Diagnosis Murder (TV Series) A Mime Is a Terrible Thing to Waste (1997) User Reviews

Underrated Show!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 7/10 · 29 January 2012]

This is a funny and underrated show. About the Sloans played by real life father-son Dick and Barry Van Dyke respectively.

As a ditsy woman named Randy seems to be always in the way. As she is pretty but also never has done anything good in her life. And tries to pretend that she is someone like a lawyer or something else. And seems to be interfering in an investigation of a murdering of a mime.

Which leads to car parts on a nationwide that has the feds, always thinking that they are better than thou, on the scene. As they give Randy and Steve, who think that he is a dirty cop as Randy uses his badge along the way of her con things. The chance to help or go to prison. As both must clear their name to help their case.

The Miami Vice reference and the Sonny Burnett thing, played by a pre- White Collar Tim Dekay who really is an undercover cop. Was a nice touch.

Underrated but a funny show!

A great episode for Miami Vice fans

[bennozoid1 · 9/10 · 9 January 2007]

I just saw this episode on TV whilst having lunch at home on a rainy January afternoon in London....

Being a Miami Vice fan, I loved the inclusion of a character called Sonny Burnett (Crockett's undercover name) which - at first - I thought was just an innocuous homage.

It transpires that the episode is shaped around an undercover operation, and they mention Miami Vice twice. For a chronic (some would say obsessed) fan of Michael Mann's seminal show, this was a nice touch!.........

Yeah I know, I should get out more!............

You know what though: DIAGNOSIS MURDER is really good!!!..........you gotta love Van Dyke!.........

Could've been a contender

[safenoe · 8/10 · 14 April 2021]

Rachel York is absolutely hot in this nested pilot episode of Diagnosis Murder. It's a shame the beautiful Rachel did not score her own series. Why oh why? Anyway, sure there are some plotholes in this fifth season episode, but still it's a lot of fun. Interestingly, this episode has probably more reviews that most other Diagnosis Murder ones, which typically have one or two reviews at the best.

Good to see Alex Hyde-White in this. He's the son of British actor Wilfred Hyde-White.

Rachel York is great in this!

[lovesclassics · 10/10 · 22 June 2007]

This had to be one of the funniest episodes ever written for Diagnosis Murder. Rachel York as Randy Wolfe brought great comic timing and chemistry to the show. Her quirky but lovable pain in the butt really got under Steve's skin! I understand this was a pilot for a spin-off series. I really wish it had materialized. I could just see her taking on different characters to solve murder cases - like a younger, hipper, sexier Jessica Fletcher. I suspect the plan for the show was to move from city to city, maybe even country to country, so that Randy could have ended up interfering with but ultimately solving murder cases in exotic locales. I'll bet they would have had her clash with handsome detectives in every police department she encountered. I hope someday soon Rachel does land a TV series. She deserves to be the star in her own show.

lc

A really good episode

[pmcguireumc · 9/10 · 17 June 2019]

I am a big fan of the show, but I am willing to admit there were a lot of really mediocre episodes (especially in seasons 4 and 5).

This particular episode though is not one of them. The comedic timing of Rachel York is excellent and she brought out the best in D and BVD. An excellent script really helped.

This was, evidently, a potential pilot. I wish it had been picked up.

One of the worst episodes

[Dana12 · 1/10 · 24 February 2017]

This is one of the worst episodes of "Diagnosis Murder." It was a pilot that was never turned into a series and with good reason. It was over- acted to the point of insanity. The lead girl has no redeeming qualities. She comes off as mean and ditzy, a weird and hideous combination. I disliked almost all of the pilots they subjected "Diagnosis Murder" viewers to, except the one with Delta Burke. But this one stands out as cringe-worthy. I suppose they were going for campy, but even that has to be done with decent acting and some finesse. This episode had neither.

Just Awful

[zombiemockingbird · 1/10 · 14 October 2022]

Whoever called this a comedy is terribly confused about what comedy is. I have never heard of or seen Rachel York before, but she is a horrible actress. This episode was annoying as soon as she opened her mouth and it went downhill from there. Listening to her gave me a headache. Also at fault were the writers; the dialog was inane and most of what she said did not even make sense. And I hate mimes, so that made it even worse. I finally just shut it off because I could not stand to listen to her for another second. I read in the other reviews that this was a pilot; thank God they never made a show out of it.

Just crying Wolfe

[pensman · 1/10 · 20 June 2016]

One of the worst episodes ever. Rachel York as Randy Wolfe portrays the single most aggravating woman in the history of television. In the past is has been Jenna Elfman who has held that title for me; but York takes Elfman to the nth degree. As the story goes, Wolfe is supposed to show up twice a day to administer a pill to a dog. Instead she moves in lock stock and barrel. Somehow coming back from all-night clubbing, she returns to find the body of a mime in the bed, dead. She runs next door to the Sloans' who have already had the misfortune to deal with Miss Wolfe as the world's most incompetent waitress. Insistent she is on to something, she steal Steve's badge and in passing herself as a cop manages to screw up both a federal and state investigation of a crooked car dealer. But Dr. Sloan catches a clue and is actually able to actually find out a murder did occur. And even though a crime is "solved," I found this almost impossible to watch. And the crime has nothing to do with any of the serious investigations; just a case of a mime who wore out his welcome.

This performance may explain why Rachel York doesn't have many TV credits; I gather she has done better on Broadway so I guess she can sing and dance.