gregoryshnly Reviews

The Bionic Woman (1976–1978)

Fault On The Bionic Woman Season2 DISC4

[22 October 2011]

I am in the UK and although I have the region2 DVD set of "The Bionic Woman",I purchased the region1 version as it had the two Big Foot episodes missing form the region2 set.

I had read there were problems with the episode "Deadlier Ringer",the sound is awful,I emailed Universal directly and was told,we can't replace discs to anyone outside US or Canada,charming!

Have been offered a return by Amazon if I return the whole DVD set but

then I'm without the two Big Foot episodes which work fine.

Seems like overseas money is accepted to buy a DVD but its clearly tough if you've any problems.

Lou Grant (1977–1982)

Lou Grant On DVD Soon I Hope!

[10/10 · 24 January 2007]

I'd love to see Lou Grant on DVD soon,it was only shown in some areas of the UK but Channel 4 ran it in the 80s and I loved it. Looking now at the "Mary Tyler Moore Show",Ed Asner's terrific performance throughout,as the complex Lou Grant,was a character,crying out for a spin off and what a great idea to turn a sitcom character, into a dramatic lead! I loved the relationship between Mrs Pynchon and Lou,I love it,in early episode when Lou is waiting for a bus to view a house,Mrs Pynchon says she can drive him here,he says its too out of her way,she agrees and drives off!

I was surprised when Carla was replaced by Linda Kelsey as Billie,I liked her but read the powers that be,thought she was too young,so wanted an older actress for the Tribune's female reporter.

Rossi was a great character,not likable but complicated too,maybe Lou saw something of himself deep down in Rossi,and liked him although he'd never admit it.

Logan's Run (1977–1978)

Could Have Been Better

[8/10 · 24 January 2007]

I remember seeing Logan's Run the TV series as a kid and being addicted. I've recently saw the series reran on cable here in the UK,full marks to Gregory Harrison,he is perfect as Logan,Donald Moffatt as the android Rem,is great and he steals every scene,he's in with his wit. Heather Menzies is likable as Jessica,but the creators were clearly going for a Farrah Fawcett look,hair and lip gloss,and credibility takes a nose dive with Jessica's perfect hair and make up as she and Logan run for their lives. There were several big mistakes made early on,removing the glowing red light crystal that signal Carousel on a 30 year old hands,making a Council of humans in the pilot,rather than the horrific creatures in the film. The real threat of death was removed as Francis was instructed to bring Logan and Jessica back to the City of Domes alive rather than dead,Francis not as frightening as he was in the film and indeed,he doesn't appear in a large number of episodes. The best episode to me,was the one when a man from the past arrives and is trying to stop the nuclear war,excellent episode. Another good episode was the one when the trio meet six people and through an accident,there is only a serum to save three and then people begin to get killed,as one of th esix,reduces the odds,showed how excellent the series could be with a good script. I hope it appears on DVD .

Dynasty (1981–1989)

Dynasty 80s Revisted!

[10/10 · 19 January 2007]

"Dynasty" started off as a drama series about the rich Carringtons,headed by Blake,(John Forsythe)gay son Steven(Al Corley),wayward daughter Fallon(Pamela Sue Martin)and new wife innocent Krystle(Linda Evans) The poor family were Matthew Blazidel(Bo Hoskins)Claudia(one of my favourite characters played by Pamela Bellwood)just out of a mental ward and daughter Lynsey(Katy Kurtzman) After thirteen episodes,the ratings were poor,the arrival of Joan Collins as super-bitch Alexis,bitter ex wife of Blake sent the ratings through the roof as did the cat fight between Alexis and Krystle. Claudia was the only Blazidel to return in the 2nd season but several seasons later,Matthew made a dramatic return when he tries to kidnap Krystle,Steven(Jack Coleman by this time)saves them all by stabbing Matthew. The show continued to get glossier and glossier,Pamela Sue Martin was a big loss to the series,when she left after season 4 as was Al Corley,who left after season 2,unhappy at gay Steven suddenly and unconvincingly getting a glamorous young wife.,Sammy -Jo(Heather Locklear) The storyline that haunted Dynasty was the Moldivan Massacre when the entire cast were shot at Amanda's(Catherine Oxenberg)wedding to Prince Michael (Michael Praed)with only Steven's lover Luke(Bill Campbell)and Lady Ashley Mitchell(Ali McGraw)perishing. Although this cliffhanger caused the show to get to no1,the follow up episodes were disappointing and it was the start of the end of Dynasty,the double of Krystle storyline was just plain mad really! I did like the show though with special credit to Joan Collins for turning it around,Dianne Carroll as Dominique was also a great character,Stephanie Beacham adding a new nemesis for Alexis as Sable when Linda Evans left in the last season. I look forward to seeing the rest of this great show on DVD soon.

The New Avengers (1976–1977)

Lets Hear It For Purdey

[10/10 · 16 January 2007]

"The New Avengers"was my introduction to the "Avengers" world and I thought Patrick Macnee was great as John Steed,the perfect English gentleman,with bowler hat and umbrella and his charm,in no way making him less able to defend his country. Joanna Lumley was excellent as high kicking Purdey,she holds her own against Mrs Peel,she is very funny when telling Steed,he doesn't need to be so protective to women "as we're liberated now!". I liked Gareth Hunt,his presence is often treated as an interloper by "Avengers" fans but the fact is if it had just been Steed and Purdey,with Steed doing the stunts(or a very obvious stand in as in the Emma Peel/Tara King eras when Macnee's stand in for fights,was clearly seen)it would have looked bizarre. The rapport between Purdey and Gambit is spot on,I love the way they chatter or bicker away in the middle of an action scene,there were changes in the 2nd season after Patrick Macnee complained and poor old Gambit is put on the back burner,in the 2nd season,in the last ever episode,in Canada(the one about the secret base)the closing shot doesn't even feature Gambit. the stories themselves do vary in story quality,the first series started with "Nest Of Eagles"about Nazi's alive and well in Scotland all three New Avengers work great together,Purdey's high kicking,beauty and great humour working great with Macnee's charm and Gambit's 70s gritty edge. Other stories include "House of Cards"about an enemy agent faking his death,it features a humorous scene of a lady guest of Steed's looking at pictures of Cathy Gale,Emma Peel and Tara King. As the lady asks about each Avenger,Steed describes them as excellent or"faithful,reliable" then on Tara King,he says she had a "real kick in her"and he had to have her shot,it turns out,Steed thought she was asking about his three favourite horses! The first series comes across well with varied stories a man whose touch can kill,the dreaded Cybernauts return in one of the best stories,a man who can control birds by music,the first season ends with "Dirtier By The Dozen" about crazed mercenaries,the closing shot of Purdey rescued from a minefield by helicopter by Steed,on a rope ladder,drinking champagne,is one ofthe times,we see some of the old Avengers magic. The second series is more varied,Emma Peel makes an appearance in "K Is For Killing"(using old footage of Diana Rigg and a voice dub) when an old case comes tolight again as enemy soldiers are reanimated,its a good story and the Paris scene really give the series so much needed glamour. The Paris stories work well,the last four episodes of "The New Avengers" are set in Canada,one of them "Complex" about a crazed computer is one of the better ones,"Gladiators" about super powered assassins is good too,the real dull on is "Emily",its like a really bad "Charlie's Angels" episode and is a real turkey. I'll always have a soft spot for The New Avengers",the three leads are excellent,(I met Gareth Hunt,a few years ago,what a nice guy)Joanna Lumley is superb,Patrick Macnee is excellent as ever,Gareth Hunt is a welcome and necessary character,there were mistakes made,like not showing Steed driving his classic cars anymore,too much attention on car chases and violence(but it was the 70s)if maybe more writers from "The Avengers" had been involved maybe it would have been better liked by "Avengers" fans but I like it and I'm glad it was made.

The Betty White Show (1977–1978)

The Betty White Show

[10/10 · 10 January 2007]

Although this show only lasted 13 episodes I really liked,it,Betty White is great as Joyce Whitman,the actress with the razor sharp tongue,who puts her ex husband John(John Hillerman)in his place when they work together on police series "Undercover Woman". Former Mary Tyler Moore Show c/o star Georgia Engel,plays a similar dizzy role(similar to Georgette) in this as Mitzi and credit to the cast for giving such strong comedic performance,it was a shame the scripts weren't as strong. I think the fact that the pilot for this show was shown as part of "The Best Of The MTM Shows" proves what a strong pilot the show had. There had been some thought to giving Sue-Ann from the MTMS her own spin off but after Chloris Leachman's Phylllis was toned down for her spin off "Phyllis",to only last 2 seasons,"The Betty White Show" came up and although a short run,is very funny and witty.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977)

The Mary TYler Moore Show: You Don't Get Better Than This

[10/10 · 10 January 2007]

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was a classic sitcom about single 30s something Mary Richards,moving to new town Minneapolis,when her relationship breaks down,she gets an apartment through old friend Phyllis(Chloris Leachman)at the start,causing friction with Rhoda(Valerie Harper)from upstairs,the friendship of Mary and Rhoda becoming one of the backbones of the series until Valerie Harper spun off to her own spin off success "Rhoda",after four seasons. Mary gets a job at WJM-TV,the local news station with the lowest ratings but warmest people,she meets gruff but caring Lou Grant(Ed Asner)the classic moments in the series would be when Lou would say "come into my office Mary". Murray Slaughter(Gavin MacLeod)was the married man,who loved Mary without any sinister meaning,Ted Baxter(Ted Knight)was the stupid vain anchor man as the seasons went on,he got funnier and funnier and his character got some depth later with the introduction of a girlfriend,later wife,Georgette,played by the hilarious Georgia Engel. Betty White was a welcome addition in season 4 as man hungry "Happy Homemaker",Sue-Ann Nivens,the episode when she has an affair with Phyllis'unseen husband Lars in "The Lars Affair" was a classic,Sue Anne helping fill the void as "the blond darling" when Phyllis left after season 5 for her own spin off series "Phyllis". Amongst all the laughs there were touching,"real" moments of life like retirement or "The Lou and Edie Story" when Lou's wife Edie leaves him or "Chuckles Bites The Dust",the best known episode of TMTMS when the station's clown,Chuckles,dies in a bizarre elephant crushing,Mary is disgusted at the sick jokes until she gets the giggles at the funeral,then there is a debate about people's reactions to death,all very deep indeed. The show ended after a seven year run with the news gang all being sacked apart from Ted,ironically the one worst at the job,Rhoda and Phyllis returned to support Mary and Lou Grant was launched as a dramatic spin off and was another big success. A real joy of a series,the catchy theme "You're Gonna Make It After All" and Mary throwing her hat in the air,never fails to please!

The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011)

Sarah-Jane Deserves Better

[5/10 · 9 January 2007]

Sorry I didn't like it,Lis Sladen as always,gave a great performance but it just seemed to be a lot of running around and giving Sarah-Jane "a son" at the end,please! The baddie just overacted like mad,poor Lis Sladen giving a heart felt performance but K-9 was sorely missed apart from his brief appearance but I know this is due to copyright problems. Gadgets and special effects have sadly replaced atmosphere and tension. I hope the rest of the series is a big improvement. I'd have preferred a grown up version of The Sarah-Jane Adventures rather than the big yawn that is Torchwood. Would be good to see the Brigadier(Nicholas Courtney)or Captain Yates(Richard Franklin) making a guest appearance on this show too.

K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981 TV Movie)

K-9 and Cmpany

[10/10 · 3 January 2007]

I think K-9 and Company was a good idea,and Elisabeth Sladen always gives a great performance although Sarah-Jane seems a bit more grumpy than her normal self in this spin-off. John Lesson's voice gives K-9 a life of his own and he makes K-9 very endearing,the opening credits are very bizarre and I am sure not meant to be as funny as they come across. Thngs do seem to take a long time to start,there is a lot of running around until Sarah-Jane opens the box containing K-9. Having recently saw the pilot of The Sarah-Jane adventures,at least K-9 and company wasn't full of annoying kids! and people overacting. It was a good idea,it wasn't a failure,it got respectful viewing figures and K-9 remains a very popular character of DR.Who even today.

Cagney & Lacey: Pilot (1981) Season 1, Episode 0

Cagney and Lacey TV Pilot

[10/10 · 21 December 2006]

This is the movie pilot that started the highly successful TV series "Cagney and Lacey". In the pilot,Loretta Swit plays Christine Cagney,single highly ambitious policewoman,who likes to play the field with men,she and partner,married mother of two,Mary Beth Lacey,played by the great Tyne Daly,accidentally come across a drug factory and after making the arrest,are promoted to plain clothes. They are not welcomed by their male colleagues,its strange to see Al Waxman as Samuels,not their boss yet but fellow detective and not the tough but caring cop,he later becomes in the TV series. Swit and Daly work very well together,there is the sharp contrast between the two women,the by the rules Lacey and the quick take-a-risk Cagney,when Meg Foster played Chris Cagney in the first six episodes of the TV series,it was felt she wasn't the contrast Swit had been to Daly and indeed Swit comes across very similar to Sharon Gless who eventually got the part and made it her own. The pilot is darker and more gritty than the TV series was,its strange seeing other Actors playing Harvey,Lacey's kids and Isbecki as we are so used to the TV versions. The plot of the pilot is very good as Cagney and Lacey fight for respect in the 14th precinct,a murder is loose,pretending to be Jewish but he is in fact a Nazi,the confrontation between the killer and Cagney is very well done as is the relationship between the two women,Cagney can be cruel to Lacey at times but Lacey can stand up to Cagney,when required. The TV series owes a lot to Swit as she really carries the film,Tyne Daly of course,always giving an excellent performance.

Knots Landing (1979–1993)

Knots Landing A Great Soap

[10/10 · 20 December 2006]

Knots Landing started off as a spin off to Dallas,dealing with Lucy's Mum and Dad,Gary and Valene remarrying and moving to a Southern California Cul De Sac after Miss Ellie buys them a house,to make up for all the ill treatment they both suffered from the Ewings. Joan Van Ark and Ted Shackleford were both excellent throughout the entire run as was the wonderful Michele Lee who through the seasons lost her beloved husband Sid(Don Murray)got his murderers convicted and married the fiery Mack(Kevin Dobson) Karen was the only character to appear in all the Knots episodes and she was the voice of the people,in one episode when she spoke of wanting to be able to trust people,send cash in the mail etc. After a fairly quiet first season,the Cul De Sac was rocked by the arrival of Sid's sister Abby(Donna Mills)who stole Gary from Val and really brought sex and scandal to Knots Landing. Donna Mills played the part with great gusto and humour,when she left around season 10,she was sorely missed. When popular character Ciji Dunn(Lisa Hartman) was killed off,the was an outcry from fans,so the writers,created a new character lookalike Cathy Greary(Lisa Hartman again)with the plot being Abby hiring a lookalike to send Gary off the rails while she spend his inheritance! When Joan Van Ark left in the last season,Val appeared to die in a car crash but returned in the two episode finale,she'd been kidnapped for a year,a happy ending for the show!. The show didn't shrink from the reality of death though,with Sid's death and later popular character Laura(Constance McCashin)dying from brain cancer. A great show with a great cast,special mention also to William Devane for a great performance as Greg Sumner. It deserved its very long run!

Fame (1982–1987)

Great Series

[10/10 · 20 December 2006]

Fame was the hit 1982 series from the Alan Paker film of 1980. Set at the School of the Arts in New York,it dealt with the lives of the students and staff. As in the film,the star was the late Gene Anthony Ray as streetwise,talented dancer,Leroy Johnson,gifted at dancing but constantly at loggerheads with English teacher.Miss Sherwood,Carol Mayo Jenkins. Lee Curreri recreated his film role as Bruno Martelli,playing away on his expensive synthesiser while his cabby father,tries to pay it all. The late Albert Hague was excellent as the grumpy but caring Professor Shorofsky,he and Bruno had some great scenes. My favourite character was Valerie Landsberg's Doris Schwartz,she was very funny and her singing "High Fidelity" was one of the highlights of the show. Erica Gimpel took on the Irene Cara film role of Coco,the highly motivated dancer/singer and although not in the same league vocally as Irene Cara,her acting certainly held up. A pre Footlose Lori Singer was sweet Julie Miller,very endearing and it lost something when Lori singer,left after the first two seasons. Debbie Allen was outstanding as dance teacher Lydia Grant,her dancing acting first rate,Miss Allen was the dancing Mistress behind the scenes too. Carlo IMperato is likable as wanna be comic Danny,all in all a great series,give it a go if you haven't seen it yet!

The Tomorrow People (1973–1979)

The Tomorrow People

[10/10 · 29 November 2006]

A really excellent series,it started off a bit shaky with the awful Kenny and the overacting Carol while Jon and Stephen were great from the start. Elisabeth brought some real acting to the show and the series really had some good stories especially "The Blue And The Green". I thought the introduction of Mike Hollaway as Mike Bell was good,he was a rebel and argued with Jon,which the others didn't do. The series got better with each season and it was always one of those shows that when it finished you thought Why? I highly recommend the DVD releases. "Castle of Fear" was a gem later on,loved the fact a Tomorrow person could create ghosts and even the Loch Ness Monster! I also really liked Hsui Tai,OK her English wasn't too strong but she was very sweet. I didn't enjoy the 90s remake,they should have watched the original,to see how to do a really good Sci-Fi show!

The late Philip Gilbert was great as the all knowing Bio computer Tim.

Rhoda (1974–1978)

Rhoda 1974

[10/10 · 22 November 2006]

"Rhoda" was a spin off of the highly popular "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". After 4 years as Mary Richard's wise cracking neighbour,Valerie Harper took her Rhoda Morgenstern back to New York,for a holiday visiting younger overweight sister Brenda(Julie Kavner)and her parents Martin(Harould Gould)and Ida (Nancy Walker) and decided to stay after meeting Joe(David Groh) The first two seasons crackled as Rhoda got engaged,then married to Joe,resulting in the highly rated wedding episode(with a lot of guest appearances from TMTMS cast)when Phyllis(Chloris Leachman)forgets to pick up Rhoda and she takes the subway,to her wedding! Valerie excelled in her quick one liners and Brenda took on Harper's old role on TMTMS as the overweight,insecure unlucky in love "single gel" but like Rhoda over the seasons Brenda lost the weight too. The unseen but heard doorman on the intercom,Calton(voiced by writer and co-creator of "Rhoda",Lorenzo Music)was always amusing as he was constantly drunk and on a different planet,you began to realise why he was so odd when we met his mother in season2,a great guest star turn by Ruth Gordon. Having decided a married Rhoda was getting maybe too dull,the writers made the bold move of splitting Joe and Rhoda up(for good as it turned out)and it was unusual for a sitcom then,to show the pain of the separation,all credit to Valerie Harper for a heartfelt performance. So in season 3,Rhoda went back on the singles scene and met Sally(Anna Meara) a character created to fill the void left by Nancy Walker who left to try her own series but Miss Walker returned in seasons 4 and 5. At the start of season 4,Rhoda was divorced but then she took a job in a custom hire place,causing the Rhoda character to loss a lot of her independence and giving Rhoda a "Lou Grant" style boss,this seemed wrong to me. Valerie Harper,Julie Kavner and Nancy Walker were still giving great comedic performances but the scripts didn't seem to match the earlier seasons,one highlight was "Blind Date" when Rhoda felt guilty about not wanting to see a blind date again as he was bald,small and unattractive(David Landsberg)only for him to verbally attack her on their second date saying she was "old" and her face "looked like a fist". So sadly the series fizzled out rather than going out on a high like TMTMS and the recent "Mary and Rhoda" film,I found a disappointment,I do hope this classic 70s show comes out on DVD very soon!

Tenko (1981–1984)

Tenko

[10/10 · 21 November 2006]

A real classic series based on true events,Tenko was a powerful series on the suffering of a group of civilian women during World War 2 when Singapore falls to the Japanese in 1942. Ann Bell plays Marion Jefferson,the bored army wife,tired of all the endless tea parties and receptions then when she is evacuated with the other women,the first real shock is her best friend Vicky(Wendy Williams)drowning,Tenko certainly got shock you with the death of a popular character when you least expected it. In the first series we met elderly but defiant Slyvia Ashburton(Renee Asherburn)who refuses initially to sleep beside Eurasian girl Christina Campbell(Emily Bolton) but gradually the woman start to see each other as people and strong friendships are formed particularly when the women build a new hut,much to the surprise of camp commandant Yamauchi(Burt Kwouk) When Cockney prostitute Blanche(one of my favourite characters)is caught escaping with Debbie(Karin Foley)whose mother has just died,the whole camp is punished with a real feud developing between the English and the Dutch,headed by the formidable Sister Ulrica(great performance by Patrica Lawrence)and the selfish Mrs Van Meyer (Elizabeth Chambers) the feud is resolved as the women work towards Blanche's release. Stephanie Beacham is great as the seemingly selfish Rose Millar with flashes of kindness underneath and her friendship with Blanche is one of the joys of the series,the aborted escape causing a real rift between the two,this is resolved when Blanche is sent back to her friends in the 2nd series after being sent to another camp at the start of series 2 along with Nurse Nellie Keane(who falls in love with Sally(Joanna Hole)in series 1,and Slyvia,Blanche informs them,that Slyvia died a month after arriving in the new camp,Nellie dies a few months before the end of the war in series 3. Series 2 to me,is the best,we meet evil Miss Hasan,(Josephine Welcome)the evil administrator at their new camp and corrupt leader Verna Johnson(Rosemary Martin)we learn at the end of series2,they both sold their red cross parcels,causing a lot of unnecessary deaths for Doctor Mason(great performance throughout by Stephanie Cole as tortured soul,Dr.Beatrice Mason) Veronica Roberts as Dorothy Bennett excels,she goes from widowed young mother to seeing her baby die,then becomes emotionally dead as she has sex with guards to get by but forms an unlikely friendship with Shinya,a Japanese guard,who has to shot Rose when she meets boyfriend Bernard,Dorothy eventually forgives him only for him to die in an allied raid. Rose dies at the end of series 2 and is very moving,as is Sally's suicide but the woman who survive carry grimly on but there are laughs too amongst the horror like putting a rat in Miss Hasan's room. Louise Jameson sadly wasn't available for series 3,so Blanche was killed off between series 2 and 3. Series 3 deals with the women adjusting to freedom and Beatrice has to cope with blindness and the end of her practising as a Doctor. The shock at the end of series 3 is the death of Joss Holbrook(wonderful Jean Anderson)worn out by 3 years of bashings and under nourishment combined with a recent mugging and the flu,she is simply worn out. Tenko Reunion deals with the women meeting up in 1950 and discovering old friend Christina is a communist traitor and they narrowly come away with their lives. A great series,very fondly remembered.

Phyllis (1975–1977)

Phyllis

[10/10 · 1 August 2006]

I always loved Chloris Leachman's portrayal of the overbearing know all Phyllis Linstrom on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",who loved throwing up to Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern,that she was married and they were single,although she always took such an interest in their lives,she clearly didn't have the great marriage she made out she had. After five seasons on TMTMS,Phyllis was spun off to her own show "Phyllis" with daughter,Bess,moving to San Francisco,to stay with her in-laws,the very funny and scatty Jonathan and Audrey(Henry Jones and Jane Rose) when the always unseen Lars(Phyllis' husband) dies and leaves Phyllis penniless. After a cracking pilot,where Phyllis mets Julie(Barbara Colby),owner of a photo studio(and ex girlfriend of Lars)and Leo,Julie's photographer(Richard Schaal)Phyllis starts working there as a general helper. Tragedy struck in real life,when after three episodes Miss Colby was shot dead and the part of Julie was given to Lis Torres,who made the part work under a very tragic recasting. Phyllis did seem to change in her own show,she became much more glamorous and lost her wiglet and the character seemed to be a lot less intelligent and less outrageous than on MTMS. Miss Leachman herself is a comedy genius and was giving 100 percent value in comedy and the casting of the elderly Judith Lowry as Mother Dexter,mother of Jonathan-outspoken and very much like the character of Sophia in "The Golden Girls" would later be,except Miss Lowry was really as elderly as she was meant to be-was a great idea. The wedding of Mother Dexter in the 2nd season was one of the highlights of the show but sadly Miss Lowry died a few months after filming it. In the 2nd season though Phyllis was put into an office,which seemed a bad idea,there was an overdose of characters and although the character of Phyllis seemed more like her old MTMS character in the 2nd season,the ratings went down and the last episode,ended with Bess pregnant and Phyllis getting her back with her new husband Mark. Very funny,I really do hope this show comes out on DVD at some point.

Cagney & Lacey (1981–1988)

Cagney and Lacey

[10/10 · 1 August 2006]

I enjoyed this show from the pilot movie with Loretta Swit of MASH fame as Chris Cagney,single and hungry to carve a career in the police force and Tyne Daly,as the sensitive,married mother of two,Mary Beth Lacey,both women recently promoted from uniform to plain clothes and dealing with highly chauvinistic male colleagues. When the TV series started,Tyne Daly was back but an actress with striking blue eyes,Meg Foster was now playing Chris Cagney. Apparently there was a feeling that the two women were now too alike,now,I haven't seen any of the Meg Foster episodes for 20 years,so can't really remember them but always felt Foster got a bit of a raw deal,when she was axed after just six episodes. Anyway,the series came with a catchy new theme tune and Sharon Gless now as Chris Cagney,who funnily enough,was always the production team's first choice for Cagney and the matching of Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless was excellent and according to Miss Gless the secret of playing Cagney was "talking tough and wearing pink!" The writing and acting was always first rate,one of my favourite episodes was "Burn Out" when Lacey,all set for a much needed vacation has her leave cancelled at the last minute and goes AWOL and ends up on a beach and after spending time with a woman of a similar age,who has drifted all her life,Lacey realises although she sometimes has to juggle so many things,she loves her life. Cagney and Lacey were not best friends,they could argue very forcibly,like the time when a member of the public was shot by accident,Cagney said he had a gun,Lacey didn't see it,leading to Cagney saying Lacey was just a cop for the money,not like her for a career,she later had to apologise for that one. I hope this entire series comes out on DVD soon,including the Meg Foster episodes too,I highly recommend it.