Cagney & Lacey (TV Series) Greed (1987) User Reviews

The worst episode of Cagney and Lacey?

[ryangcassidy · 3/10 · 24 July 2018]

This episode is the moment Cagney and Lacey jump the shark; its extraordinary to consider that less than 6 months ago the show was producing the amazing 'Turn Turn Turn' and now its reduced to this.

The plot (such as it is) follows C&L as they go undercover on a tacky game show which may or may not be rigged. The game show is a dreadful mix of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, only with an even cheaper set, and worse hairdos. The 'Undercover' part sees the ladies (plus Isbecki and Esposito) dressed up as (wait for it) Fruits and Vegetables (don't split your sides laughing now). The villian could be spotted a mile off and the plot is stretched so thin you can practically see the selotape holding the whole shabby affairs together.

There's nothing wrong C&L doing humour - often there's an under current of real life humour in previous seasons (esp Season 6's hilarious To Sir With Love) but this is just awful in every sense of the word; the script is terrible, the characters act ridiculously, and the actors themselves look miserable dressed up as pineapples and assorted fruits - Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly must be wondering how they went from Emmy Award winning episodes to this sub-pantomine nonsense. All in all this is not a good advert for an eight season, and is definitely one to avoid on the reruns or on the DVD releases! The 3 stars are pretty much for Gless and Daly showing enough restraint not to suffocate the scriptwriter with those wretched fruit constumes!!

One of my favorite episodes

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 14 December 2018]

Maybe in response to the previously posted review, I feel I have to say something to "defend" this episode. It's one I recall watching first-run on CBS in 1987 with my parents. Having the four main characters dress as fruits and vegetables is certainly memorable and for this reason, along with the silly premise and intentionally cornball dialogue, this one stands out.

I wouldn't say it's so bad it's good, but I think it's deliberately "bad" to poke fun at how inane game shows were in those days. They're spoofing Wheel of Fortune, Let's Make a Deal and Richard Dawson's incessant kissing on Family Feud. Anyone who'd seen those shows would find this installment of Cagney & Lacey amusing. Plus there's a nod to the game show scandals of the 50s, which would later be depicted in Robert Redford's acclaimed feature film Quiz Show.

I admit that not all the gags work, but some of it is quite funny. I especially loved the parts where Harvey tries to psych them up before they go on the show, how Mary Beth freezes on air then gradually finds her confidence again, and there's an uproarious moment in the dressing room where Mary Beth pushes Christine and she falls back and topples over because of the weight of her costume.

Probably Sharon Gless has the most fun in this episode, because she gets to make all those snide comments about the obnoxious host. And she gets to bust Bob when he flashes the word 'sagacious' to help her win. But the guys who play Isbecki and Esposito are having a lot of fun, too. They get more screen time in this story than they typically do in other episodes.

Maybe the scene in the van where they're all singing 'Row Row Row Your Boat' is a bit much, and this tune is repeated at the end when Chris and Mary Beth watch the host humiliate himself in front of the live audience. But I still liked it. We get a sense of camaraderie among the main characters, and the overall tone of this episode is meant to be more of a light diversion from the intense drama-filled episodes the series usually offers.