Even though it only went three seasons — and two of those were only half as long — Father Dowling Mysteries is one of those indelible properties that people seem to remember fondly. A lot of that can be laid at the feet of series star Tom Bosley in the title role. Who better to play the priest with a penchant for solving mysteries than the man who played America’s favorite father for 11 seasons on Happy Days? Mr. C’s compassion and wisdom won over audiences on that show, so it was no surprise that he brought those along with him to his new venture.
Likely, he caught the mystery series bug in the years between Happy Days and Father Dowling Mysteries by his portrayal of Sheriff Tupper on the first three seasons of another classic mystery show, Murder, She Wrote. It was during his run on that show that Bosley first moonlighted as Father Dowling in a made-for-TV movie on November 1, 1987. The following year, NBC picked it up to series, though the 1988 writer’s strike delayed its premiere until January 1989. As such, that first season only ran eight episodes. It is these episodes and that telefilm that make up [amazon_link id=”B006CR2OWM” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Father Dowling Mysteries: The First Season[/amazon_link].
Bosley was very much following in the footsteps of fellow sitcom dad Andy Griffith who took to solving crimes on NBC’s hit series Matlock, starting in 1986. NBC was on top of the heap then, so it was almost a no-brainer to poach Bosley from [amazon_link id=”B00005JN8S” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Murder, She Wrote[/amazon_link] and give him another starring vehicle.
Bosley’s charm and joyous performance carries much of the stories, but he’s perfectly matched by street-smart Sister Stephanie “Steve,” played by Tracy Nelson with a whole different kind of charm. The two seem to always be on the same page when they abruptly decide to take off and nose their way into a local mystery. Their relationship plays one part father/daughter and the other part equal partners who trust one another implicitly. But always there is that shining joy and happiness in everything. Even in the face of danger, Father Dowling has a smile and a kind word … and a hint that maybe they should make their way to church this coming Sunday. He’d certainly love to see them there.
There’s a dated element, of course, to the capers shown on Father Dowling Mysteries. Especially in this era of procedurals that spend as much time on forensics and the power of modern technology to solve crimes. Father Dowling and Sister Steve don’t have access to that kind of technology — or even cell phones, for that matter — so they go about it the old-fashioned way. That means some old-school classics like high speed car chases in almost every episode, courtesy of the lead-footed Sister Steve, as well as lots of sneaking around. Luckily, as a man and woman of the cloth, people tend to trust their motives when they ask to poke around a crime scene or a private domicile. While it all feels rather harmless, as there’s never any real sense that either of our protagonists is in mortal danger, the mysteries are fun enough that it’s compelling to watch as our amateurs outsmart the bad guys, and in some cases, the authorities, as well.
Things get a little corny from time to time, as well, and no more so than with the introduction of Father Dowling’s “evil twin” brother late in this first season. It’s as if the moment television realized it could use split-screen technology to have someone play two characters at once, this became a staple of virtually every television series on the air. Luckily, Father Dowling Mysteries had an ace up its sleeve that helped even this cliche go down smooth. As dated as things may look while you’re smiling at the computers, telephones and cars, the writing holds up very well, as do the performances of the lead actors. Particularly, Bosley makes both characters believable without going over the top on either one.
There’s also the inevitable scene in a strip club reserved for the official series premiere. It’s nice to see this staple of mystery and crime television even make its way onto a series that has a Catholic priest as its lead. If it’s a little awkward to see cops hanging out in a strip club, it’s even weirder when it’s Father Dowling. And Sister Steve took it a step worse, infiltrating the club to get a job as a bartender. Note that Sister Steve seems to have any skill necessary to help them solve the crime. She was flipping bottles like Tom Cruise in Cocktail!
The video transfer is about what would be expected for an under-appreciated series. In other words, it’s not that great. The premiere movie looks especially worse for wear, but the transfer for most of the episodes looks about like you might remember getting on the television back in 1989, if the antenna was pointed just right, giving the strongest signal. As for extras, they basically didn’t even bother. Episode previews for most of them is literally all that was offered. In other words, this is the television series, and basically that’s it.
After this first season, Father Dowling Mysteries jumped ship to ABC where it got a 13-episode second season. A 22-episode third season rounded out the series run, which is a little disappointing when you realize how well the product holds up. It would have been nice to see Paramount package those first two seasons together in this outing, though perhaps the shift in networks had some impact. Or they just went the cheaper route to gauge interest in the property before investing in a larger release. Still, that means that even if this does well, it’ll be another short release for the second season.
In a tough television landscape, and with some scheduling difficulties getting out of the gate, Father Dowling Mysteries went largely unnoticed among the mystery series of the day. But it really shouldn’t have. Luckily, it has a second chance to find an audience. Anyone looking for a very calm and safe-seeming mystery series with a charming and joyous lead, accompanied by a fun and enthusiastic sidekick, should look no further than Father Dowling Mysteries.
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