The Second Season of Starsky and Hutch is often considered its best by long time fans of the show. Even Paul Michael Glaser expressed his feelings that the show peaked in the second year. By now the characters were well honed and the stories less 70’s cliché and tighter. The show often used the 2 parter now to tell more elaborate tales. The bad guys were meaner. The guys spend time undercover a bit this year, which added a tremendous amount of variety to what was really a formula show in the first year. That all impo…tant character chemistry was rock solid. Season Two of Starsky and Hutch is a great example of the better 70’s cop show.
Audio
A simple Dolby Digital mono track is all you get here. The dialogue is quite present and easy to understand. There are times the music distorts, mostly in the higher ends. The episodes are not consistent. There are a few instances where even the dialogue is almost too muddy to make out. This is an old show; don’t expect modern standards and you won’t be disappointed.
Video
Each episode of Starsky and Hutch is presented in its original 1.33:1 full frame format. When you consider the source material, these episodes have been transferred with a great amount of care. The only real flaw is the digital compression artifacts, because they saw fit to squeeze the season onto 5 discs instead of 6. Colors accurately represent the subdued palate of 1970’s film stock. You won’t find quite as many specks and blemishes as Season One, but they are present. In one episode I managed to stop on a frame where the clear outline of a cockroach dominates the frame. Obviously these prints were not stored with the greatest care.
Special Features
There are considerably less features this time around compared to the first season release. You’ll get the TV spots for each episode, which works out to be about a 15-minute stretch of promos. These promos also feature some narration by Glaser. That’s it, folks. Menus are pretty much the static but easy to use variety.
Final Thoughts
Season One was released to coincide with the new film’s theatrical run. We get Season Two the same day as the DVD of the new film. I wonder if we’ll get Season Three at all. It’s obvious that Columbia isn’t spending a lot of cash on these releases. With no new product to push, this might be the end of the road for that lovable 70’s duo. If that’s the case than all I can say to Columbia Tristar is: “What dirt bags”.
Special Features List
- Original TV promo spots narrated by Paul Michael Glaser
