I have a pretty short list of favorite actors, most of which involve those who are well-rounded in terms of talent. They also happen to be from an earlier time where that talent was more important when it came to becoming famous. Give me movies with Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye or Donald O'Conner any day over films with one note wonders like Brad Bitt. Amongst that list of earlier performers I should also mention the great Dick Van Dyke. His movies might not all have been classics like "Mary Poppins", but there's no denying the man's incredible range of talent for acting, singing and dancing. Most people are only familiar with his comedic roles and very few realize that he was as easily at home in deathly serious roles, mostly because he was given very few chances to take them on. If you've ever seen "The Runner Stumbles" you know exactly what I'm talking about. A few years ago, Van Dyke returned to the limelight of Hollywood when he took on the role of Dr. Mark Sloan, a doctor with a penchant for crime-solving in the series "Diagnosis Murder."

The series was rather serio-comic in tone and became extremely popular. Amongst mystery lovers, and to this day is one of the more requested series of its type. This can easily be attributed to Van Dyke's easy going demeanor. He is a joy to watch as he goes after the bad guys. But the series was not made on Van Dyke's charisma alone. He was joined on the series by Scott Baio, who had become somewhat of a D-list actor following the demise of "Happy Days." However, he does a fine job in this series. I was also rather surprised to see actress Victoria Rowell on the series, as she was already starring on the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless." (I uhh… was watching the show at the time because of my wife…) I thought it was very impressive of her to be able to juggle both gigs at the same time.

Of course, Dick Van Dyke isn't the only talented member of the family. For example, his brother Jerry is a comic actor in his own right having starred for several years on the series "Coach." "Diagnosis Murder" also starred son Barry Van Dyke, whom Sloan often assisted in the cases.

I only watched the series sporadically during its lengthy run, but only because I didn’t watch much TV at the time. I really wished I had seen more episodes because I really enjoyed the ones I did see. I may finally have the chance to catch up as Paramount is releasing the first season of the show this month in a 5-disc set. All 19 episodes are offered here, and after watching them I'm really looking forward to the possibility of a release of the subsequent episodes.

I was a little disappointed with the extra features, as there were technically none to speak of. There are no interviews or behind the scenes footage to be found anywhere, which I thought was a little strange. They did, however, include an episode of the series "Jake and the Fatman" (another old favorite of mine), which starred William Conrad. This particular episode introduced the character of Dr. Mark Sloan to television audiences. This little feature almost makes up for the lack of any others.

"Diagnosis Murder" is a delightful mystery series, and one that deserves a release of the entire run.

Episodes:
Miracle Cure
Amnesia
Murder at the Telethon
Inheritance of Death
The 13 Million Dollar Man
Vanishing Act, Part 1
Vanishing Act, Part 2
Shandra's Song
The Restless Remains
Murder with Mirrors
Flashdance with Death
Reunion with Murder
Lily
Guardian Angel
Nirvana
Broadcast Blues
Shaker
The Plague
Sister Michael Wants You

Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Scott Baio, Victoria Rowell, Barry Van Dyke
Extras: Bonus Episode - "It Never Entered My Mind" from 'Jake and the Fatman'
Specifications: Full Screen, English Stereo
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 9/12/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Diagnosis Murder: Season 1 a B-.