Here we are, back again, with another bunch of shows…
The Facts of Life: The Complete Third Season – Fortunately, the show’s theme song sums itself up handily: you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have…“The Facts of Life.” Except that instead of “good” and “bad,” you’ll want to substitute “cheesy fun” and “occasionally excruciating dialogue.” It ruins the flow of the song, but it’s far more accurate, I can assure you. By this time, the series had settled into its primary five cast members: Mrs. Garrett and her four favorite girls, Blair, Natalie, Tootie, and Jo. Ah, sweet Jo…I had such a crush on you. That must be why I recognize just about every episode here. That’s right, I watched “The Facts of Life.” You wanna make something of it…? Better you should complain about the total lack of special features on this set than my taste in television circa the mid-’80s.
Blue Thunder: The Complete Series – Did the world really need a series based on the Roy Scheider film about a hi-tech police helicopter? Well, considering that a fair amount of stock footage was recycled from the film and that, instead of Scheider, the series starred Dana Carvey, Dick Butkis, and Bubba Smith, I’d say, no, it did not…which would probably explain why it only lasted eleven episodes. Not even a cool theme song and James Farentino in the lead role of Frank Chaney…in no way to be confused with Scheider’s character of Frank Murphy, of course…could save this show from a quick demise. In a nutshell, it’s no “Airwolf.”
Three’s Company: Season Eight – Otherwise known as the last season of everyone’s favorite farce…and I’m sure you’ll be as shocked as I was to discover that there are a fair amount of misunderstandings and ensuing wacky hijinks contained within the plots of these 21 episodes. Only diehard fans will have stuck around for all eight seasons of the series, but the special features – bloopers, reminiscences of John Ritter, and the 30th anniversary special – will thrill that particular demographic to no end.
That ‘70s Show: Season Five – Hey, everybody! Donna and Eric are back together! Some would say the funniest thing about this season is that every single episode is named after a Led Zeppelin song (if you don’t believe me, check out the official episode guide and see for yourself ), but I love this show. It’s a great ensemble. The special features on these sets, however, have dropped off dramatically since the show went off the air; there’s not even a single audio commentary! But on the other hand, Donna wears a Catholic school uniform for most of the season, so, to come full circle, let us return to the “Facts of Life” theme song. You take the good, you take the bad…
