"Coach" (1989) TV series 1989-1997

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Creator:

Barry Kemp

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

23 September 1989 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Plot:

Hayden Fox is the head coach of a university football team, and eats, sleeps and lives football. His partner...

Plot Keywords:

College | Minnesota | American Football

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Golden Globes. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Craig T. Nelson	...	Coach Hayden Fox (199 episodes, 1989-1997)
Jerry Van Dyke	...	Assistant Coach Luther Horatio Van Dam (199 episodes, 1989-1997)
Shelley Fabares	...	Christine Armstrong (199 episodes, 1989-1997)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Dauber Dybinski (189 episodes, 1989-1997)

Runtime:

30 min (200 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Citrus Bowl - 1610 W. Church Street, Orlando, Florida, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

The "Coach" theme song was performed by the Iowa State University Cyclone Football "Varsity" Marching Band. The Iowa State band was the winner of a national contest for the right to play the piece for TV.

Quotes:

Coach Hayden Fox: We've got pie!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Pumaman (#10.3)" (1998)

Classic Sitcoms rarely get better than this

This was a great show. Craig T. Nelson is a very funny man and this show was deservedly one of the most popular during its long run. Nelson played Hayden Fox, a football coach for the Minnesota Screaming Eagles, at a college, Minnesota State. He had a girlfriend; anchorwoman Christine Armstrong played by veteran singer Shelly Fabares, a daughter Kelly and her boyfriend and later husband Stewart.

The real stars of the show were the people he worked with though. Jerry Van Dyke, brother of Dick van Dyke played Luther, Hayden's assistant coach, Dauber was another assistant coach who was also a student that never seemed to graduate and the not too frequently seen Howard Burleigh the goofy athletic director that let Hayden get by with a whole lot.

Hayden was essentially a nice guy, but he also had many flaws. He was sexist, self centered, obnoxious, basically a football coach. He was an Archie Bunker for his time, but not near as edgy of course. He was always trying to control the lives of his daughter, his girlfriend and his friends at work.

The show had so many great lines. The writing was great as there was never a week character even people that were in one or two episodes. I thought the weakest characters in the show was his girlfriend and his daughter who were mostly just background noise to his work where the real great gags were. Luther was so great. He was such an odd character he almost made the show.

The best episode was the one when we learned of Howard Burleigh's society the Society of Loons. The loon is actually a bird the group is named after. I thought I was going to die when I heard the members scream `LOOOOONNNN!' That is classic. I love how Hayden Fox seems to always be at odds with someone whether it is someone that is a bit on the artsy side, an administrator, one of Christine's friends or almost anyone he chooses.

The show works because the dialogue is not forced. The writing was near perfect. All of them had near perfect lines, except for his girlfriend and his daughter who eventually drifted away from the show. The show lost a lot of its charm when Hayden moved to the pros and coached a team in Florida. It was still funny but not as good as it once was. Still this is a great show, watch it on Nick at Nite, it's a classic.