Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Robert Ellenstein, Jim McKrell, James Karen, Rebecca Stanley, Dennis Lipscomb

Thanks to the Fonz jumping a white pointer, we’ve all now got a term to coin moments in TV history when TV shows started to go to s%4t. I’m not saying Glen Caron’s superb rom-com “Moonlighting” ‘jumped the shark’ in season three, but it definitely seemed to be getting a little more frantic for ideas.

If it wasn’t enough that they had to bring Curtis ‘Booger’ Armstrong into proceedings, they also felt the need to spice the series up with a very histrionic love triangle storyline – many loved it, but just as many hated it.

Having said that, no love triangle and we wouldn’t have been introduced to an up-and-comer named Mark Harmon, one of today’s most talented but underrated actors. In the part of Sam, he was quite a cool cucumber, and bounced rather well off both Willis and Shepherd. And whether you appreciated the shift in gear the series took, there’s no denying that the chemistry between Bruce (Willis) and Cybill (Shepherd) was hotter and more obvious than ever.

Priceless moments? Still quite a few in season three.

Besides David finally confessing his love for Maddie – and Sam playing the ‘spanner’ that’s thrown in the works, there’s a Shakespearian episode where the gang play the characters in a wacky ‘Taming of the Shrew’ redo, a musical episode that showcased the talents of Bruno, and of course, that big moment when our two private dicks finally shared a bed sheet.

Though Willis and Shepherd played a huge part in making “Moonlitghting” the terrific series it was, it was the writers who kept pouring juice into the engine. They were terrifically gifted penners – coming up with some of the imaginative television episodes and the finest and funniest dialogue in eons. Well-done gents.

Season 3 looks and sounds rather good – they’ve cleaned up the prints rather nicely – and comes with some welcome extras. The cast/crew (I think it’s great that Willis returned to contribute to these sets…many of the big stars wouldn’t) provide commentaries (as do some fans), and there’s an insightful behind-the-scenes piece with Caron, Willis and Shepherd that spills the beans on what was going on behind-the-scenes at the time of season 3. (Gotta love Willis’s comments about “Die Hard”).

Rating :
Reviewer : Clint Morris