Charlie's Angels - The Complete Third Season (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)The third season of Charlie's Angels, which aired on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC from September 1978 through May 1979, had a lot going for it, as well as a lot to live up to. The first season exploded onto television and immediately became a Nielsen ratings champ. Thanks to tweaked writing and a better timeslot, the second season was an even greater success, despite losing the angel who became a cultural phenomenon, Farrah Fawcett's "Jill Munroe."
One unique aspect of the third season is that it has the distinction of being the first (and only) season to have all three angels returning from the previous one-Cheryl Ladd as "Kris Munroe" who replaced Farrah, in addition to original angels "Sabrina Duncan" and "Kelley Garret," played by Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith respectively. Additionally, Farrah's contractual return for three episodes this season was another asset for the returning show. Her Townsend Associates homecoming alone caused enough media hype to potentially catapult the ratings even higher than before as everyone was curious to see how the former angel would come back into the fold with her younger sister and former colleagues. Not to mention that this season was filled with plenty of guest appearances including Dean Martin, Dick Sargent, Nancy Parsons, Anne Francis, Casey Kasem, and an up-and-coming young actress by the name of Jamie Lee Curtis. So with all of these factors going for it, this season should have been nothing less than stellar.
Well, that wasn't quite the case. I think that the actresses, along with faithful sidekick "Bosley," played perfectly by the late David Doyle, performed to the best of their abilities, given the material. The real problem is that by the time the third season began, the producers/creators thought that the show was infallible given its immense popularity and record-setting ratings, and this arrogance on their behalf lead to a creative decline mostly due to inferior writing. One particular writer became quite lazy with his scripts, and a pattern begins to emerge in his scripted episodes: they lack any real depth and tend to be built around one good central idea that isn't fleshed out enough for an entire episode. Examples of these episodes include: ANGELS BELONG IN HEAVEN, ANGELS ON VACATION, MARATHON ANGELS, ANGEL ON HIGH, and TERROR ON SKIS, the latter of which he admittedly wrote because his wife wanted to go on a skiing vacation!?! The initial ideas for these episodes are good, but the episodes as a whole don't match the calibur of earlier Angel outings.
Since Charlie's Angels is more episodic (meaning that the storylines are limited to the duration of an episode) than serial (where storylines last several episodes or even an entire season), it's better to have a diverse mix of writers and directors so that they can bring their own creativity to the show, thus giving it a fresh, ever-evolving feel. Consequently, the season's highlights are when guest writers contributed scripts: COUNTERFEIT ANGELS is an original episode that uses Charlie's anonymity against him when a man disguises his voice to impersonate Charlie and send his "evil angels" out to do his bidding; Jill's return in ANGEL COME HOME has a well-developed story that naturally involves all 4 angels as they work together to discover who sent the phony emergency cablegram that brought Jill back from racing in Europe; and another bright spot in the season, and series, is the classic ANGELS IN SPRINGTIME where the Angels infiltrate a women's spa to solve the murder of a famous actress and find her missing memoirs. This episode is loaded with fun, from short shorts to frigid adversaries to faking hypnotism, and this episode boasts one of the best villains: Zora the hefty physical therapist who uses her might against little Kris during a rough confrontation.
As for the DVD set, there's nothing in the form of "special features," but for me the show itself is worth the purchase. The packaging for this season is different than the formats used for previous seasons, with this season's packaging consisting of an outer box that houses 3 slim plastic DVD cases. Each case holds 2 discs and features a large photo of an angel on the cover, episode titles, descriptions and airdates on the back, and several photos of the angels and Bosley on the inside. Of all 3 season DVD releases, I believe this one has the best packaging. The film restoration is excellent, as the episodes look and sound great! My only complaint about the set is that the 2 double-length episodes, "Angels in Vegas" and "Terror on Skis," are the syndicated versions that are each split up into 2-part episodes. It would be nice to have the rarely seen, unedited, original versions of these episodes.
I love the Angels, through thick and thin, and even though this season has its flaws, I'm thrilled to add it to my Angel DVD collection. It's just a shame that a season that could have been spectacular as a whole was instead lackluster.
Season 3: 4 stars
Season 3 DVD set: 4 stars

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CHARLIE'S ANGELS:THE COMPLETE THIRD S - DVD Movie

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Charlie's Angels - The Complete Fourth Season Review

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(More customer reviews)The fourth season of CHARLIE'S ANGELS, which aired on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC from September 1979 through May 1980, is possibly the season that yields the most dramatic changes in the series, namely Shelley Hack becomes the newest angel, "Tiffany Welles", filling the slot vacated by original actress Kate Jackson. Returning for another tour of duty this season are "Kelly Garret" and "Kris Munroe", played by Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd respectively, along with faithful sidekick "Bosley", played by David Doyle. Farrah Fawcett's "Jill Munroe" also makes her final three appearances of the series.
With the new angel, also comes a new overall look to the series. With Hack, a former fashion model, on board, all three actresses don dresses, gowns, and tailored suits more often than casual wear. And while attention is taken away from the flesh (the Angels wear fewer bathing suits this season than ever before), the Angels never looked classier and more stunning in their wardrobe. The result is mature, professional-looking Angels that seem to have come a long way from the earlier days of the show when they rarely wore bras.
Aside from a new angel and a new look, the significant change that takes place this season that differentiates it from its predecessors is the writing style. Unlike the writing from season three which, at times, is dull and underwhelming, season four's writing includes several intriguing storylines that are largely the contribution of guest writers. ANGELS ON CAMPUS, ANGEL HUNT, FALLEN ANGEL, and THREE FOR THE MONEY are guest writer-contributed scripts and consequently, they are among the season's highlights as they are solid episodes that demonstrate the series' potency and vitality, even in its fourth season. The writing style also differs with certain episodes straying from the usual team formula, instead showcasing a single Angel while the other two Angels and Bosley are relegated to the background. A final aspect of the writing that changes is the overall tone, with some episodes (AVENGING ANGEL, CATCH A FALLING ANGEL, ANGEL'S CHILD, ANGELS ON THE STREET) tackling social issues such as drug abuse, pornography, child abuse, and prostitution with greater urgency than had been seen before in the series.
However, an aspect of the writing this season that backfired is intentionally minimizing the role of new angel "Tiffany" in the first several episodes. Two episodes in particular, ANGELS ON CAMPUS and ANGEL HUNT, are pivotal because the former establishes the back story and character of "Tiffany" and the latter validates the newest angel's position in the group and fleshes out all three angels' profound concern for each other. It's safe to assume these two episodes were among the first ones filmed because clips from them appear in the opening credits, yet unfortunately they did not air until almost halfway through the season. This was a poor decision on behalf of the producers/creators that damaged the series because it prevented the new angel (and actress) from instantly impressing and clicking with audiences. For this reason, Hack often, and rather unfairly, earns the odium from some fans as the death knell to the series. To remedy this, a simple rearranging of the initial episodes of the season would suffice: LOVE BOAT ANGELS, ANGELS GO TRUCKIN', ANGELS ON CAMPUS, ANGEL HUNT, FALLEN ANGEL, followed by OF GHOSTS AND ANGELS. Had these episodes aired in a similar sequence, perhaps the course of the series would have been quite different, with "Tiffany" continuing to work for Charles Townsend and Associates into the fifth season.
The only genuine flaw in the DVD set is the inclusion of the syndicated 2-part version of the season premier, LOVE BOAT ANGELS, instead of the original unedited print. The set is presented in a similar format to that of the third season set, with an outer box that houses 3 slim plastic DVD cases. Each case holds 2 discs and features a different group photo of the Angels on the cover, with episode titles, synopses, and original air dates on the back, and several photos of the Angels, Bosley, and the season's numerous guest stars (Patrick Duffy, Kim Cattrall, Timothy Dalton, Robert Reed, Barbara Stanwyck, etc.) throughout. Aesthetically, this is easily the best presentation of all CHARLIE'S ANGELS season sets. Mike Pingel of the Charlie's Angels website and SONY have put together a beautiful product, which is only fitting as it reflects such beautiful Angels.

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Another season of the hit classic series comes to DVD! This season, the Angels go on the Love Boat to investigate a major art theft, go back to college to stop a white slavery ring, and find more than just fingerprints when Charlie's yacht is stolen. Jill gets help from the Angels after her date with a crown prince is interrupted by sniper fire, and Kelly meets a man who may be her long-lost father.

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Lifetime Movies Collector's Set Review

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(More customer reviews)There are 2 real-life depictions on this 4-film DVD ~ "The Good Fight" (an excellent movie showing the deceit of the tobacco company) and "Dangerous Evidence" (an excellent portrayal of a real-life rape case where a black man was falsely accused and his fight to finally be exonerated) which are really interesting and well acted and directed. The other two, are OK films--not bad, however a little frightening if you are sensitive to stalking/threatening themes. Good price for 4 movies--you can't go wrong! There is no swearing or extremely bad scenes--one bedroom scene on the Good Fight and of course a rape scene that is not really showed, more discussed.

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THE GOOD FIGHTWhen Tony, her son's best friend recently diagnosed with cancer, begs Grace Cragin (Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Christine Lahti) to take on a big tobacco company in his honor, she can't refuse the case. But she never could have predicted how dirty the game would become, nor how personal the fight for justice would get. THE RENDERINGAfter being brutally attacked by a deranged stalker, artist Sarah Reynolds (Shannen Doherty, TV's 90210) drew a perfect sketch of her assailant to put him behind bars. Now, ten years later, someone is attacking again, and while sketching for a survivor, Sarah realizes that the face she is drawing is of her husband, Michael. When Michael is arrested, Sarah's race to prove his innocence reveals a shocking connection between her traumatic past and present day.THE HAUNTING OF LISAWhen a young child is murdered in a city park, the police find that the key to solving the gruesome crime may be nine-year-old Lisa Downey. Like her mother, Ellen (Cheryl Ladd, TV's Charlie's Angels), Lisa is blessed--and some say cursed--with haunting premonitions of looming dangerous events. When the single murder is connected to a complex string of killings that stretch for years, Ellen and Lisa realize that they must endure their visions to help the victims of a master serial killer.DANGEROUS EVIDENCEDesperate to bring closure to the high-profile rape case of a Marine's wife, the military justice system convicted Lindsay Scott, who, despite no evidence against him, was charged with the crime. What they didn't know is that civil rights activist Lori Jackson (Lynn Whitfield in an NAACP Image Award nominated performance) would single-handedly lead a daring charge against them and free an innocent man. Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story is an unforgettable tour-de-force about the power of one--and just how far you can go when you refuse to fail.

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Josie and the Pussycats - The Complete Series (1970) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love 'Josie and the Pussycats.' I threw out my old VHSs filled with a lot of the episodes when Cartoon Network use to have marathons of it, anxious for the DVD set.
When I got it, I put it in and was sorely disappointed. On a semi-big screen TV, you'll quickly notice "dirt" galore all over the episodes. This is bad because Josie ATP is a brightly-colored cartoon (unlike the darker Scooby Doo) so the dust, dirt and lines are instantly visible. Another big thing that urks me is there is NO LAUGH TRACK ANYMORE. WHY? Well people all over the internet who sneer at the laugh track, enjoy the awkward pauses where the laughs use to be! And the packaging...it's hard to get the DVDs out! Who's the genius that designed this??
I'm glad I only paid 20 dollars, although I would have probably been better off buying bootlegs on the internet or something. Although it's great to see Josie and the gang, and a nice tribute to poor Dan DeCarlo, this DVD set is surprisingly disappointing. 3 stars because they actually gave Josie a DVD set...but they could've done a lot better.

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JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS:COMPLETE SERIES - DVD Movie

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