This is a TV series that I am familiar with over the years without having seen many episodes, I am currently catching up with it on the Freeview channel CBS Justice. It has weekly daily screenings from 5 to 6pm.
Although I don't see much of American TV I do recognise faces, that I have seen on television programmes.
The actor playing Father Dowling was familiar but I couldn't place what I'd seen him in. Looking at his biography here I see that he was in the American TV show Happy Days, that was shown here and I do recall seeing him in it.
The actress Mary Wickes playing Marie Murkin Father Dowling's what can one say housekeeper? Is a very familiar face from just so many TV shows, that it's hard just to pick one out at random. On her biography I was pleasantly surprised to see her picture, from an episode of the American TV show MASH. That still is one of my all time favourite US shows, and I remember her characters appearance in the episode.
Another Review has remarked on the similarities to another priest, turned detective idea that of Father Brown. Stories of his exploits were written by the English author G. K. Chesterton, and have been depicted in numerous television and film adaptations.
The show is an altogether amiable television excursion humourous and mildly dramatic, the character ensemble of priests, housekeeper, and police chief, are well worked and acted.
I wasn't going to compare TV shows Father Brown and Father Dowling, but the more I think of it the similarities become apparent.
Both priest characters have similar personalities and approaches, to their religious duties and detective inclinations. The differences are the actors take on the characters.
Tom Bozley's Dowling is brimming over with an avuncular attitude. Its funny that avuncular is the word that popped into my bonce, thinking of the word as happy and chearfull. Looking up the word I see it means that relating to an 'uncle or father' figure, and that fits with the Father's relationship with Sister Stephanie.
I don't know the actress Tracy Nelson who plays Sister Stephanie but I love her characterisation, of the smart clever intelligent and frankly rather sassy individual. For a young woman it is great but for a nun it's brilliant' and frankly who would imagine such an honestly sexy nun? I am not a Catholic but frankly if I were I would have to say more than a few hail Mary's, in confession for my impure thoughts of her clothing in some episodes.
The housekeeper character Marie Murkin reminds me so much of the similar one of, Mrs McCarthy in the UK TV show Father Brown. That of the hectoring fussy busybody of an old biddy, who tries to organise and mother the priest in 'her care'. Both actresses pin their characters to the wall, and have come to be associated with these parts. Such that they seem to be almost typecast in these types of roll.
The actor James Stephens playing Father Prestwick is not someone that I am familiar with, but he plays his part of the amiable enthusiastic younger priest to perfection.
Although I don't see much of American TV I do recognise faces, that I have seen on television programmes.
The actor playing Father Dowling was familiar but I couldn't place what I'd seen him in. Looking at his biography here I see that he was in the American TV show Happy Days, that was shown here and I do recall seeing him in it.
The actress Mary Wickes playing Marie Murkin Father Dowling's what can one say housekeeper? Is a very familiar face from just so many TV shows, that it's hard just to pick one out at random. On her biography I was pleasantly surprised to see her picture, from an episode of the American TV show MASH. That still is one of my all time favourite US shows, and I remember her characters appearance in the episode.
Another Review has remarked on the similarities to another priest, turned detective idea that of Father Brown. Stories of his exploits were written by the English author G. K. Chesterton, and have been depicted in numerous television and film adaptations.
The show is an altogether amiable television excursion humourous and mildly dramatic, the character ensemble of priests, housekeeper, and police chief, are well worked and acted.
I wasn't going to compare TV shows Father Brown and Father Dowling, but the more I think of it the similarities become apparent.
Both priest characters have similar personalities and approaches, to their religious duties and detective inclinations. The differences are the actors take on the characters.
Tom Bozley's Dowling is brimming over with an avuncular attitude. Its funny that avuncular is the word that popped into my bonce, thinking of the word as happy and chearfull. Looking up the word I see it means that relating to an 'uncle or father' figure, and that fits with the Father's relationship with Sister Stephanie.
I don't know the actress Tracy Nelson who plays Sister Stephanie but I love her characterisation, of the smart clever intelligent and frankly rather sassy individual. For a young woman it is great but for a nun it's brilliant' and frankly who would imagine such an honestly sexy nun? I am not a Catholic but frankly if I were I would have to say more than a few hail Mary's, in confession for my impure thoughts of her clothing in some episodes.
The housekeeper character Marie Murkin reminds me so much of the similar one of, Mrs McCarthy in the UK TV show Father Brown. That of the hectoring fussy busybody of an old biddy, who tries to organise and mother the priest in 'her care'. Both actresses pin their characters to the wall, and have come to be associated with these parts. Such that they seem to be almost typecast in these types of roll.
The actor James Stephens playing Father Prestwick is not someone that I am familiar with, but he plays his part of the amiable enthusiastic younger priest to perfection.