The sisters who sweat together stay together was the unspoken theme of the ’90s surprise hit. While the show kept the bonding concept of “Alex” (Mike & Me‘s Swoosie Kurtz), “Teddy” (CSI:NY‘s Sela Ward), “Georgie” (thirtysomething‘s Patricia Kalember) and “Frankie” (Fletch Lives‘ Julianne Phillips) spending time in the steam room, Sisters: Season Four brings a new source of heat to the screen. George Clooney arrives on the scene shortly before his starmaking role on ER. But he’s not just there to be a romantic distraction to tempt the cast. He’s there for serious business on a harsh plot twist.
Teddy’s daughter Cat (Heather McAdam) gets raped by a person she thought was a friend. The attack is very traumatic and Cat can’t remember too much. James Falconer (Clooney) arrives on the scene to investigate and help her recall the details that will allow her to point out the disgusting person. She does remember the guy, but shockingly the guy escapes conviction. In a fatal twist, his freedom is short lived. This is a rather bold storyline for the mid-90s to have a character go through all that Cat must do. The fact that true justice is not served allows the show to demonstrate the struggles victims have in such cases. The show isn’t done with Falconer as he finds himself the romantic interest of Teddy. What are the ethics on this sort of relationship? Does it matter since it’s George Clooney and he’s look a lot hunkier than his time on The Facts of Life. Sisters was about the bonding between the female siblings, but sometimes they need the raw animal magnetism of a sweet Clooney. The two make a hot couple on the screen.
Frankie has another career crisis and dumps everything to run her dream diner. This plot twists opens up a bunch of food related nightmares and surprises for the family. Georgie’s has a massive crisis about her ability to be a great parent to her kids. Was she a massive failure who let the kids down? The fear brings her down. This was something Donna Reed never had to deal with all those decades ago. Alex gets a surprise her caustic relationship with Robert Klein turns unexpectedly to romance. Perhaps standing next to George Clooney makes you a better catch in the case of Klein. There’s also a bit of a surprise when a fifth sister shows up in need of serious help.
Sisters: Season Four continues the show’s dedication to focusing on the interaction of the sisters. Sure there are men in the form of Clooney and Klein, but they add to the storylines and don’t hijack episodes. What’s important is how the sisters feel about these men and not how we feel about the men. Although in the case of Clooney, you feel he’s finally moving up in the televised romance department when he’s getting intimate with Sela Ward. There’s two more seasons of Sisters to go with Season Five due out on July 19.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The show was shot on video and post produced on standard definition video. Things looks ok in the lower resolution. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. Things sound fine enough when Clooney visits with the sisters.
No bonus features.
Shout! Factory presents Sisters: Season Four. Starring: Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips. Boxset Contents: 22 Episodes on 6 DVDs. Released: April 12, 2016.
