Dabney Coleman It's not a good idea to ask Dabney Coleman whether his TV characters have been politically correct. "That's a bulls--- term that people love to say for some reason," fumes the cantankerous star of NBC's new sitcom Madman of the People, chomping on a stogie and slurping down an extra-strong cup of black coffee by the kidney-shaped pool at his Brentwood, Calif., home. "Like people loved to say 'bottom line' when that first came out. And people loved to say 'dynamite' in the '60s. 'Politically correct' doesn't mean anything more than 'correct.' That's all it f---in' means." The rap on Coleman, 62, is that the outspoken grumps he played in the short-lived sitcoms Buffalo Bill (1983-84), The "Slap" Maxwell Story (1987-88), and Drexell's Class (1991-92) were a little too incorrect for viewers to invite into their homes. But Coleman doesn't buy it. "Given another year or two, Buffalo Bill would have caught on big-time, just like Archie Bunker," he says. "I don't know what was likable about (Bunker). The man was a bigot, a racist an a--hole. Very funny and well-played, but way more despicable than any of those guys I played." Coleman's Madman character, a New York City magazine columnist working for his publisher daughter (Cynthia Gibb), has a softer heart than Buffalo Bill, but the actor isn't about to turn him into a teddy bear. "Nice guys don't get attention," Coleman explains. "There have been a couple of eternally nice guys in history like Gary Cooper or Jimmy Stewart that people like to watch, but they're few and far between. And I'm certainly not one of them." No argument here. -BF
You Might Also Like
- TV Review DADDY'S GIRLS;SOMETHING WILDER;MADMAN OF THE PEOPLE | Ken Tucker
- In Memoriam 2002 In Memoriam 2002
- Encore It's a Little Bit Funny... | Nancy Sidewater
