''Tequila and Bonetti'' is an American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

television series starring Jack Scalia. The series originally aired on CBS, as a

mid-season replacement In American network television scheduling, a mid-season replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between December and May. Mid-season replacements usually take place after ...

, from January 17, 1992 to April 17, 1992, with only 10 of the 12 episodes aired. It was rebooted in 2000, for

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

television, with the Italian speaking Scalia returning as Bonetti.

Synopsis

The lead character of the series, Nico ("Nick") Bonetti, is a policeman from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who is proud of his

heritage and very fond of his vintage rose-colored

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convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...

, which he inherited from his father. After he erroneously shoots a young girl during a gunfight, he relocates to a beachfront

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

precinct on temporary assignment. Here he meets his new partners, Tequila (a large, burrito-eating French Mastiff), and Officer Angela Garcia, who joined the department after her policeman husband's death, which she has kept a secret from her young daughter. Their boss is Captain Midian Knight, who is almost as interested in selling a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

as he is in police work. The series shows their investigations of crimes and the evolving relationships between the characters. This show has the peculiarity that television viewers are able to hear Tequila's thoughts. Life is not easy for Bonetti, due to his remorse about the girl he shot and the strange habits of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

ns whom he does not understand. His neighbors include a Puerto Rican psychic, who hears Tequila's thoughts but initially believes she is hearing spirits. Bonetti develops a grudging respect for the people around him as well as for Tequila, who despite his faults is an excellent

police dog A police dog, also known as a K-9 (phonemic abbreviation of canine), is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, findin ...

. The dog is portrayed as having human-level intelligence and a street-wise, sassy attitude. Each episode has a montage during which Bonetti plays piano and viewers see odd, sometimes disturbing scenes featuring Bonetti's neighbors and co-workers. Some of these scenes are from later episodes, while others remain unexplained. Each montage ends with Bonetti's memory of the shooting of the girl in New York.

Cast

* Jack Scalia as Det. Nico "Nick" Bonetti *

Charles Rocket Charles Adams Claverie (August 28, 1949 – October 7, 2005), known by stage names Charlie Hamburger, Charlie Kennedy, and Charles Rocket, was an American actor. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live,'' played the villain Nicholas Andre ...

as Capt. Midian Knight *

Mariska Hargitay Mariska Magdolna Hargitay Mariska says her own first name and the name of her father; the interviewer, James Lipton, also says her full name near the start of the show. (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and philanthrop ...

as Off. Angela Garcia *Brad Sanders as Tequila (voice) *

Terry Funk Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his car ...

as Sgt. Nuzo * W. K. Stratton as Detective Lee In addition,

Liz Torres Elizabeth Larrieu Torres (born September 27, 1947) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Torres is best known for her role as Mahalia Sanchez in the NBC comedy series '' The John Larroquette Show'' (1993–1996), for which she received tw ...

recurs as psychic Gina Garcia, while series creator Donald P. Bellisario's daughter Troian recurs as Teresa Garcia, the young daughter of Hargitay's character.

Episodes

Cancellation

The series received negative reviews from critics due to the weaknesses of the scripts, California stereotypes, and an embarrassing ambiguity in the fact of making the dog speak in black street jive. It was subsequently canceled by CBS four months after its premiere.

2000 series reboot

Eight years later, ''Tequila & Bonetti'' was rebooted for television with Jack Scalia reprising his role as Bonetti; only this time, the show was filmed and aired in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Bonetti goes to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to team up with a new "Tequila", a cross between a Saint Bernard and a golden retriever, and the policewoman Fabiana Sasso ( Alessia Marcuzzi). Again, only the audience can hear the dog's thoughts, but this time Bonetti is the one with strange American habits, as seen by his new

friends.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tequila And Bonetti 1990s American comedy-drama television series 1992 American television series debuts 1992 American television series endings CBS comedy-dramas American English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Universal Television Television shows about dogs Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series created by Donald P. Bellisario Fiction about police dogs CBS crime dramas