Diagnosis Murder, Season 3

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

Movie

Diagnosis Murder, Season 3, 1996

The Plot

A drama that ran in one hour segments from 1993 to 2001. An established doctor, with a police detective for a son, sets out to solve crimes in his spare time.

Starring

Dick Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell, Charlie Schlatter, and more.

The Review

Dick Van Dyke plays Dr. Mark Sloan—a widowed father of two, a mentor to student doctors, and a friend to many—who just so happens to have too much free time on his hands. He is quite a unique character. He’s multi-talented, brilliant, quirky, friendly, and someone you can’t help but like. But there’s just one small problem, his favorite pastime is solving mysteries as a consultant for the LAPD—the same department his son happens to be a detective of.

Mark’s wife died of cancer ten years before the first episode airs, so you never do get to meet her but every once in awhile you get a glimpse of what life was like with her in his life. Mark’s son lives in a studio apartment under his beach house and his daughter is a nurse who doesn’t seem to want anything to do with Mark or her brother Steve. (Something I never quite figured out.)

Mark works at General Hospital and is a well respected doctor. While you see him wandering around the halls of the hospital, you rarely see him with a patient as the show focuses on his uncanny ability to solve mysteries for the LAPD. With the help of his friends—Dr. Amanda Bentley and resident Dr. Jesse Travis—Mark “takes a bite out of crime”.

I cannot say enough about this series. The writers did a fantastic job of keeping each new episode fresh and interesting. The actors did a fabulous job of making the viewers forget they’re actually watching a televised show. And though I watched the series when it first came out, then again when it aired as repeats, watching the third season on DVD was like watching the series for the very first time. But what I really enjoy about this series is that it truly is something the entire family can watch together.

My son began watching Diagnosis Murder with me, back in 2001, when he was just 10 years old. It came on one evening when he was in bed sick and he was hooked ever since. From that day forward whenever Diagnosis Murder came on he’d yell out, “Mom! Diagnosis Murder is on, wanna watch it with me?” It was truly a special time in our relationship. My son was asserting his independence and I wasn’t ready so knowing that he wanted me to watch what had become his favorite television show with him was very special. And soon, we had his 6 year old sister hooked, too! In fact, they both still find excitement in catching an old episode on television so when I got the opportunity to review season three of Diagnosis Murder, I was thrilled.

If you haven’t seen an episode yet, I encourage you to pick up a copy today. You won’t be disappointed—unless, of course, you want to see lots of blood and guts and explosions. The series’ success was a result of fine writing and acting, not stage props.

Your Task

In Diagnosis Murder, Dr. Mark Sloan had two passions: solving mysteries and saving lives. Some would say these two passions contradict one another and would try to get Dr. Sloan to choose one over the other. Yet somehow, Dr. Sloan has managed to balance the two. This is the perfect opportunity to talk to your children about their dreams, their goals, and why it’s important to stay true to themselves instead of conforming to peer pressure.

Order Diagnosis Murder, Season 3, today!