trashgang I grew up with all those series from the end of the seventies, early eighties so when they become available I try to pick them up. So I did with The Bionic Woman but it just couldn't fulfill my expectations. I have seen The Six Million Dollar Man last year and it was great. I never had any problem with the way it was done with the effects. But here with this series it sometimes do has a cheesy feeling. I have seen so many things that looked laughable and didn't stand up for the time being. I mean, if a door is blocked by a stone and Jaime (Lindsay Wagner) is given her force against the rock it's so easy to spot that it isn't a real rock and when she do split the rock with her feet just look, you could see that it was made from styrofoam. It never occurred to me that I saw those cheesy things with the Six Million Dollar Man. Some effects were rather good, like her leg being damaged and it reveales the wires inside.Don't misunderstand me, it isn't all that bad, Lindsay do give a good performance and being a spin-off of the Six Million Dollar Man it do works sometime but when Lee Majors do appear it do level up a bit. Let me also say that Claws was the strangest thing to experience. Back then everything was possible. There weren't any restrictions and it shows. Just see how a real lion walks in a class full of children. They even may touch him. Can't think that's possible nowadays. In that particular episode all animals do walk around on a ranch, from ape to lion to elephant to everything you get in your mind. But not only that, in Claws the lion even opens a door. It's a close-up of his claws opening the door, and it's so clear that it was a fake leg from the lion. It makes it all so cheesy, really.They also used real footage from the army when necessary, a thing they also did in The Six Million Dollar Man. For me it's between The Six Million Dollar Man (the use of the sound and slo- mo when using her bionic powers) and Wonder Woman (the cheesy use of styrofoam). A mediocre series.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

JamesLosAngeles The Bionic Woman was not only the show that pioneered and paved the way for shows with strong female leads, but did so at a time when the 'womens' movement' was knocking down walls and breaking stereotypical barriers like never before (much like Jamie Sommers did!!). The irony is that this all happened by accident, as the Sommers character was supposed to die off in the original Six Million Dollar Man series. Well that might have worked in some shows with some characters – but enter Lindsay Wagner who stole America's hearts overnight. Every man wanted to marry her, every woman wanted to be her. If you are of a…eh hem…a certain age, you'll remember that time when the nation immediately fell in love with Ms. Wagner. In fact I know we were all in love with her because I'll never forget being so incredibly heartbroken as a little kid when Jaime Sommers "died" in the show. I had nightmares for weeks.Well it turns out I wasn't the only one with a bionic crush. Families and kids everywhere bombarded ABC with fan mail to keep Jaime and the series alive. As clever as studio execs think they are, they had no idea what they had on their hands and did not foresee how the series would have such a tremendous impact on a generation - and go on to become a tour de force in television pop culture for women and men alike. As a kid The Bionic Woman was an event in our home - just like everyone else's home at the time. After we took our baths and got into our pajamas the family gathered around the television for some incredible acting and storytelling that in many cases were way ahead of its time. This show was so dynamic it resonated with both kids and adults alike; there was something for everyone. It was clever, funny, thoughtful, exciting, and quite possibly most of all – 'dark'. The thing that was so intriguing about these cyborg characters was that they were humans who ended up with some special strengths and gifts, but they were extremely flawed compared to your stereotypical 'super hero'. In our minds it was very easy to relate to these characters because all of us saw ourselves in their position if we had a horrible accident and woke up one day with super strengths and a ton of responsibility to our fellow mankind. We watched Jaime get amnesia and forget about her love Steve Austin. We watched her reject her bionics and almost die from the very same gifts that she would go on to battle the evil forces of the world with. We watched her struggle from leading a normal life as a school teacher on one day, to battling fembots and saving the world the next. But unlike the types of strong women you find in most film and television series today, this woman's key gift was her 'girl next door' flare. And that was her greatest appeal. In fact it's important to note that unlike superhero stories today, the bionics were a secondary character to the show (which is exactly why the re-launch of The Bionic Woman miserably failed on all levels). The bionics may have been a fantastic eye catching weapon; but they provided so much more; for instance – 'comic relief; (cut to Jaime using her bionic arm to whip up an omelet or clean her house). The writers were insightful enough to understand that if any of us wound up with these special gifts, they would probably be used in unsophisticated ways to get us through a painstakingly typical boring rough day. Unlike the highly sexualized female leads we see on film today, Lindsay Wagner was a combination of incredible beauty and cool sweet charm. Whereas hair and wardrobe take center stage to female characters in our post-modern era, her gifts revolved around her inner strengths the most notable being her magnetic personality. Her smile was her deadliest weapon. And it were these exact traits along with her incredible acting skills that enabled her to win an Emmy for this iconic role. In fact you could easily relate this win to the Oscar nominations Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received for Stephen King's "Carrie". These were the types of television and film genres that would most likely be overlooked for such prestigious awards – but were handled so brilliantly by the actors that nobody could deny giving credit where credit is due and offering accolades that the performers greatly deserved no matter what the genre. The only downside to The Bionic Woman was its short lived 2 season run. Unfortunately for a show ahead of its time it was also extremely costly and challenging to produce. What's interesting is that the show would be easy to produce with todays sophisticated means. However, it was the simplicity, sound effects, and camera trickery that made the show work on so many levels. So unfortunately, even with today's incredible advanced technical tools, The Bionic Woman wouldn't survive as a fast paced action packed CGI television series. And even if it stood half a chance, the biggest problem is you don't have the most crucial other half – Lindsay Wagner. The comforting part is that the show was so important and real to many of us, that to this day we feel content in knowing that Jaime and Max are relaxing happily by the fireplace in her cozy loft in Ojai, California.

gregoryshnly I am in the UK and although I have the region2 DVD set of "The Bionic Woman",I purchased the region1 version as it had the two Big Foot episodes missing form the region2 set.I had read there were problems with the episode "Deadlier Ringer",the sound is awful,I emailed Universal directly and was told,we can't replace discs to anyone outside US or Canada,charming!Have been offered a return by Amazon if I return the whole DVD set but then I'm without the two Big Foot episodes which work fine.Seems like overseas money is accepted to buy a DVD but its clearly tough if you've any problems.

mlgatin_2 All I can say is I love Lindsay Wagner! She was my favorite actress as a child and The Bionic Woman was my favorite TV show of all time! I would rush home after school so that I could see her battle it out with Steve Austin against the evil Fembots! When Stephanie Powers starred in "The Return Of Bigfoot" well, all I can say is "did it get any better?" As I watch the show now, it's still fun to see the super-human strength Jamie had as she went undercover for many a mission for the OSI. As cheesy as the "special effects" look now, you have to admit they were pretty cool in their day and made the show a lot of fun, especially the series when Jamie & Steve were surrounded by the evil and powerful FEMBOTS! To all the shows creators, producers and directors I applaud you for a job very well done! Lindsay, if you ever read this, I love your causes and your efforts and the fact that you will always be my heroine! PS: If anyone would like to exchange emails, drop me a line sometime! Martin Gatin, Calgary Alberta, Canada. Email: mlgatin@shaw.ca PSS: If anyone has any screen shots taken from the TV show's introduction I could add to my collection I would very much appreciate it!