Last season of great '70s detective series
The Streets of San Francisco (1972-1977) was a terrific detective show that ran for 5 seasons, and for the first 4 starred newcomer Michael Douglas and screen veteran Karl Malden as detective partners. When Douglas left the show after Season 4 to pursue a movie career, he was replaced by Richard Hatch, a good-looking, creditable actor who was previously on the soap All My Children, and would go on to appear in Dynasty and Battlestar Galactica. Unfortunately the show's ratings dropped after Douglas' departure, but even in its final season it remained well-written and action-packed, and attracted a good roster of guest stars. Below is a list of all episodes & featured stars in this Season 5, Volume 1 3DVD set:
Disc 1
The Thrill Killers, Part 1* - Patty Duke, James Shigeta
The Thrill Killers, Part 2* - Susan Dey, Barry Sullivan
Dead or Alive - Howard Duff, Max Gail
The Drop - Parker Stevenson, Dabney Coleman
Disc 2
No Minor...
Great Stories, Awesome Guest Stars
I write this review totally unbiased and without nostalgia as I never watched this show during its original ABC run so this series is completely new to me. I bought this because two of my favorite actors of this era had guest spots on this volume. Max Gail ("Barney Miller") plays a rapist with a half-a-million-dollar price tag on his head thanks to the wealthy father (Howard Duff) of his latest victim. Gary Lockwood ("The Lieutenant") shows up as a vengeful ex-con who spent 20 years in prison for a gang initiation gone awry.
While I initially only bought this volume for those two episodes, the show's sharp writing and impressive guest-star roster drew me in. The installments featuring Jessica Walter and Desi Arnaz Jr. are equally good.
Never a Michael Douglas fan (too smug) or Karl Malden either for that matter, I find Richard Hatch much more engaging even if the scripts give him little to do except deliver exposition. I didn't care much for the Don Johnson...
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