STARSKY & HUTCH
SEASON ONE

FROM COLUMBIA/TRI-STAR TELEVISION

Release Date: March 2004

MSRP Price: $49.95 (estimated price)
Amazon Price: $44.96
Costco Price: $36.99

Episodes:  23
Format: full-screen 1.33:1
Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Television
Run Time: 20+ hours
Number of Discs -  5
Sound - Remastered Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Network: ABC
Producer: Aaron Spelling

Starsky & Hutch Sea. 1 Boxed Set Rating: "A" 
Video:  A
Audio:  A
Content:  B
Acting:  B
Bonus Material:  A
Overall:  A

STARS: David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas, Bernie Hamilton

Little Red Tomato. This was what the swoosh was all about in the 70's. It wasn't about tennis shoes or some shit company named Nike. It was about Starsky & Hutch and a hot red Gran Torino with the white swoosh. 

David Starsky and Ken Hutchinson were the hottest cops on television in the 70's, taking down bad guys and pretty lame stories. But the show was a hit and it became an icon of the 70 and a fan favorite in syndication. Me? Oh, I was there forcing mom and dad to tune in each week. I tuned in to see the Torino kick ass and take names. It was all about the car baby. American muscle in all its glory.

This is yet another series from the television master Aaron Spelling, who's listing includes S.W.A.T., Charlie's Angels and many many others would follow. The man has a nack for coming up with shows that tickle the television world just enough for the show to catch on. What I did find unique about the series is that the show and it's episodes were built around the duos friendship

While I originally tuned in it was all about the car but I hung around for the comradeship between the two onscreen stars. The humor and friendship beyond anything else was something special to watch no matter what year we're talking about. Many shows would follow with the gruff boss constantly yelling at the shows hero. It was a common trait for a Aaron Spelling cop show. 

Starsky & Hutch would be the freewheeling duo between Adam 12's "Reed & Malloy" and Miami Vice's "Crockett & Tubbs" who would rule the 80's with Hunters "McCall & Hunter" hot on their ass. 

The series would do well in the ratings and survive for four seasons and 93 episodes. In these old series the stuntmen earned their pay. 

VIDEO: 
The digital transfer from the 29 year old masters looks are really incredible. The transfer has to be cleaned up. The expected dirty and debris are minimal. The colors look a bit soft but they aren't washed out and the blacks are dark. The tape masters must have been in great shape for the transfer. Season one hit the shelves before the dual DVD format craze hit the market. Columbia unlike Anchor Bay is performing a quality job redigitizing and cleaning up the video for release. 

AUDIO: 
The remastered audio in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.  Most of the old shows were never done for anything better and the 2.0 comes across quite nicely. The voices are sharp and clear. The episode soundtracks don't suffer that metallic pinging sound from true mono running through a stereo. Overall the sound is excellent for a cheap 70's television soundtrack. 

BONUS FEATURES: 
It just isn't reasonable to expect much beyond new interviews when it comes to old series, but Columbia Tri-Star and Aaron Spelling have done a nice job with the featurettes. 

• Disc One
  Original TV Promo Spots

• Disc Five
  * Explosive New Interviews with David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser. 
  * Featurette - Starsky & Hutch: the Movie Featurette. 
  * Featurette - It's Harder Than It Looks
  * Featurette - The Third Star. 
  * Making of - Behind the Badge.

SUMMARY: 
Sure beats the crap out of watching repeats on Spike TV or some other network that cutting the hell out of them to get them down to 40 minutes. These uncut episodes are wonderful. Seeing the old series again is wonderful. This is something fans have been waiting for. I know I have.  

Today old television series are flooding the shelves of stores like Wallmart and Best Buy. Fans have to be careful how they spend that buck. All these series look great and I want them all. It sucks we can't have them, but it's wonderful that they have come to DVD. 

Starsky & Hutch Season 1 Rating:  A  

BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE