Air America - The Complete Series
Created by veteran television writer/producer Philip DeGuere (Simon and Simon,JAG,NCIS), the syndicated action seriesAir Americabore only a passing resemblance to the 1990 feature film starring Mel Gibson that shared its title, but definitely delivered small-screen action during its sole season of 1998-99. Lorenzo Lamas toplined the show as Rio Arnett, owner of and pilot for Air America, a transport airline that ferried all manner of passengers and goods--no questions asked--from a small and turbulent South American country. In reality, Rio and his partner Wiley (Scott Plank) were undercover agents, and used their company to tangle with various international bad guys on behalf of the State Department. The show's relatively low budget made for some less-than-spectacular scripts and special effects, but the prerequisite intrigue and mild sex appeal (thanks to co-stars Diana Barton and Lamas' real-life spouse, Shauna Sand Lamas), as well as nice turns by guest stars like Juliet Mills, John Beck, Richard Lynch, and Lamas' formerRenegadeco-star Branscombe Richmond (in "High Noon in Costa Perdida") made for an entertaining if undemanding hour of TV. The six-disc set includes all 22 episodes that aired on American television, as well as four that did not, including the original two-part pilot, "Betrayal" and "Safe Passage" (in the States, the series debuted with its third episode, "The Lost City"), and the two final episodes, "The Cure" and "The Miracle." The DVD is presented in its original full-screen format, and, unfortunately, comes without any extras.--Paul Gaita