Starring:
Telly Savalas as Lieutenant Theo Kojak
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 18 Hours 38 Minutes
Synopsis:
This is the first season of Kojack which originally aired in 1973. The following is from the DVD cover:
“Emmy and Golden Globe winner Telly Savalas is back as Lieutenant Theo Kojak, television’s greatest detective, in the unforgettable homicide series Kojak. He’s got style, street smarts and a penchant for lollipops, and he’s hitting the gritty streets of New York City in pursuit of some of television’s toughest criminals. Relive all his smart, edgy adventures in the mystery series that People Magazine raves is “a TV classic: slick, well-plotted and entertaining.” And now, it’s an open-and-shut case with all 22 Season One episodes available on DVD for the first time ever!”
Kojak Season One is not rated.
The Series:
Despite not being able to remember ever watching an episode of Kojak, the character was inescapable and one I’m pretty familiar with. From the catch phrases (“Who loves ya, baby?”) to the lollypop to the bald head, Kojak was certainly a TV icon. But having revisited the first season on this DVD set, I appreciate it for being a groundbreaking cop drama, too. The episodes were well written and seemed to never cover the same ground twice. One episode features a hostage standoff. Another features a dirty cop. Another features a CSI kind of storyline. By constantly changing the situations that Kojak faced they never got stuck in a rut.. The show also blazed new territory for future cop dramas.
Telly Savalas was certainly memorable as Lieutenant Theo Kojak. He had style (at least for the 70’s), a tough guy image, and an intimidating presence. He certainly made the show and I don’t think it would have been as successful without him. On all these old TV series there are always guest appearances by people who later became big stars. Kojak is no exception. This set features Harvey Keitel, Hector Elizondo, Dabney Coleman, John Hillerman (Magnum P.I.), Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky & Hutch), James Woods, Ann Jillian, Tina Louise, Isabel Sanford, and John Ritter. If you like any of these actors or actresses, you’ll want to see them from early in their careers.
Who should check out Kojak, Season One? Anyone that loves vintage television or crime dramas. And fans of Kojak will certainly want to add this to their collections though there’s a lack of bonus features.
The Extras:
There are no bonus features on this DVD.
The Bottom Line:
Kojak was a landmark TV show with an iconic character and a varied series of stories. It’s well worth checking out if you like vintage TV or cop dramas.
