stars, including George Wendt and Luke Perry (of course I use the term "stars” loosely). While it may not be a classic, Spin City is charming enough to justify a re-visitation on DVD, especially at a time when even obscure Saturday morning cartoons about robots are being catalogued and released. Though I can’t imagine the Charlie Sheen years are worthy of a DVD.