Private investigator Jim Rockford is hired by a beautiful young woman to investigate the murder of her father, a homeless man found beneath a pier two months earlier whose killing has been left unsolved by the police.

Private investigator Jim Rockford is hired by a beautiful young woman to investigate the murder of her father, a homeless man found beneath a pier two months earlier whose killing has been left unsolved by the police.

The famed P.I. works to uncover facts of the death of a wealthy socialite whose two grown children are accused of murdering her. Complicating matters are Rockford's omnipresent "friend" Angel, and Rockford's ex-wife Kit, a lawyer who represents the children.

"A Blessing in Disguise" proved very entertaining, with James Garner reprising his droll "Jim Rockford" character from the "Rockford Files" series. Mr. Garner has definite chemistry with Renee O'Connor, later of "Xena: Warrior Princess" fame. Here, O'Connor does a fine job as a plucky, self-centered-but-likable actress whose life is threatened by religious zealots. But all is not what it seems -- and Rockford aims to get to the bottom of it to keep his client/friend alive. The Garner-O'Connor relationship has a special "father-daughter" charm.

While the plot seems a bit far-fetched, there are cute send-ups of the Hollywood celebrity scene and Televangelists who scam their viewers. Listen especially for O'Connor's character's remarks about bodyguards and a certain famous Hollywood TV starlet. Worth a chuckle.

In this episode of film sequels to the original tv series, James Garner's classic detective, Jim Rockford, is framed for the murder of another rival detective with whom Jim was seen having harsh words.

Rockford's friend from the Sandcastle, Babs, is investigating the murder, 18 monthes earlier. She suspects a local mobster and is harassing him to get him to make a mistake that she can tell the police about. Unfortunately the mistake he makes is killing her when Jim Rockford is on the job. As usual a group of friends collects to help solve the crime, and Jim signs up for Lt. Chapman's class on criminology to get the inside track on the investigation, and becomes the class cut-up.

Laid-back private eye Jim Rockford and his brown Pontiac Firebird become embroiled in another case when he runs across an old flame, blind book editor Megan. Her no-good playboy cousin Patrick is involved with the Russian Mob, which puts everyone's life in danger. The weary Rockford must also deal with his old friend Angel, who is painting Jim's trailer to work off a debt.

After a quiet fishing trip, Rockford is tricked into taking over a fellow PI's case involving alleged Police misconduct, which lands him in the hospital, hounded by a beautiful reporter, and out of favor with the entire Police Deapartment. Meanwhile Angel tries to cash in on the publicity by selling a movie about Rockford's life.

Retired private detective Jim Rockford must investigate a series of child rapes when his friend Ernie Landale, a respected school teacher, is accused of the molestations. Through circumstantial evidence, Landale is hounded by the police, the media, school officials, even people he thought were his friends, even though he has not been found guilty in a court of law, nor even charged with the crimes through much of the film. As Landale, his wife Rita, his attorney Beth and police lieutenant Becker fight the battle of public opinion, Rockford realizes the only way to clear his friend's name is to find the real rapist.

2006 Interview with Stephen J. Cannell co-creator of the Rockford Files. DVD Season 2 special.