Barnaby Jones (TV Series) The Coronado Triangle (1978) User Reviews

Let's hope this episode is the beginning of something better.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 2 August 2021]

The previous two episodes of "Barnaby Jones" have a distinction of being the worst and perhaps the second or third worst I've seen....and I've seen every episode before "The Coronado Triangle". And, they weren't just below average...they were horrible. Can this final episode of season 6 somehow buck this downward trend in the series and spell a resurgence?

When the episode begins, a young lady (Bonnie Ebsen...Buddy's real life daughter) washes up...nearly drowned. It seems she was on a yacht that was lost at sea...and the police think perhaps some gang is hijacking the boats. Stories circulating are of something otherworldly...like a California version of the Bermuda Triangle! So, Jedediah goes undercover as a spoiled rich guy with a yacht....the type that would be hard to resist to criminals.

I noticed that unlike most episodes of "Barnaby Jones", there is already a review for this episode. I think it's because the reviewer REALLY hated Bonnie Ebsen's performance...and their review was pretty brutal. Is it deserved? Well, she is actually not all that good...especially in how she emoted. I am pretty sure she's a very nice person...just not a great actress...at least in this particular instance. I don't want to be mean...so I'll say no more.

Apart from this, the episode is pretty good...mostly because the story is unique. Not brilliant but good enough to merit watching.

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IN CALIFORNIA?

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 29 March 2024]

If you are a follower of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, this is your cup of tea. It may also be partly based on a real life incident, about 10 years earlier.

Buddy Ebsen's pretty daughter, Bonnie, returns to the series, this time playing a young woman named Dawn, who is washed ashore on Venice Beach. The big question looms; is she the only surviver of a giant whirlpool that took down her boyfriend's yacht -- or are hijackers playing hide and seek? Barnaby, naturally, accepts the latter scenario.

Exceptional writing on the part of Norman Jolley, who wrote 41 episodes for the show, also producer for IRONSIDE and the FBI. Jolley may have done some research on the Bermuda Triangle and came up with a very famous case. In 1967, a well known hotel owner called Dan Beruck disappeared along with his yacht in the Triangle, which was reportedly un-sinkable. The mystery was never solved, and there are many who believe he may have been the victim of hijackers because of his wealth.

Food for thought, and one heck of a mystery.

Bonnie Ebsen, who later appeared on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, is supported by popular actor Charles Siebert. Siebert is best known for playing Dr. Riverside on TRAPPER JOHN. He passed in 2022 due to Covid.

Give this one a watch. SEASON 6 EPISODE 22 remastered color CBS dvd box set. 6 dvds 20hrs. 2018 release. The box cover only has Barnaby and Betty on front, not JR?

You knew she had to be related to someone in the show.....

[kwebster-11879 · 5/10 · 5 November 2020]

As I watching the actress who was portraying "Dawn Carlson" try to act, I kept thinking she MUST be related to someone important to the show. She was awful and had no reason being on any show. The actress' name is Bonnie Epsen....daughter of Buddy Epsen. The show was typical crime drama stuff and would have been acceptable with a decent actress. But, as she was in almost every scene, she ruined the show. This was a case of water needing to be thicker than blood.