Although the episode plotlines in the third season of I Spy are as adult and cynical as ever, the venerable espionage series has for the most part become a laugh-fest, thanks to the whimsical verbal improvisations of stars Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. Many is the time during season three that all action stops dead in its tracks to allow the two protagonist to exchange silly puns and sly inside jokes -- to the extent that many of the series' fans began yearning for "tragic relief" from all the comedy! This year, American secret agents Kelly Robinson (Culp) and Alexander Scott (Cosby) spend most of their time on missions in the United States, though the series still boasts a generous supply of location footage filmed in such exotic stopovers as Greece and Mexico. Among the season's guest stars are Dorothy Lamour in "The Honorable Assassins," Gene Hackman in "Happy Birthday...Everybody," and France Nuyen (then married to star Robert Culp) in "An American Empress." And, though I Spy received its cancellation notice halfway through the season, the series remained on the air long enough to earn co-star Bill Cosby his third Emmy award in a row. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi