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The third season of the favorite 1980s ABC comedy is now on DVD with limited extras, and episodes that start off slow on laughs, but get funnier as the season goes on.

Audiences loved Lynn Aloysius Belvedere so much, ABC kept him around for six season.

Now, the British butler who invaded American households with his wit and formality can charm new audiences - and find love with old fans - on DVD. Most recently released is Season Three a four-disc set with 22 episodes - a few with cast commentary.

The third season starts off slow, then (thankfully) picks up speed in the comedy department. I actually laughed at some of the staged antics. Still, some punchlines were so obvious, you would say them as the characters would. Of course, I have to remember this was a comedy from the 1980s, so maybe it was fresh and funny for its time.

The character of Lynn Aloysius Belvedere is based on the busybody from Gwen Davenport’s 1947 novel, titled simply, Belvedere. Her novel was used for the film Sitting Pretty a year after the book was released. Belvedere came back in two films - starring the same actor, Clifton Webb - in each. This character was featured in three failed pilots in the 1950s and 1960s and wasn’t applauded by American audiences until the 1985 premiere of ABC’s Mr. Belvedere with the late Christopher Hewitt in the title role.

The late 20th century Belvedere pens the moral of the story at the end of every episode in his journal, instead of focusing his efforts on writing a gossip novel like in the novel. Throughout the episodes, he meddles in the lives of the Owens family - to their credit - and does his best to keep the peace in the household with two busy parents (one in college) and three kids, two of which are teenagers.

A regular show gag happens when Angela Shostakovich (Michele Matheson) - Heather’s BFF - mispronounces Belvedere’s name. These flubs are often hilarious. (Why does “Mr. Bellbottom” tickle me funny? No clue. It just does.) I also enjoyed the sneaky and precocious ways of Wesley Owens, the youngest child. His character gets Belvedere deported after the butler tattles on him for cheating and also starts a corporation out of his living room - which eventually leads the other kid employees to strike after a few words from the butler.

Hewitt had a wonderful use of facial expression, which makes otherwise dull scenes funny. There were times that his expressions and gestures created a laugh when a joke could have fallen horribly flat.

Mr. Belvedere also takes on “issues” during its third season. Every show has to do it. I think there is a law somewhere in Hollywood that says you have to take on serious stuff going on in the lives of regular folks, even if you have a comedy. We got to learn about theft by friends, sex, drugs, relationships with older women and divorce.

The divorce one really didn’t fit. A few episodes in, they had Marsha and George Owens making out in the backseat of a car. The entire show, the couple has had a few arguments, but always remains affectionate. A few episodes later, they are getting a divorce. It was seriously stupid and totally didn’t fit. I figure in 1986, divorce must have been a major issue in families and they had to work it in somehow to fulfill the “issues” quota. This episode was also a downer. Seriously? I watch comedies to LAUGH.

A few of the episodes have cast commentary. I am NOT a commentary girl. It drives me crazy to hear people talking over the film. I’d rather have a sit down interview with them. I think they are more effective. These really drove me crazy. It was just a bunch of laughing and nonsense from the cast.

It would have been nice to have a featurette about the history of the Belvedere character, a tribute to Christopher Hewitt and cast myths - including one about Rob Stone being Marilyn Manson - or a Where Are They Now? feature. For some reason, the older TV shows coming out on DVD are extremely limited in extras. They could beef them up with a little creativity (even if the actors are dead) - and make the sets an item people want to keep, rather than sell once they’ve watched.

The third season of Mr. Belvedere is good, clean fun and an excellent set for fans or for family searching for a family-friendly DVD set. Some of the punchlines are obvious, but you can still get a laugh out of most of the 22 episodes. My recommendation is skip the first two episodes of Disc One, “The Cadet” on Disc Three and “Separation” on Disc Four to cut the worst of the season.

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