The previous reviewer may not realize that this episode was intended as a back door pilot for a new series centered on Lester and Dr. Fong. Many series do this including The Rockford Files with Just Another Polish Wedding as a spin-off called Gabby & Gandy and the Richie Brockelman episodes. Magnum PI did this with Birds of a Feather and the earlier episode, J. Digger Doyle. The title character typically features less prominently as in this episode. Many are good episodes in their own right, though some are less so. It was a common practice of the time to introduce a new show using a popular show. Lester is a recurring character, featured in four episodes, and the introduction of Keye Luke provides an interesting contrast. I would have been willing to watch more such episodes to see how their chemistry developed.
Harry O (TV Series)
The Mysterious Case of Lester and Dr. Fong (1976)
User Reviews
Review this title2 Reviews
not enough Harry
MissClassicTV31 March 2016
While not entirely without merit, this episode doesn't belong. There were only 44 regular season episodes of Harry O and it's a shame this is one of them. This one is all about Lester. They should have just made a TV movie featuring Lester and Fong. Instead, we have this, and it's one less hour of Harry O for the archives. Harry and Trench are hardly in this episode. Actually, it's kind of similar to "The Last Heir" from season 1 in that one by one a member of a wealthy family is being killed off. It's a whodunit. Really a waste of time. Viewers watch Harry O for David Janssen. Not a show heavy on forensic evidence with a character that's OK as a sidekick but can't carry an entire episode.
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