Moonlighting: Season Three

In 1985, unknown actor Bruce Willis and former model Cybill Shepherd teamed up for an hour-long ABC series that broke new ground and ultimately won six Emmys and three Golden Globes. From the beginning, Moonlighting dazzled viewers with its sophisticated humor, pop-culture allusions, and sexual tension between the two main characters, a former high-fashion model and the insouciant private eye in whose agency she has invested. Even though truncated to 15 episodes, the 1986-87 third season found writers struggling to maintain the level of quality the show established early on. Nonetheless, viewers will find some memorable episodes here, especially those featuring Mark Harmon as Sam Crawford, a potential love interest for Shepherd's Maddie Hayes. The best of these is “Maddie's Turn to Cry,” in which her all-night stakeout with Willis' David Addison ends with a surprising proposal. Also notable are the Christmas episode, “It's a Wonderful Job,” a takeoff on It's a Wonderful Life with a dream sequence showing how the Blue Moon Detective Agency might have fared if Maddie hadn't bought it; and “The Straight Poop,” which—although not in itself a classic installment—boasts a “crossover” appearance from Pierce Brosnan as fellow private investigator Remington Steele. DVD extras include audio commentaries on four episodes (one with Shepherd and Willis) and a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary. Recommended. (E. Hulse)