McMillan & Wife: Season 6

"The Final Year"
When "McMillan & Wife" ended at the end of season 5 in 1976 Susan Saint James and the show's producers got into some tough negotiations regarding money. Instead of giving her what she wanted the producers, along with NBC, decided to fire Saint James and write the character out by killing Sally and her child in a plane crash. So, the producers were stuck trying to pull a show together without one of its leads. The series became titled "McMillan" and lasted one paltry season and was cancelled due to terrible ratings. To make matters worse Nancy Walker, who was fantastic as Mildred, was replaced as McMillan's housekeeper by Martha Raye. The show simply lost its way or as they say in the television industry "jumped the shark".

The following is a list of all 6 telefilms of "McMillan" (90 minutes in length)along with their airdates. There are also no bonus features.

1. "All Bets Off", Dec. 5, 1976
2. "Dark Sunrise", Jan. 2, 1977
3. "Phillip's Game", Jan. 23,...

Stuart McMillan goes it alone for one final season on "McMillan"...
When Susan Saint James and Nancy Walker both did not return for the sixth season of McMillan and Wife, some massive retooling was required. The show was renamed "McMillan", with Rock Hudson carrying on as San Francisco police commissioner Stuart "Mac" McMillan for six more episodes as part of NBC's Sunday Mystery Movie. As the season opens, Mac has been a widower for about eight months, as his wife Sally (Saint James) has been killed in a plane crash. His housekeeper Mildred (Walker) has moved back east, but has been replaced by her sister Agatha (Martha Raye) who had previously appeared in the series.

That's not the end of the changes, as McMillan's long time sidekick Charles Enright (John Schuck) has been promoted to lieutenant, and no longer works directly with the commissioner. Mac's new right hand man is Sergeant Steve DiMaggio (Richard Gilliland), a semi-competent, kind of klutzy type who mainly provides an unnecessary comedic element. Gloria Stroock returns as...

Irony Hits Real Life for Susan St. James: Revised Plesantly Surprised
As a child, I remember how disappointed I was that Susan Saint James was not on the final season of McMillan. The onscreen chemistry of Hudson and St. James was what made the show. Now, since Rock Hudson has become a legend, I will buy this final season because it is a part of his works. I hope I will be better entertained watching this now then I did as a small child, when it was originally broadcast. Ironically, Sally and her son were killed in a plane crash. In real life, Susan St. James lost her son in a plane crash and nearly her husband. It is a sad case how irony from actor's t.v. or movie performances, reflect their own lives later. In memory of Rock Hudson, he was a true legend. Susan St. James, we love you.
Revised 11-11-12: I finally got this dvd set and was plesantly surprised. The stories were great and Rock actually acted better and had a sense of humor to his acting. Martha Raye does nicely as a replacement for Nancy Walker. I was afraid I wouldn't like her because...

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