Three for the Road - Season 1

This new Sunday night drama series gets a head-start with this 90-minute pilot. It's well-produced, well-intentioned show, which may prove a bit sentimental for the more callous viewer. Rugged Alex Rocco scores in the leading role as a photographer-father of two sons (Vincent Van Patten and Leif Garrett) who take to the road after the death of Rocco's wife. Rocco's believable-and-easygoing style is a plus, and the on-location footage is beautiful. Tht story involves a romance between Rocco and guest star Julie Sommars, who, alas, is doomed, but it's the relationship between Rocco and his boys that's the heartbeat of the series.

Pete Karras, assigned to photograph the dangers and joys of hang gliding, becomes intrigued with the sport, as does his youngest son Endy, but they are unaware that son John has a deep fear of heights that compels him to perform a dangerous experiment to prove he can overcome it. Despite his deep-rooted fear, John goes along with Pete and Endy in taking flight instructions from a hang-gliding pilot. Unexpectedly, John likes the beginner's lessons. However, he doesn't realize that the advanced stages of the sport entail flying off 200-foot cliffs. Torn between his attraction to a young girl named Shelley, and her challenge to hang glide the cliffs, John feels he must either face up to or run away from, his acrophobia. 

While his father is shooting a photo layout for a sports magazine, John Karras almost defeats tennis star Tom Aberling in a pick-up match, but Tom's father (guest star Gary Lockwood) feels the nonchalant game could ruin his son's reputation. Realizing he is good enough at tennis to be a challenge to a professional, John decides to enter the tournament against Tom, only to discover foul play before the tournament ever begins.