Ellen: The Mugging

Ellen: The Mugging
ABC
May 21, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode written by David S. Rosenthal was filmed during Season One, but aired two years later, which is why it briefly includes Holly and Anita.  The focus is mostly on Ellen and Adam's friendship, and what happens when he witnesses his new "girlfriend" (a woman he technically dates for about four days) being mugged and is too cowardly to come forward, and then he makes Ellen pretend to be the witness.  There are some interesting character moments here, and while Adam's behavior is regrettable, he does indeed suffer for it.  I can't imagine this plot with Spence, since, while he could be as dishonest with women as Adam, he would never be as passive about witnessing a crime as Adam and would likely run down and catch the mugger, as he did with the thief in the first Matt episode.  (This somewhat resembles that episode, in that we see a police line-up.)

Dave Florek, who was Chris on Who's the Boss?, here plays an Officer.  And Greg Germann is again Ellen's weird neighbor Rick.

Counting the two Season-One-made episodes, Ellen in Season Three ranges from C to B+, averaging out to a B-, with twelve of the twenty-seven episodes receiving a B-.  The substitution of Spence for Adam (yes, they overlap, but not much) harms the show but not irrevocably.  Season Four would see more changes, but these would have less to do with the cast than with the behind-the-scenes struggle over whether, when, and how Ellen Morgan would come out.