'Mr. President, Private Eye'
A one-hour state-of-the-union detective series.
By CONAN O'BRIEN

Starring Conan O'Brien as President Jack Camden, supersleuth. And featuring Hollis A. Copeland as Secret Service Agent Cox, the Prez's accomplice, and Suzanne Nowland as the First Lady, clueless. Photograph by Jake Chessum for The New York Times.

President Jack Camden is the elected leader of the free world. He's also a crime buff, and whenever his official duties take him within 50 feet of a jewel theft, murder or art forgery, Camden can't help turning amateur sleuth. No crime is too small for this Commander in Chief's attention, and important business of state is often jeopardized to corner racehorse smugglers and opera-star blackmailers. This hourlong comedy-thriller follows in the tradition of "Murder, She Wrote," only this time the amateur detective is in the eye of the 90's media hurricane, and much of the fun revolves around his attempts to sneak through the crime world undetected. In one episode, Camden ducks out of a World Economic Summit to meet a crackhead informer in an alley. The following week he tries to tail a suspected kidnapper inconspicuously with a full Presidential motorcade in tow. All the while, President Camden risks upsetting the delicate balance of world power by involving heads of state in his mysteries. In the episode "Dial 'M' for Mr. President," Camden picks the Russian President's brain at an arms-control conference: Russian President: Mr. President, you seem distracted. Camden: I'm sorry, Yuri. It's just that ... well ... if you were going to commit suicide and you had a lifelong fear of guns, would you kill yourself with a shotgun?

Russian President [puzzled]: No ... I would use poison. Camden [elated]: Exactly! Follow me out this window, Yuri. I'll explain on the way. The counterweight to all this nonsense is Secret Service Agent Cox. A much-decorated professional, Cox knows that the President isn't supposed to be chasing criminals. At the same time, Cox is sworn to protect Camden, which means he always ends up playing Dr. Watson despite his best efforts. Cox also has his hands full keeping the First Lady in the dark. More Pat Nixon than Hillary Clinton, Joyce Camden is so passionate about her husband's historical legacy that she's sketchy on his day-to-day activities. No matter how arduous their adventure, Cox must always return the President safely to the White House before the First Lady takes notice. To make matters worse, Camden's Vice President is a nosy, politically frustrated man who watches the President like a modern-day Mrs. Kravitz. He'd love to see Camden booted from office, but instead he's always impotently shouting, to no one in particular, things like, "I'm telling you, I saw the President jump a drawbridge in a Camaro!" Between the First Lady and the Vice President, Agent Cox has his hands full. But, of course, the high jinks lie with President Camden, who isn't above using the immense powers of his office to crack a case. The great paradox is that the most powerful man in the world can't delegate when it comes to his one true passion. He's out on the streets in every episode doing whatever it takes to see justice prevail.

Copyright: New York Times 1998

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