Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A Major Disappointment

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Blistering performances.

I guess real men aren't supposed to like a show like this. It's a rom-com to the max; but it's so well written and casted it draws you in. Besides I'm a real man and I like it. There's not just one or two really good characters; there's at least six of the regulars that so much fun, you can't imagine the show cast with anyone else. You really come to like these people, care for them, worry about them. I found the show in re-runs and thank goodness they're running all the episodes one after the other; I'm more then two thirds of the way thru, and I'm sorry to see it coming to and end. It's hard to rate these episodes they're all quite good; the lowest I've down rated one to a 7. Most are 8's and 9's with several 10's. Excellent show.

Where a lot of shows, even comedies, are about angst, 'Dharma and Greg' is very forgiving with the characters. The writers managed to create relatively realistic relationships (in comparison to what's usually on TV) with the most ludicrously stereotyped characters anyone could possibly make. They have stereotypes of all kinds in here, so everyone is bound to find some character he or she likes.Like any show, it has its ups and downs, but overall it's a pretty good mix of everything. Some episodes are plain silly, some are romantic, some are just good fun, there's even a handful of angsty ones in there. It keeps entertaining, and although elements in the show are reused quite often, it rarely becomes tedious. Actually it makes a lot of sense, the characters in the show do develop somewhat, but just like real life, a lot of their character remains the same throughout all 5 seasons. And that means their flaws as well.Anyway, I'd recommend this show to anyone who likes comedy, and doesn't mind extreme stereotypes. And while the show may seem to be just a lot of silliness, there are some surprisingly brilliant scenes in there occasionally.

To my regret, I didn't discover Dharma and Greg until it was in syndication after it had ended as a series. I have since become a big fan and hope someday they do a reunion of sorts. From listening to Chuck Lorre, Jenna Elfman, Mimi Kennedy, Alan Rachins, Susan Sullivan and Mitchell Ryan comment about it on the DVDs, the show was perfectly cast.Yes, I know there are conservatives out there who might not have liked the show because of Dharma's family's liberal ways. Well, I'm a Reagan-loving conservative and absolutely enjoyed the show. To me, the show was very balanced in its humor: Dharma and her family were made fun of just as Greg and his family were.I think one of the funniest episodes was when Teller guest starred as Jane's cat Mr. Boots. I envision Jane paid Teller's character to act like a cat--just to mess with Greg.I wish this show had gone on longer...it would've been great to explore D&G having children and trying to raise them despite their differences. In the meantime, I hope Jenna Elfman is able to get back into doing sitcoms again. She's far too talented as a comedic actress not to.A year or so ago, I received an e-mail from an actor who had a brief guest starring role on D&G. He told me that Jenna, Thomas and Susan couldn't have been nicer.

I have been using my DVR to catch all the reruns I can find (DVR makes it so easy), since this is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms ever. The central cast of Greg, Dharma, his folks, her folks, as well as their friends Pete and Jane were all such well developed characters. The writing and chemistry was exceptional and made watching the show true entertainment. The guest appearances were always a riot as well and dove-tailed into the show so easily; they never strained the believability of the show or the story. This show always tended towards the positive, with the few exceptions of shows that dealt with Dharma and Greg having/adopting a baby (for instance). Even though there were some emotionally "heavy" episodes, the eventual outcome was positive. This certainly made for an inspirational, yet highly comedic half hour of entertainment.I am hoping that the yet to be released TV show "Courting Alex" will be just as successful, since Jenna Elfman is such a great actress/comedienne and then hopefully the Dharma and Greg series will be released to purchase on DVD! I have also been waiting for news of DVD release of "Step by Step" and "Family Matters" and have heard (as of 12/2005) that ABC is considering a 'best of' collection of both of these series and depending on consumer response, may or may not release the entire collection for purchase. Keeping my fingers crossed that will happen!By-the-by, IMDb lists 2 episodes as unknown, but they are actually #14 & #15 from Season 3. And happy days - the First season will be available to purchase on June 25, 2006. Been watching Courting Alex, which is cute, Jenna Elfman is an underrated talent - beautiful & funny! Hope she goes on to make more shows on TV and/or big screen!