Shelley's third foray into series TV was Jack and Mike in 1986. Executive producer David Gerber believed so much in Shelley that he wanted to give her her own TV series. It was initially called Jackie O'Shea, with Shelley in the title role; and Tom Mason was offered the role of Jackie's husband. After lots of talks with Gerber, Mason finally accepted; and it was retitled Our Kind of Town. When it aired, it was again retitled Jack and Mike... alluding to the names of the main characters Jackie Shea and her husband Mike Brennan. The pilot episode was originally aired in September 16, 1986 and also starred Carol Rossen, Dennis Farina, Vincent Baggetta, Rosalind Chao and Gary Cole. The screenplay was by Sara Davidson; and it was directed by Jack Bender. The pilot episode, which ran for around 85 to 90 minutes, was released in VHS format and distributed in Canada, Europe, in the Netherlands and Belgium. Let's hope the entire series is finally streamed.
Jackie Shea is the star columnist at The Mirror, a widely-circulated Chicago paper; her column is awaited by everyone every week. Her husband is Mike Brennan, a successful restaurateur about to open his third restaurant. The couple is considered as sort of celebrities in the city. One day, in her office at The Mirror, Jackie is surprised that convicted rapist Chris Sykes and his wife Holly have come to see her. His sentencing is days away, and he is asking Jackie to help him prove his innocence by writing his side of the story. After going over it with Mike later that evening, Jackie agrees to help Sykes. She investigates his claim, determined to get to the truth no matter what. But the more details she unveils, the more complicated the matter gets... plus, the bigger and more powerful the individuals involved are. And as she finally uncovers the whole truth, her life, as well as her husband's, is put in imminent danger.
