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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stryker is a sure bet for Reynolds, March 4, 2008
This review is from: B.L. Stryker - The Complete First Season (DVD)
In 1989, ABC and Universal Television division tried to do what NBC tried in the late 1970's, A Mystery Movie wheel. They had four Mystery Characters (Kojak, Gideon Oliver, Columno & Stryker) revolving in a two movie format once a month. The concept lasted two TV seasons until ABC canceled the wheel.
Reynolds filmed this show in the late 1988-1989 near his home in Jupiter Florida. Reynolds incoporated the south Florida landscape as a character in itself.
This serious was played in a fashion to the John D MacDonald Travis McGee novels, which Reynolds tried to get for a film or two. However, This series seemed akin to McGee as well as the Rockford Files.
Another factor is Ossie Davis play sidekick to Reynolds. Davis acts like a Meyer to Reynold's McGee. His small part of the washed out boxer friend steals every scenes without really trying. This is a testimate to the actor and the man.
These Stryker mysteries are well done for a television production. This first season is only five 94 minutes episodes, but each are well crafted whodunits. With scripts by noted writers like Robert B Parker, who created Spenser novel, this show is sharp.
Now let me say these copies are clear masters. They could be shown today if the networks needed shows to put on.
The TV GUIDE imprint is semi new DVD division of Arts Alliance America, but they have released two Banacek volumes, the second season of Charles In Charge, and the complete Crow tv show. This show fits right in with this
Go get it, I want a lot of sales, so they can release the second (and Final( volume of this series
Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A hugely enjoyable, underrated TV mystery series..., March 3, 2008
This review is from: B.L. Stryker - The Complete First Season (DVD)
I'm a big fan of TV mysteries, so I was very happy to see Arts Alliance America releasing the first season (5 2-hour episodes) of this very underrated mystery series. Burt Reynolds fans (who know what he can do when given solid material) and TV mystery aficionados should grab this one!
"B.L. Stryker" only lasted two seasons (as long as the "ABC Mystery Movie" lasted) but can and should have gone far longer, even after the umbrella series was axed. "Stryker" was a terrific series, the best by far of any of the ABC Mystery Movie segments (including the Columbo revival, and I'm a Columbo fan!) with strong talent in front of and behind the camera. Tom Selleck co-produced, the scripts were strong by the likes of Robert B. Parker ("Spenser: For Hire" and the "Jesse Stone" series) and Joe Gores, and the directors included Hal Needham. And this series is among the best that Burt Reynolds ever did, solid mysteries with a light comic touch (but never buffoonish comedy).
The cast had a terrifically smooth chemistry from the start, including Ossie Davis as Stryker's best friend and retired boxer Oz (whose character really grounded the show and humanized the potentially cliche Stryker PI character), Dana Kaminski as Stryker's wannabe-actress/secretary Lynnda, Rita Moreno as Stryker's glamorous ex-wife Kimberly, Michael O. Smith as the local police Chief McGee, and Alfie Wise as the nouveau riche neighbor whose toys (planes, cars, SUVs) always ended up getting destroyed during Stryker's cases. And the guest cast included Kristy Swanson, Helen Shaver, Maureen Stapleton, Neil Patrick Harris (before Doogie Howser) and many others.
The pilot episode is much darker in tone and violence than the rest of the series, and the true tone of the series and the full cast of characters aren't established until the second episode. If you're a mystery fan or a Burt Reynolds fan, do yourself a favor and buy the First Season (with 5 2-hour episodes) when you see it, so that sales will dictate Arts Alliance releasing Season 2 (with 7 episodes, several among the best of the series).
The video is clear and the episodes are unedited, and as a bonus there's PDF scripts of 3 of the episodes.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible, December 19, 2011
This review is from: B.L. Stryker - The Complete First Season (DVD)
This should never have been included on the Sunday Mystery Movie rotation. I bought this and watched a couple of episodes hoping for some improvement from one to the next. Terrible. Avoid this. Stick with the original Mystery Movie stars.
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