Charles in Charge: The Complete Second Season

The most remarkable thing about Charles in Charge is that it had a second season: having washed out as a network series in 1985, it returned as a syndicated show in January 1987. The cast of characters was overhauled, with only college student-cum-housekeeper Charles (Scott Baio) and his best friend Buddy (Willie Aames) remaining. This time around, Charles worked for the Powell family: retired naval officer Walter (James T. Callahan), his daughter-in-law Ellen (Sandra Kerns), and his three adolescent grandchildren (Nicole Eggert, Josie Davis, and Alexander Polinsky). The second season added another regular as well, Charles' mother Lillian (Ellen Travolta), who initially came to town for a visit and stayed on after buying Sid's Pizza Parlor, her son's favorite hangout. Unlike most sitcoms of the period, which at least made cursory attempts to mirror reality, Charles in Charge trafficked in predictable sitcom tropes and relied rather too heavily on the dubious appeal of Baio, who may have set aflutter the hearts of teenaged girls but had little to offer anybody else. Frankly, the intervening two decades haven't enhanced the show's allure, but while Charles in Charge is not absolutely horrible, it's hard to imagine that this three-disc boxed set compiling all 26 second season episodes will occasion cheers from any but the most rabid fans. Very optional. (E. Hulse)