Customer Reviews

Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Fourth Season

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nothing like seeing Zebra 3 drive past gas stations so we can check the prices!

This was well worth the YEAR wait. Yes, by roughly 6 months in between releases Season 4 should have been released in Nov. of 2005. I have no idea what the hold up (pun) was but I am thankful I even own this. So far I can see the violence has been toned somewhat, but what is left in its wake is what I watch the show for anyway; friendship and banter. So far Season 4 has that in spades! I must disagree with another reviewer here about the menu screens, I think they are perfect, I also think the "grain effect" is more artistic than accidental. I think they are beautiful. It has fabulous boxart and even better content inside; thanks Sony!!

Disc One:

10/19 - Surprisingly after viewing the first disc, this season (so far) is more consistant than Season Three. In S3 there wasn't one disc that I felt had all solid episodes on it and yet right out of the shoot S4 has a solid set. I even enjoyed the overly cheesy Moonshine episode. The writing in general seems more solid than last season and while the tone may be lighter the laughs are tighter. After all the bad press I've heard about Season 4 I'm sort of in shock at just how much I'm enjoying it! Nothing on this comes close to the Voodoo Island Part Two fiasco of Season Three:)

Disc Two:

10/26 - Still a bit stronger than Season Three. Two great episodes in "Strange Justice" and "Black and Blue" here on disc 2. Really liked the role of Vonetta McGee who is a striking beauty and had great chemistry with Starsky. Some of the slapstick elements are just too over the top for me. "Dandruff" in particular just doesn't work for me, though in the same light "The Groupie" was a fun humorous episode that did the duo justice.

Disc Three:

11/4 - Paul Micheal Glaser OWNS this disc. I still have one episode to watch on disc 3 but I was so moved by the directorial efforts of "Starsk" (on Ballad for a Blue Lady) I just couldn't wait to write this. "Deck Watch" another great episode he directed has just been one-upped and I never thought I'd say that. The tone, the acting, the camera work, EVERYTHING about this ep screams FEATURE LENGTH QUALITY which is something you almost never see on TV. On this disc, Cover Girl was also nice as was Starsky's Brother. The wrestling inspired Golden Angel was dumb but no matter what happens now, Season 4 is better, far better than Season 3. Sad it was cancelled after this season. More like a crime.

Disc 4:

12/3 - The highlight on this disc is OF COURSE the Targets Without a Badge portions which is the majority, BUT it is GREAT. I always say you will find great television when the characters have to be something beyond what you expect and when S&H are no longer cops is when you will see how great the "characters" are and not just how great the "backdrop" is. This should be required viewing for any fan of must see TV...

Disc 5:

Coming soon!

What more can be said about Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul they will always be the one and only "Starsky & Hutch" for me. Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul appeared to have a special chemistry and a bond that went way beyond their acting on screen and it seemed like they genuinely liked one another on and off screen. The final 22 episodes from season four are a mixed bag when it comes to the quality of the stories and plots the actors were given to work with and some are better than others but I still enjoyed all of them. The season four series finale episode "Sweet Revenge" was a fitting conclusion to this incredible 70's television series and definitely an episode not to be missed.

Has the Striped Tomato been sent to the garage for good? Sadly Starsky & Hutch's time as televisions best cop duo has finally come to an end in season four but thanks to these DVD's the striped tomato will continue to burn rubber at my house forever! The remaining 22 remastered episodes from season four are presented for your viewing enjoyment in this awesome 5 single sided disc set from Sony Pictures. Once again the disc packaging and disc artwork from Sony Pictures is fantastic and Sony should be commended for their ongoing efforts. The picture & sound quality in season four is excellent and definitely better than I remember seeing on any television broadcast. Any fan of the show would be happy to own this set or the entire series on DVD.

The biggest disappointment I have about this DVD set and the first three season sets from Sony Pictures is the complete lack of bonus material or special features. This show lasted only four seasons and during the 93 episodes produced they're had to be bloopers, gag reels and some accidents to the Ford Torino's that were used during filming, why wasn't any of that footage included? Another complaint I have is that most of the actors from the show are still alive so why wasn't a cast commentary or cast reunion featurette included?

I don't know about the rest of you but I would have liked to have seen Starsky, Hutch and Huggy Bear together again for this DVD release before it's too late. There will probably never be another cop show like "Starsky & Hutch" ever again and with all the reality garbage on television today, I'm glad I own the complete series on DVD. Zebra Three Over and Out!

The Main Cast:
Paul Michael Glaser......Det. Dave Starsky
David Soul.....Det. Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson
Bernie Hamilton.........Capt. Harold Dobey
Antonio Fargas..........Huggy Bear

DVD Episodes include:
1. Discomania
2. The Game
3. Blindfold
4. Photo Finish
5. Moonshine
6. Strange Justice
7. The Avenger
8. Dandruff
9. Black and Blue
10. The Groupie
11. Cover Girl
12. Starsky's Brother
13. The Golden Angel
14. Ballad for a Blue Lady
15. Birds of a Feather
16. Ninety Pounds of Trouble
17. Huggy Can't Go Home
18. Targets without a Badge-Part 1
19. Targets without a Badge-Part 2
20. Targets without a Badge-Part 3
21. Starsky vs. Hutch
22. Sweet Revenge

The original "Starsky and Hutch" is an excellent TV series and this season is their final together. It's one of my favorite seasons of the entire run. My husband and I have been fans of this show since it originally aired.

Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky) and David Soul (Hutch) are terrific actors who did amazing with the story lines they were given. They're an excellent duo who have an incredible chemistry that's real. On the show the two men were cops, partners, and best friends (on/off screen) with that said some of our favorite episodes overall are when it featured the two of them such as the 3 part "Targets Without A Badge". Other episodes that stand out are "The Avenger" it actually showed us PMG can sing and sing well. He should have done more singing! "Moonshine" has some pretty funny moments especially when they go into a local tavern and sample some of the drink, hence the title. The series finale of "Sweet Revenge" is on disc five and it's a mixture of some pretty intense acting and then a funny ending.

During this season Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul continued directing episodes such as "Huggy Can't Go Home", "Ballad For A Blue Lady" which PMG also wrote, and the series finale "Sweet Revenge".

About the product itself this 22 episode digitally mastered set has great picture quality and packaging of the DVD. A great buy for all S&H fans. I would like to purchase the complete series gift set from seasons 1-4 but as this isn't available to us yet, I had to make the individual purchases of the seasons. This show did a total of 93 episodes in the four years that it was on the air. We now own all of the series and on Season 1 DVD there is a documentary called "Starsky and Hutch: Behind The Badge" which is very informative, featuring the two leads, the cast and the crew.

*We would be happy if a movie featuring "them" would return to a screen near us*, but for now we'll enjoy this series 70's style!
Great series made better by great acting. A 5 star purchase! The price is right for the final season. Of course The Ford Red Torino with white stripes (aka Striped Tomato*g*) is on here. This show is truly one of our favorites!

In one way it's sad that the series ended after four seasons, but since they went out on top and didn't slide into dreariness as so many shows do, maybe it's a good thing after all.

Soul, Glaser, Hamilton, and Fargas continue to deliver the laughs, conflicts, action, heartbreak, mysteries, and other elements that made this show so memorable. The two main actors also do a fine job every time one of them directs an episode of the series.

The fourth season also incorporates part of the season 2 main theme song in the opening credits, which is another plus.

Buy all four seasons and enjoy.

It's about time this less than exceptional 1978-79 Season of STARSKY & HUTCH was released since it had been nearly 3 years since this police drama's 3rd Season was released, despite the fact that this was the end of a popular 70's show that ran on ABC from April 30th, 1975 thru May 15, 1979 about protagonists that were 2 Southern California police officers who investigated everything from homicides to drug-trafficking.

David Starsky(Paul Michael Glaser)was the dark-haired Brooklyn transplant who was a streetwise detective & U.S. Army veteran with intense sometimes even childlike moods & his partner Ken Hutchinson(David Soul)was the blond Deluth, Minnesota native who was a more reserved & intellectually inclined character with a history in the US Marine Corps. & together Starsky & Hutch were known for tearing around the streets of the fictional California city(Bay City), but much of this series was actually filmed in the L.A. beach community of San Pedro & the building used as the "Metro Division" police headquarters is now San Pedro City Hall.

Starsy & Hutchinson's main underworld contact was the street-wise, jive-talking informant Huggy Bear(Antonio Fargas)who often dressed extravagently & ran his own bar named Huggy Bear's & then later "The Pits".

The duo's superior officer was the gruff, no-nonsense but fair Capt. Harold Dobey(Bernard Hamilton), but was portrayed by gravel-voiced actor Richard Ward in the pilot episode along with the fact that STARSKY & HUTCH was one of the first prime-time dramatic shows to cast black characters in a positive light with both Capt. Dobey & Huggy Bear seen to be positive African American role models.

Unfortunately, this show went downhill after a rising concern about violence on TV in 1977 along with Glaser's own concerns about the level of vilence in the series forced the screenplay writers to cut down on the violent action scenes by employing more romantic & socially themed episodes & play the "Buddy Buddy" aspect of the shows leads even more so, but these changes & other factors contributed to the fading popularity of STARSKY & HUTCH.

In addition to that; Glaser indicated several times that he wanted to get out of his contract & leave the series & Glaser even sued to be released from his contract before the 3rd Season was underway on ABC, but was persuaded to continue doing this show in STARSKY & HUTCH's 1977-78 Season, but then Glaser addressed his desires to leave this police drama during the 4th Season, except this time Starsky's wayward brother Nick Starsky(John Herzfeld)was introduced in the "Starsky's Brother" episode & was intended that if Glaser would have quit the show that Dave's brother Nick would have joined the force to replace Glaser as Ken Hutchinson's new partner & would still be able to keep the title of STARSKY & HUTCH, but Glaser reluctantly decided to finish out the 1978-1979 Season of this show even though the series was running out of steam.

Unfortunately, even though there was a 5th Season of STARSKY & HUTCH planned in the works back in early 1979, Glaser's ultimate desire to quit the show & sinking ratings led to this series cancellation in the Spring of 1979 along with the fact that Glaser & Soul seemed to be getting tired.

On the other hand, this DVD box set shows each of these episodes complete & uncut like they were originally shown on ABC as well as commercial-free as opposed to how STARSKY & HUTCH were shown in reruns on TNN and TV Land which deleted too many scenes & added too many commercial disruptions.

All I need to say is that it is wonderful to be able to watch these darn fine final episodes of what had been one of the finest cop-shows we had back in the 1970s. If you mlike Starsky and Hutch at all, then you have to purchase and get lost in this, their final season of fun and mayhem!!!

Finally bought and saw the last season of this GREAT series! It's funny that most series as they wind down go to a campy style but they kept it the way it should be. Sure the episode where they are hair-dressers was a stretch, but it was a FuN episode. I wish it went into a 5th season, I remember it back then and it was still GREAT to watch now!

I have always loved this show and now having it on dvd I don't have to rely on memory anymore. The picture is just as clear as I remember only better and the sound is completely clear. I now have the entire series and will not ever give them up!!!

I'm not a kid, just wanted to quickly leave my 2 cents in the jar. Thank you Sony Pictures for completing this classic well remembered & much loved series.

This Season 4 set was great and the Paul Michael Glaser directed episodes are the best of the pack. My memory of Season 4 originally was that I didn't like the episodes as much as the previous seasons mainly because I didn't like David Soul with a mustache. What a silly kid I was. BTW the ep."Starsky vs. Hutch" was hilarious & these guys catching disco fever, Starsky & Hutch went out swingin' 70s style sugar!

This is my favorite series from the 1970s by a long shot. My kids enjoyed these as well, this series has most definitely held up very well. It's been many years since I've seen the complete series & it's been a very enjoyable journey since 2004 to revisit Starsky & Hutch on DVD starting with the "70's Greatest Cop Shows" disc & the spoof feature film. Certainly many fans like me would love to see a new television movie or direct to DVD film featuring the original cast members one more crime. All that I need to do now is get a die cast Torino & wait, wonder if there is anything left for S&H in the future.

My rating on this item has to do with the DVD set itself, not the show. Starsky and Hutch is one of my ultimate faves and there was no question I was going to get the DVD sets when they came out. Unfortunately, for the time we had to wait I expected much more from this set. I was shocked to discover missing scenes from the season 3 set, and downright disappointed to see they've cut a lot from season four as well. Guess I'll have to keep my video tapes of Starsky and Hutch so I can still view the missing scenes that should have been included on the DVDs. No extras either, what a bummer. If you don't own the (mostly) uncut videos, please settle for the DVD set, as Starsky and Hutch is well worth the viewing no matter how slighted I feel!