So much average

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

. . .however, it did have a neat opening series. I remember one episode starred former L.A. Dodger Steve Garvey, who I believe played himself. He ends up helping to save the day (and a few lives) by catching a throwing star (martial-arts weapon) in his glove (right after taking the baseball out of it), and then throwing the ball at a bad guy and taking him out. Pretty cool. I don't recall any other guest stars, but I did watch all the episodes (few that there were). I recall Rod Taylor who I remembered from the old Hong Kong TV show many years earlier. I think Greg Evigan played a hot-shot, and Kirstie Alley was very hot-looking. That was a long time ago.

This was a mildly interesting variation on "Mission: Impossible." The twist is that the bad guys had found out the identities of all the established agents, so Operation: Masquerade was created. Civilians with the necessary skills were recruited for one-time missions, assigned by Mr. Lavender and backed up by freshly graduated agents Casey and Danny. With no background in spying, the civilians wouldn't be known to the intelligence community at large. As a hook for viewers, it should have worked. Think wish fulfillment. Your country needs you and your inimitable skills, and you don't even have to spend six months at Camp Peary before heading out on your mission.This appears to have been inspired by the 1966 pilot "Call to Danger." In that, the government had a database of ordinary people with special skills whom they would call upon for important missions. That show was never picked up, but one good thing did come of it, giving that a bona fide "Mission: Impossible" connection. Writer/producer Bruce Geller saw the pilot. When Steven Hill, the lead actor of M:I, became too difficult, Geller replaced him with the lead actor of "Call to Danger" who had impressed him, one Peter Graves. The rest is television history.It's been almost 25 years? Time flies. Still, the show does date itself. There's that '80s big hair, glitzy wardrobe and lots of makeup. The theme song, sung by Crystal Gayle, has a very '80s instrumental backing. It's nonetheless one of the better theme songs of the decade.

Daft series; silly premise; utterly charming. Rod Taylor was solid, as always. The supporting players were of variable quality but nevertheless it was great fun. The theme song, not a classic by any means, sticks in the mind even after all these years. And, besides, wouldn't we all like to be whisked away to be adventurers for a weekend?

What do you get when you combine "I Spy" with "The Love Boat"? You get this interesting show. Imagine a show in which ordinary citizens are recruited by the government to do extraordinary things. Also, you get to see Kirstie Alley in one of her early roles on television. But perhaps the biggest strength of the show was Rod Taylor as the master spy Lavender. Too bad this show never made it past the summer, it could have probably been a hit if it had lasted.