I come not to bury "Coach" but to praise it.
This is one sitcom that has been consistently funny. And any comedy that can make you laugh week in and week out has accomplished its primary goal.And, as the show prepares to leave the air after nine season on ABC, it's about time it got some credit for doing so.
"Coach" never quite got the respect it deserved from the network that aired it, from the critics or from the people who hand out television awards. (Although series star Craig T. Nelson did win an Emmy as outstanding actor in a comedy series.)
About the only people who respected "Coach" were the viewers who followed the show through umpteen schedule changes.
At one time or another, "Coach" was seen on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. And in multiple time slots on several of those nights.
But through it all, the show survived. It even survived what appeared to be ABC attempts to kill it with bad scheduling.
The reason it survived? Once again, it was always a funny show.
It wasn't great art. It wasn't intellectual. It was funny.
"Coach" featured a good cast, good writing and a good premise. On the one hand, it was somewhat unusual to base a comedy on the exploits of a football coach. On the other hand, the domestic issue of an insensitive, somewhat loutish male interacting with a caring, sensitive woman is a TV convention.
But the fact is that the relationship between Hayden Fox (Nelson) and Christine Armstrong (Shelley Fabares) worked. And not just because of the obvious and enduring chemistry between the two actors.
What made this relationship work was that fact that Hayden tried so hard not to be a lout. He genuinely wanted to be the caring, sensitive type to please Christine - but his actions often failed to live up to his intentions.
In the show's first years, half of Hayden's problems relating to women came in his tenuous relationship with his daughter, Kelly (Clare Carey), from a previous marriage. And with her artistic boyfriend and later husband, Stuart (Kris Kamm) - the sort of man Hayden couldn't relate to at all.
And "Coach" was almost "Dick Van Dyke"-ish - Hayden had the home life with Christine and Kelly and the work life with his assistant coaches, Luther (Jerry Van Dyke) and Dauber (Bill Fagerbakke). And the two venues often spilled over into one another.
The producers of "Coach" also had the good sense to let the show change over the years. Hayden's fortunes rose and fell - from a losing college football coach to winning an unlikely national championship. From college coaching to the pro ranks, where he took an expansion team from total disaster to playoff contention.
Hayden's relationship with Christine grew and changed, and included a hilarious series of mishaps that put the kibosh on wedding date after wedding date - a ploy that was carried on just long enough before the two actually wed. And from marriage the couple went on to parenthood.
Stuart and Kelly were eventually written out. Other characters came and went. Others began as minor characters and built into regular contributors.
All the changes managed to keep "Coach" fresh throughout most of its long TV life.
In the two-part series finale, "Coach" revisits its past. In tonight's episode (7:30 p.m., Ch. 4), team owner Doris (Katherine Helmond) offers Hayden a long-term contract - but he discovers that other NFL teams are also interested in him.
So Hayden and Christine head back to their cabin in Minnesota to explore their options. Not only do Luther and Dauber tag along, but a number of old friends show up in next week's hourlong conclusion.
(And look for an odd appearance by backwoods brother Larry, Darryl and Darryl from "Newhart.")
Although "Coach" deserves a pat on the back on its way out, this is not to say that the show is leaving prematurely. Nine seasons is a long time in TV terms, and "Coach" has seen better days.
But that shouldn't detract from a series that brought viewers a lot of laughs. When "Coach" goes out next week, it will leave behind a lot of fond memories - not to mention 200 episodes that will live on in syndicated reruns.