Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Lions Gate Series •••½ Picture/Sound •••½ Extras •••

When glamorous but broke ex-model Maddie Hayes and wiseass detective David Addison first appeared in 1985, they instantly became TV's new favorite odd couple. The tension and rapid-fire dialogue between the two, as played by Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, made the series snap, crackle, and pop, while daring and innovative private-eye plot lines allowed it to sizzle. Now, it's more of a simmer, since so many other shows have imitated the original, but it's still very entertaining. This six-disc set contains the feature-length pilot and 23 hour-long episodes. Images are crisp, bright, and beautiful, with ideal contrast. The clean mono sound allows all the bickering banter to come through loud and clear. Willis and Shepherd are joined by creator Glenn Gordon Caron and various production crew members on informative commentaries for five episodes. The three featurettes are also better than usual. [NR] English, Dolby Digital 2-channel mono; full frame (1.33:1); six dual-layer discs.