Silk Stalkings (TV Series 1991–1999) Poster

(1991–1999)

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6/10
A cop show that brings a colorful twist to law and order.
pinbyte11 October 2006
Before I offer any description of this TV show, I want to point out that the 'opening sequence' rates in my top 10. It is a sexy and overt grabber sequence that rivals that of "Hawaii Five-O", "Miami Vice", and even "Mission Impossible".

It is usually followed by Rita's narrative of what is yet to come.

So... we have this pair of police detectives. They are based in Palm Beach Florida. They are undoubtedly solving a murder that takes place before they even run the credits. A formula that remains in use.

Chris and Rita, the two main cop partner characters continue to have a professional but close relationship which adds some spark to the show. Others will acknowledge a real chemistry there, though perhaps awkward. When fire was added to the relationship it burned out the show. Keep the spark, prevent the fire, now that keeps us wondering what will happen next week.

Perhaps, the actors were done. The show still went on to much disappointment (at least by me). Forget the 'second cast'. The formula doesn't mix. Please don't dismiss the first few years.

Silk Stalkings presented a very new and different scene for a police detective environment which borrows from "Miami Vice" and then takes it over the top. It never takes itself too seriously, which really adds to the enjoyment.

I am pleased that it is now offered on DVD, and can now be rented. When you get sick of commercials, just pop a Silk in the DVD player and enjoy. Sure it is fluff... but when you get to the commercial break YOU DON'T GET ANY COMMERCIALS. You are right back into the show. Pause to pee if you like, but it does not really matter, you'll pick it right back up.

Perhaps I am biased somewhat... I used to watch it when it was actually on TV. This is a landmark show in my opinion. The outrageous police department decor and the dress of the main characters helped keep me interested.

Ignore the predictability, "Silk Stalkings" is a one of a kind, and worth a few enjoyable hours.
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8/10
Quality of the show dropped the last four seasons
dttruman8 October 2020
This was a quality "who done it" the first five years with elements of sexual innuendo that kept the viewers interested. "Sex sells" and "too much doesn't" was a good mix that made this show a winner, but the last four seasons brought changes that switched the attention onto the private lives of the detectives instead of the investigation of the high class murders. IMO, viewership got tired of the unprofessionalism of the detectives and lack of creativity of the series.
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8/10
One Of The Best TV series of the decade!!!!!!!
Chris-62530 December 2000
Warning: Spoilers
Silk Stalkings is considerably the best cop show on television today. The homicide cases were interesting and tends to get even better week after week!!!Most importantly, the thing that keeps viewers watching is the relationship between the lead cast... For the first 5 years, Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture were cast as Chris and Rita and have certainly earned the respect of fans of the show. For the next 3 years, Chris Potter and Janet Gunn took over as Tom Ryan and Cassy St.John, this cast was in my opinion better than the first 2. However, both teams have EXCELLENT CHEMISTRY and portrayed their roles extremely well. Charlie Brill who plays Captain Lipschitz was hilarious in his part. SPOILERS AHEAD

The only downside of this show is the endings.The first "silk" cast had a sad ending. Rob's character Chris Lorenzo died somewhere in the middle of the 5th season leaving his wife Rita Lance pregnant with his child. The newer "silk" cast didn't really got an ending at all.They just left cliffhangers (unresolved questions) everywhere as to what is the outcome of Tom and Harry?????? Will Cassy ever forgive Tom???? It had lasted for 8 years but judging from the ratings it got, it should never have got cancelled.....Perhaps people could write in to usanetwork and ask for a movie to be made....tie up loose ends from the 8th season.
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Rob & Mitzi: More Chemistry than duPont!
Bcaldc1017 June 2001
Silk Stalkings will go down in TV history as the little cable show that really scored in the ratings. Rob Estes and Mitzi

Kapture had more genuine, honest and passionate on-screen chemistry than any TV characters I've ever seen before or since. It was magical. The friendship. The caring. The support. The professional competence of this team was just something to behold. The show also featured great supporting players like Charlie Brill and William Anton. But all good things eventually come to an end. When Rob & Mitzi left in the middle of the 5th season the new team was totally unable to continue on in any way even close their predecessors. To be charitable, they were awful. But it only got worse. As

the 6th season started Executive Producer David Peckinpah left the series. He had been the controlling force in the 1st 5 seasons. Season 6 gave us new producers, directors, writers, supporting players, and a new team of detectives. Across the board the show collapsed! We were supposed to

believe that a divorced couple were now the number one detective team in Palm Beach. We were supposed to believe that no one in the Police Dept. had ever even known Chris and Rita. The writing and directing were absolutely awful! Rob & Mitzi had more chemistry and heat sitting at their desks than Potter and Gunn could ever hope to muster. We tried to give the last team chances to impress but the fun and magic were gone. It was just impossible to replace the magic that graced the screen with Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture. We still miss their characters but luckily have tapes to enjoy for years to come.
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7/10
Only Watched the St John and Ryan Episodes
shelbythuylinh20 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Due to Chris Potter being on "Kung Fu the Legend Continues" as Sgt. Tom Ryan and Janet Gunn as Sgt Cassandra St John.

Both were married briefly but their work life and in the private life had in the being interfering though they have been love-hate relationship and their boss played by the valuable Charlie Brill thinks they have solved cases and are good for each other for morale.
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9/10
highest rated original series
ritalee14 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Silk was the highest rated original series on USA when it ran for 8 seasons...because it really was a great show. The stars made the show what it was, of course, because in spite of the creators trying to lay the T&A (aka nudity) on thick, the real attraction was the awesome chemistry between actors Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture for the first 4.5 seasons. Chris and Rita were the subject of many a "ship" till they finally fell into each others arms. However it wasn't just about romance with this pair, they were the best of friends and the special relationship they had always became part and parcel of the roles and the plot and enhanced the story lines perfectly. There were also some very intriguing characters (Guest stars) who lent support to the leads as well as the comic twists and turns that made the show very likable and entertaining. I own all 4 seasons on DVD mainly because of Chris and Rita (Rob and Mitzi) but every time I watch I am reminded there was always more to love in this show...nudity aside.
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9/10
Erotic crime drama series. Close to excellence.
michaelRokeefe3 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Stephen J. Cannell created one my most favorite TV series SILK STALKINGS. Stalking ran from 1991 to 1999 on CBS and then USA. Mitzi Kapture as Detective Rita Lance and Rob Estes as Detective Chris Lorenzo made the show what it was. Two detectives solving sexually-based crimes in Palm Beach, Florida(although the show was filmed in Sand Diego, California). It was this duo's job to catch killers among the rich and well-known among sharp dressed men and scantily-clad bomb shells. Although the budget was said to be tight, the screen always seemed to be filled with vivid color and modern eye candy. The close working relationship between Estes and Kapture at times pseudo erotic is so smooth and easy to watch.

The series became very mediocre when the original duo left for other projects. First being replaced by Nick Kokatkis and Tyler Layton; who would be replaced with Chris Potter and Janet Gunn. Ben Vereen was versatile as Lorenzo and Lance's first supervising Captain. He later would be replaced by the very apt Charlie Brill. Catch SILK STALKINGS on DVD at BlockBuster. You will really enjoy it or even fall in love with it all over again. Highly recommended.
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5/10
Not very believable, but entertaining
highwaytourist5 April 2006
This was hardly a high concept cop show. In a nutshell, it's a knockoff of "Miami Vice" set in Palm Beach, only with less substance and credibility. Two young, glamorous cops investigate and solve murders committed by snooty Palm Beach socialites, and do so without messing up their hairstyles or expensive wardrobes. The portrayal of the wealthy suspects was never believable. Most of the women wore form-fitting spandex, packed obvious silicone implants, and look like hookers masquerading as royalty. To put it mildly, it's hardly typical of Palm Beach society women. Most of the men were stereotypical greedy, perverted sleaze-balls, like pimps who won the lottery. Indeed, the film seems to say that all rich people are scum and it's fun to watch their downfall. Many of the clues seem to fall into the cops' laps, making it hard not to solve the murders. A number of the cases are obviously based on real life.

In spite of these many and obvious shortcomings, it's a fun show. I watched it faithfully for a few years. Much of the credit goes to Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture. As detectives Christopher Lorenzo and Rita Lance, they give a genuinely convincing portrayal of dedicated detectives and supportive partners. They truly seem to want justice and be the best of friends. And there are other compensations--the background music is chilling and the location work is well-done. Unfortunately, the producers had to ruin it by having them become lovers. After they left the show, it just wasn't very interesting. New characters were introduced, and the show sank to the level of "Ken and Barbie play cops." Still, the series ground on for four more years, which says much about the quality of the USA Network's programming.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely! To those interested, I say get the first four seasons and enjoy. You won't believe a minute of it, but you'll have a good time anyway.
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10/10
silk stalkings one of the best
aliv_737 February 2010
i loved this show when it was on CBS and when he moved to USA Network.i think they should have given Chris and Rita a different ending.Rob and Mitzi have great chemistry.the two partner parings ofter them didn't have that spark.i watched the show both on Crimetime after Primetime along with Forever Knight they were some of my favorites.i think the USA Network should bring this show back.i think the producers of the show should have gone the same way the show Dallas did with the whole dream sequence when Pam thought Bobby was dead.i loved both Ben Vereen and Charlie Brill as the captains.the two actors who played Michael and Holly their was no spark.the last to actors were OK,but we already knew what happened to their relationship.
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5/10
Good clean fun
wpirotte23 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
When the series starts with an incredibly clumsy attempt at double entendre about golf and promiscuity, I feel like I am 15 years old again. I mean 11. Oh well. The apparent lack of any kind of police consultant on the show makes for some great savings on latex gloves, DA's pursuing personal vendettas against jilters, etc. But my favorite episode so far was a van and car chase which STARTED with the car already dented up, before the van hit it. These people apparently guessed, correctly, that editing cleavage is more important than editing car chases.
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It was "parfait"
kbaorsin13 August 2001
I'm not very original, but the classic silk episodes were the best. Everybody who saw the classic episodes should confirm that.

I was so upset when Rob and Mitzi left the show. I admit, the scripts of silk stalkings weren't always great and the cases weren't always realistic, but the actors made up for all that.

Rob and Mitzi were great together. The chemistry between the two of them was great and you could see they had a lot of fun in front of the cameras.

I miss watching the reruns late at night, but I've got a lot of episodes on tape (I won't be bored). Thumbs up for Rob, Mitzi K (Sam and Sam), Charlie, Mitzi M, William and all the other actors who made my life a lot better every day! Guys, it was "parfait"!
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10/10
Best show ever!
tooshort1362 April 2020
Silk Stallings is one of my all time favorite TV shows. The Episodes with Chris and Rita(Classic Silk) are the only ones I watch. After Rob and Mitzi left I lost interest in the show. Chris and Rita's chemistry is infectious and their real life friendship off screen made the characters so believable.
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9/10
Excellent Crime Drama Series
dougweinberg28 December 2014
Outstanding series for the first four and a half years. From the beginning Chris (Rob Estes) and Rita (Mitzi Kapture) have great chemistry. By episode eight in season five, the emotions and relationship mature and Silk Stalkings turns into a true romance series.

The next six episodes are pure genius. Anyone who enjoys a good love story will be glued to the tube. The crimes take a back seat and the character development of Chris and Rita take center stage. Call me a romantic, but at times you forget that this is a crime drama.

When it is all said and done, you will feel deprived to not know and only dream where Chris and Rita's lives could have gone next.
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1/10
Shallow and Boring
nbrice1816 September 2021
Watched one episode and quit. Trite, predictable and too much fluff. Silly banter, California license plates on all the cars in Palm Beach FL, women in bikinins, rich people with plastic looks...It was similar to the last Mike Hammer show, all plastic surgery and bad acting.

For a real crime show in FL that was actually shot on location try Miami Vice. For a cute and sometimes serious crime show with partners that have chemistry watch Hunter. For believable crime dramas with people who look like real people watch Aussie shows like City Homicide, Rush, Young Lions, Killing Time, and even Blue Heelers (until the last few seasons).

I rate this show a 1 out of 10.
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10/10
A well remembered guilty pleasure of mine a treat to view some very sexy eye candy!
blanbrn3 April 2016
I remember growing up in the 90's as a young man I was glued to this series which was properly and rightfully called "Silk Stalkings". It first started on a late night trial run on "CBS" then it would quickly move over as a regular series at the "USA Network" and would run strong all thru the 90's. The key players would change hands a few times yet the first and best cop team was that of Sgt. Rita Lance(Mitzi Kapture)and Sgt. Chris Lorenzo(Rob Estes)and later I remember the attractive Janet Gunn as a cop. The series centered around the team of cops investigating murders, blackmail, scandal, white collar crime, drugs, and sex crimes involving high class escorts all of this happening with the ultra and very premium rich and well to do of Palm Beach, Florida(yet the series was mostly filmed in San Diego, California and Arizona).

The thing that stuck with me the most from this series was the hot sexy scenes of eye candy with hot sexy high society socialite women wearing very sexy colored bras and underwear! That was a dream come true for a young man. Most memorable episodes that featured hot actresses that sported hot sexy colored bras were ones that involved Paula Trickey, Brittney Powell, Erin Gray(of "Buck Rogers" fame and she's still hot!) and Debbie Dunning(of "Home Improvement" fame)and southern character actress Kim Morgan Greene was hot in one episode wearing a silk sexy green bra! Need I say more the series had it all it had drama and suspense with crimes of passion with the very rich and it was spiced up and treated with very sexy scenes that were eye candy treats and most episodes had plot twist. To bad that series this excellent aren't made anymore as "Silk Stalkings" was clearly a seduction and guilty pleasure for a viewer to watch.
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1/10
NOT PALM BEACH
uswimtdjxq15 November 2023
Did Steven Cannel ever take the time to actually go to Palm Beach? This show isn't in PB, but the Hollywood "idea" of PB. For one thing, the palms are all wrong. Those tall, straight, skinny palms only grow in LA. PB has Royal Palms, not so tall, not so skinny, smoother and rounder. PB has an ordinance against sky scrapers, as well as an architectural commission that vetoes plate glass high rises. I believe The Breakers hotel is the tallest structure on PB, and it's only about 8-10 stories, if that. There are no hills or mountains in South Florida. The town is on an 18-mile long barrier island separated from the mainland by the Lake Worth Lagoon on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. At no point is the island wider than three-quarters of a mile, and in places it is only 500 feet wide. The northern boundary of Palm Beach is the Lake Worth Inlet, though it adjoined with Singer Island until the permanent dredging of the inlet in 1918. To the south, a section of Lake Worth Beach occupies the island in the vicinity of State Road 802, though an exclave of Palm Beach extends farther southward until the northern limits of South Palm Beach. No one speeds in PB. No one walks in PB. There are police patrolling everywhere, and a population of just under 8,000. So everyone knows your business, even though it's considered a very exclusive and private community. The beach is quite narrow and not continuous, being frequently interrupted by grandfathered, walled off, "private" areas. There are two private golf clubs, one - The Seminole - more exclusive than the other. The two main characters in this series, plus the entire police operation shown here, smacks of PWT and Miami Beach.
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Awesome show
tweetymac58 September 2002
I started watching Silk Stalkings when it aired on the CBS Crimetime after Primetime schedule in 1991 and was glad to see it picked up on the USA network instead of being cancelled like my other favorite show Dark Justice in which Janet Gunn also starred. When the show first aired you could see the great chemistry with Rob and Mitzi. It was sad when they killed of Rob's character and Mitzi left shortly afterwards. When they brought in Nick and Tyler to replace Rob and Mitzi it just didnt work. The best thing that happened was bringing in Janet and Chris to replace them. Janet and Chris also had great chemistry. Bringing in these two allowed a great show to go on for four more seasons. I do hope they will do a movie that will clear up the cliffhanger that was left when the show ended. Please bring back Janet and Chris and the rest of the gang. Dont leave it hanging like that.
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10/10
Silk Stalkings is nothing without Chris & Rita
Hanlie-Venter20 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I was mad about Silk Stalkings with Chris and Rita but Silk Stalkings is nothing without Chris and Rita. If they are not in the show must end straight away. I would like to see it continue with Chris & Rita. I stayed up until 22:15 just to watch Salk Stalkings with Chris and Rita. Please bring it back and do the same that they did in the show Dallas when JR and Bobby was dead and come back into the show. Bobby died and when the next series started he was standing in the shower. Please do something like that and bring Silk Stalkings back but with Chirs (Rob Estes) and Rita (Mitzi Kaptuse). If you do that I will stay up still later but if not I will not even bodder to watch Silk Stalkings further.
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10/10
Sexiest crime drama ever
Brettem0212 April 2021
Silk Stalkings is a great and sexy crime drama that's just fun to watch.
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1/10
No one can act in this unwatchable crap!
imdb-252882 January 2022
The first part with Mitzy and Rob was horrible. They can't act. They're hideous. The show is cringeworthy at best. At worst, it a big pile of poo emoji! They improved it with better looking cast but Chris Potter was way out of his depth and his seasons were terrible. Janet Gunn took over the manly part of the show and totally emasculated him. Couldn't Chris act better? Was he THAT intimidated by his b-ll-busting co-star? Or was it all written like that (of course, it was but) with the director/prods instructing the male lead not to deviate from the script and improve his lame part?

How low Chris Potter sank from his glory days of his former series. This crap is absolutely unwatchable. You want "guilty" pleasure? Go to Dairy Queen and buy yourself a banana split. Or, I dunno, watch a Britney Spears video. But this crap?! Potter is basically phoning it in and Gunn has one emotion throughout the entire ordeal of a series: mad, angry, exasperated, and overall a bit itchy, if you catch my drift.

Skip this crap and hit the gym instead or watch The Twilight Zone reruns instead and thank me later.
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Sexy
QueenMakeda8415 March 2003
I loved this show from first on. Mitzy and Rob have great chemistry as Rita and Chris. I loved the direction the show took to getting them together. I hated the new partners when they left. I'm a "Sam and Sam" fan forever. Great, hip, and sexy show about bored rich people who commit crimes. Made being a cop look pretty glam. Miss the show.
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Chris and Rita Did it for Me...
blkeagle15 June 2000
Chris and Rita's personality and chemistry did it for lots of viewers of the late night show. They clicked, and you knew that they would eventually become more than just partners and friends....that was part of the lure that kept people coming back to view the show. The new partners, because of the fact that they have been married, divorced and now partners in crime, just don't get it. It was the give and take, the support and the pride, that made Rob and Mitzi really work on the screen in their roles. My wife and I would make a popcorn evening of watching the two back-to-back episodes of SS when it was on USA Network. I miss the show...Two thumbs WAYY Up for Cannell...he did a masterful job.

Settummanque!
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Just Good Bad TV
Hypno-227 December 2004
I remember staying up and watching this show mostly due to the almost sofcore stories and air brushed cast but as i grew older i started watching the show more for the unnecessary comedy than anything else.

Just noticing the typical casting done for the extras and supporting cast, every cop in that station was a model or made of plastic. Every female cop wore more make up than a porn star and their police procedure were just silly. The acting wasn't exactly bad persay just that the cast didn't have much to work with or just became compliant to getting a pay check.

Watch it for fluff and turn your brain off, and you'll get some pleasure from watching this bad TV.
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A USA Network guilty pleasure that actually had quality
screenhound225 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Spoilers ahead--probably.

I'm in a rather unique position. I'm a fan of both vintage Silk (Chris and Rita--played by Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture) and New Silk (Tom and Cassy played by Chris Potter and Janet Gunn). The writing quality was--respectable, I guess and the on screen chemistry between the characters of Chris and Rita was superb. So there was some intelligence mixed in with the eye candy. Then both stars quit in 1995. The ending of vintage Silk was extraordinarily depressing, particularly because they couldn't decide which ending to use. They had the dream sequence kiss that was such a tremendous relief and fun to watch and then the stark news that Chris had died (I think in surgery). The closing shot of the ep was of Rita looking through the hospital window, absolutely spiritually destroyed. Their replacements (Holly & Mike?) were absolutely horrible. They were beautiful physical specimens, of course, but neither of them could act very well--(though, by the by, I did see Tyler Layton guest-star on Charmed that one time and she succeeded rather well, so maybe she improved her technique in the ensuing 2-3 years after she left this show). Tom and Cassy were nowhere near as engaging as the original pair and the writing dropped off seriously at the end, but it was still an enjoyable hour of television. I didn't realize that Peckinpah was the creative force behind vintage Silk. Die-hard Chris and Rita fans claim the loss of his influence killed the show. Trust me, it didn't. And I've also watched Peckinpah drive other successful series into the ground (like Sliders). Still, now that USA has gone respectable, don't expect to see them marketing anything like this or Pac Blue or anything resembling Sunday Night Heat ever again. That isn't a bad thing, but it's a fact that should be accepted.
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Support, especially for Chris and Rita
Frank-314 January 1999
Silk Stalkings is; for what it is and it doesn't pretend to be anything else; great viewing, especially the episodes with Chris and Rita, the other pair just don't have the same screen effect.
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