Comparison to Miami Vice... when Nash Bridges aired in 1996, and Don Johnson (aka "Sonny Burnett") would play the eponymous star of the show, it was inevitable that it would be matched up with Miami Vice.
It is hard to overstate the influence that Miami Vice had on TV and American culture when it aired in the 1980's. "Real music", fancy sports cars, fabulous scenery, beautiful music, and of course the moniker "MTV Cops". That cop show changed everything; it's impact would be felt on TV shows of every genre.
About 7 years have passed since Miami Vice last aired; now comes "Nash Bridges" Would this new show rise to the challenge? Would it be as exciting as Miami Vice, would it have the same impact on the Culture? The producers certainly hoped so (remember that Don Johnson himself takes credit for "Executive Producer", alongside Carlton Cuse).
The producers made some important decisions. Instead of South Florida, they took the setting for Nash Bridges all the way across the country to San Francisco. In the 1990's, that city was engaging, beautiful, and exciting. Watching Nash Bridges today, you can see San Francisco in its glory days.
Next decision was about the cars. Instead of the Italian sports cars that the Cops drove in Miami Vice, we get American Muscle Cars. Other cars that appear in the show include 7-series Beamers (including the one driven by Joe Fernandez), with a few S-class Mercedes Benz thrown in from time to time.
But the main automobiles featured are the 1960's and 1970's classic Detroits. A great example is the episode "Gun Play", there is an epic car chase between the Hemi-Cuda and a red 1968 Z/28 Camaro. That chase is reminisicent of "Bullitt", as the cars appear to jump off the ground on the hilly streets of San Francisco.
There was additional "nostalgia" for the 1960's and 70's thrown in (given Don Johnson's age at time the show aired, this would be appropriate).
The producers brought in Cheech Marin. Older viewers would remember the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, from the 1970's vinyl albums featuring "Pedro and Man", to the "Up in Smoke" movies. And, by casting a Latin actor as the co-star/partner, the producers covered the bases on having a minority person play a major part in the show.
Speaking of minorities, for various reasons the Oriental co-stars on Nash Bridges did not last long. Lt. A. J. Shimamura, played by actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, was gone before the show got off the ground. Inspector Michelle Chan, played by actress Kelly Hu, lasted 23 episodes before she was pulled to star in another TV show.
More about the American Muscle cars, specifically the 1970 Plymouth Hemi-Cuda driven by Nash Bridges.
For many Nash Bridges fans, that car is the star! A number of 'Cudas and Barracudas were cloned to look like the super-rare 1970 V-code Hemi-Cuda convertible; none of them were the actual thing. Do an internet search for Nash Bridges Hemi-Cuda, and you can find the details and the auto body shops that cranked out the 5 or 6 cloned Hemi-Cudas that were used for this TV show.
> > > At an auction in Kissimmee, Florida in January 2024, a 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible sold for $2.15 Million dollars. The exact same color as Nash Bridge's car (Lemon Twist), only with a brown interior. As of the date of this review, that 'Cuda is for sale at a Nevada Automobile Dealership. Asking price is $2,575,000
The music. Playing "real music", especially during car chases and action scenes, which had been so successful on Miami Vice, was used on Nash Bridges. It adds some pep to the scenes, especially the car chases, but it just didn't work like it did on Miami Vice. After the first few seasons, the producers dropped this gimmick.
Speaking of music, there is a major reference to the Grateful Dead. Inspector Harvey Leek is reportedly a "Dead Head", but that is questionable, since most Dead Heads were also acid heads (LSD users). The Grateful Dead would be appropriate for a show based in San Francisco (the producers could have gone with any great SF band from the Fillmore Era, including Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, It's A Beautiful Day, Santana, et al).
A few other 60's and 70's bands are mentioned or given a cameo on Nash Bridges. However, many of the tunes used as background music is from now-forgotten bands of the 1990's.
Another casting trick used in Miami Vice was carried over to Nash Bridges. There were cameo appearances, sometimes for several episodes, by famous musicians, wrestlers, politicians, movie stars, TV stars. In Miami Vice you had Ted Nugent and Frank Zappa, on Nash Bridges you got Steve Austin, Meat Loaf, and Ricky Medlocke.
Speaking of casting, it was nice to see some of the regulars from Miami Vice brought on as guest stars. Martin Ferrero ("Izzy") is a criminal, John Diehl ("Vito") is a rogue Secret Service agent, and of course Philip Michael Thomas ("Rico Tubbs") gets an episode. And to reciprocate, they brought in Tommy Chong to round out the Cheech and Chong duo.
But some cast regulars were downright annoying. Character "Cassidy" was a total pain. Yasmine Bleeth wore the same pasted-on smile in every scene. Richard Bettina (the cop who is always trying to outdo Nash) gets on your nerves. And there are others.
Making Nash's daughter Cassidy a Police Officer in the final season was about as bad as it gets. A really poor decision by the writers and producers. Total flop.
None of the women regulars on Nash Bridges are particulary attractive. Granted, Don Johnson is well into his 40's, they can't fix him up with hot 20-somethings (although they did put him with Yasmine Bleeth in a later season; some people thought that she was highly rated on the beauty scale).
In the middle of the 4th season, as the show struggled in the Nielsen Ratings, the Casting Department dragged in Yasmine Bleeth, formerly of the TV show Baywatch. She becomes the love/hate interest for Nash Bridges. Never mind the 20 years age difference, the producers needed a good looking girl to spike up the show... Bleeth was it.
The real problem with Nash Bridges, why I don't rate it very high? Like many TV shows, they didn't know when to end it. The first three seasons would have drawn a combined 7 Star rating, maybe 8 stars. But regrettably, Seasons 4, 5, and 6 are included in the mix, those seasons each rate 4 or 5 stars.
In those last 3 seasons, the Criminals and the crimes take a back seat to the sexual escapades of Nash, his fellow cops, his dysfunctional family members, and any guest star who appears in that episode. Yes, there were innuendos in the first 3 seasons, but in these last 3 seasons, there was way too much skin.
We also get too many comedy-relief guest stars, including "Boz" and "Betty Ann". Their scenes don't contribute to the main plot; they just provide filler to drag out the show to fill the one hour time slot.
So, my total rating for this entire show, which could have gleaned 7 stars, gets pulled down to 6 stars, thanks to the last 3 seasons.
BEFORE YOU THUMBS UP MY REVIEW:
See the PHOTOS that I took of the Hemi-Cuda! Scroll through the photos on the IMDb Nash Bridges main page... look for the picture of two (2) Hemi-Cudas parked on the street in San Francisco.
Where I took that shot: In year 1997, I was driving in downtown San Francisco. A small crowd of people was gathered in front of a department store, the two Lemon Twist 'Cudas were parked next to the curb. I knew immediately it was "Nash Bridges! They are filming a scene!" I threw my car into park, put my flashers on, got out and took that photograph.
* * * * * * 6 Stars for Nash Bridges * * * * * *
Florida Fred.
It is hard to overstate the influence that Miami Vice had on TV and American culture when it aired in the 1980's. "Real music", fancy sports cars, fabulous scenery, beautiful music, and of course the moniker "MTV Cops". That cop show changed everything; it's impact would be felt on TV shows of every genre.
About 7 years have passed since Miami Vice last aired; now comes "Nash Bridges" Would this new show rise to the challenge? Would it be as exciting as Miami Vice, would it have the same impact on the Culture? The producers certainly hoped so (remember that Don Johnson himself takes credit for "Executive Producer", alongside Carlton Cuse).
The producers made some important decisions. Instead of South Florida, they took the setting for Nash Bridges all the way across the country to San Francisco. In the 1990's, that city was engaging, beautiful, and exciting. Watching Nash Bridges today, you can see San Francisco in its glory days.
Next decision was about the cars. Instead of the Italian sports cars that the Cops drove in Miami Vice, we get American Muscle Cars. Other cars that appear in the show include 7-series Beamers (including the one driven by Joe Fernandez), with a few S-class Mercedes Benz thrown in from time to time.
But the main automobiles featured are the 1960's and 1970's classic Detroits. A great example is the episode "Gun Play", there is an epic car chase between the Hemi-Cuda and a red 1968 Z/28 Camaro. That chase is reminisicent of "Bullitt", as the cars appear to jump off the ground on the hilly streets of San Francisco.
There was additional "nostalgia" for the 1960's and 70's thrown in (given Don Johnson's age at time the show aired, this would be appropriate).
The producers brought in Cheech Marin. Older viewers would remember the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, from the 1970's vinyl albums featuring "Pedro and Man", to the "Up in Smoke" movies. And, by casting a Latin actor as the co-star/partner, the producers covered the bases on having a minority person play a major part in the show.
Speaking of minorities, for various reasons the Oriental co-stars on Nash Bridges did not last long. Lt. A. J. Shimamura, played by actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, was gone before the show got off the ground. Inspector Michelle Chan, played by actress Kelly Hu, lasted 23 episodes before she was pulled to star in another TV show.
More about the American Muscle cars, specifically the 1970 Plymouth Hemi-Cuda driven by Nash Bridges.
For many Nash Bridges fans, that car is the star! A number of 'Cudas and Barracudas were cloned to look like the super-rare 1970 V-code Hemi-Cuda convertible; none of them were the actual thing. Do an internet search for Nash Bridges Hemi-Cuda, and you can find the details and the auto body shops that cranked out the 5 or 6 cloned Hemi-Cudas that were used for this TV show.
> > > At an auction in Kissimmee, Florida in January 2024, a 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible sold for $2.15 Million dollars. The exact same color as Nash Bridge's car (Lemon Twist), only with a brown interior. As of the date of this review, that 'Cuda is for sale at a Nevada Automobile Dealership. Asking price is $2,575,000
The music. Playing "real music", especially during car chases and action scenes, which had been so successful on Miami Vice, was used on Nash Bridges. It adds some pep to the scenes, especially the car chases, but it just didn't work like it did on Miami Vice. After the first few seasons, the producers dropped this gimmick.
Speaking of music, there is a major reference to the Grateful Dead. Inspector Harvey Leek is reportedly a "Dead Head", but that is questionable, since most Dead Heads were also acid heads (LSD users). The Grateful Dead would be appropriate for a show based in San Francisco (the producers could have gone with any great SF band from the Fillmore Era, including Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, It's A Beautiful Day, Santana, et al).
A few other 60's and 70's bands are mentioned or given a cameo on Nash Bridges. However, many of the tunes used as background music is from now-forgotten bands of the 1990's.
Another casting trick used in Miami Vice was carried over to Nash Bridges. There were cameo appearances, sometimes for several episodes, by famous musicians, wrestlers, politicians, movie stars, TV stars. In Miami Vice you had Ted Nugent and Frank Zappa, on Nash Bridges you got Steve Austin, Meat Loaf, and Ricky Medlocke.
Speaking of casting, it was nice to see some of the regulars from Miami Vice brought on as guest stars. Martin Ferrero ("Izzy") is a criminal, John Diehl ("Vito") is a rogue Secret Service agent, and of course Philip Michael Thomas ("Rico Tubbs") gets an episode. And to reciprocate, they brought in Tommy Chong to round out the Cheech and Chong duo.
But some cast regulars were downright annoying. Character "Cassidy" was a total pain. Yasmine Bleeth wore the same pasted-on smile in every scene. Richard Bettina (the cop who is always trying to outdo Nash) gets on your nerves. And there are others.
Making Nash's daughter Cassidy a Police Officer in the final season was about as bad as it gets. A really poor decision by the writers and producers. Total flop.
None of the women regulars on Nash Bridges are particulary attractive. Granted, Don Johnson is well into his 40's, they can't fix him up with hot 20-somethings (although they did put him with Yasmine Bleeth in a later season; some people thought that she was highly rated on the beauty scale).
In the middle of the 4th season, as the show struggled in the Nielsen Ratings, the Casting Department dragged in Yasmine Bleeth, formerly of the TV show Baywatch. She becomes the love/hate interest for Nash Bridges. Never mind the 20 years age difference, the producers needed a good looking girl to spike up the show... Bleeth was it.
The real problem with Nash Bridges, why I don't rate it very high? Like many TV shows, they didn't know when to end it. The first three seasons would have drawn a combined 7 Star rating, maybe 8 stars. But regrettably, Seasons 4, 5, and 6 are included in the mix, those seasons each rate 4 or 5 stars.
In those last 3 seasons, the Criminals and the crimes take a back seat to the sexual escapades of Nash, his fellow cops, his dysfunctional family members, and any guest star who appears in that episode. Yes, there were innuendos in the first 3 seasons, but in these last 3 seasons, there was way too much skin.
We also get too many comedy-relief guest stars, including "Boz" and "Betty Ann". Their scenes don't contribute to the main plot; they just provide filler to drag out the show to fill the one hour time slot.
So, my total rating for this entire show, which could have gleaned 7 stars, gets pulled down to 6 stars, thanks to the last 3 seasons.
BEFORE YOU THUMBS UP MY REVIEW:
See the PHOTOS that I took of the Hemi-Cuda! Scroll through the photos on the IMDb Nash Bridges main page... look for the picture of two (2) Hemi-Cudas parked on the street in San Francisco.
Where I took that shot: In year 1997, I was driving in downtown San Francisco. A small crowd of people was gathered in front of a department store, the two Lemon Twist 'Cudas were parked next to the curb. I knew immediately it was "Nash Bridges! They are filming a scene!" I threw my car into park, put my flashers on, got out and took that photograph.
* * * * * * 6 Stars for Nash Bridges * * * * * *
Florida Fred.