Review of Frank's Place

I've looked for a DVD of the series, but none seems to be available for Frank's Place. That's just a shame. It may seem strange to read this, given the characterization of Frank's Place as a half-hour comedy, but I really do think this was the best television show ever made. Yes, better than the Sopranos, better than Blackadder, better than Your Show of Shows. The writing had enormous depth without ever condescending to the audience. The performances were universally appropriate and adept. It had the quality of rare literature: It combined longing and wonder and reticence and grace. I was in a pub once in Ireland and a rerun of the show came on and I made the bartender leave it on, and the crowd there shook their heads and talked about how American television was supposed to be bad. They were surprised by the quality of the show, and the Irish are a literary bunch. BET has shown the series once or twice, and if they do again, I'll dust off the old VHS and tape it. This is a show that deserves to have a thousand lives.