COACH, the TV series about a Minnesota State University head football coach and the way he tries to use everyone around him, is a classic, and you don't have to be a football fan to enjoy the show. Most of the comedy stems from the lead man's villainous ways, and how they backfire at him. Yes, the coach is the bad guy, and that's what makes this so funny. He surrounds himself with dopey, old school, red neck assistants, but wait! These assistants know more about computers than he does. They are more understanding and tolerant of homosexuals, emotional actors, and successful women than he is. They are less red neck than he is. Get the picture? He keeps coming up with a semblance of being a respectable, informed leader, when all the time, he is the biggest bigot on the campus. And he always gets his come uppance. The supporting cast make this show, and Nelson is excellent as the "J R Ewing" of the group. Not enough can be said about the genius of Van Dyke and the others. The coach is always forced into situations he hates, such as having to get a dog to please a wealthy widow so he can get her to donate money to his program. All along, she knows he is an ogre, and she plays him for the sucker. And who saves the day for him? His dopey assistant, who really cares for the dog, who really has some dignity and integrity in him. Does "Coach" learn anything about "Integrity"? Yes, each episode. He learns that you keep have to try faking it better. Almost every show is a classic. I'm partial to the ones where he feuds with the tall woman's basketball coach, and where he tries unsuccessfully, to manipulate wealthy widows while assistant Van Dam (Van Dyke) will just be himself and outdo the coach each time.
