Kojak: Season 1 [DVD]

Lt. Theo Kojak - probably one of the coolest telly detectives of them all. Played with infinite charm by Telly Savalas, Kojak is a tough New York policeman who is about as straight as you can get, doing his best to keep the innocent citizenry safe. A character with wit and intelligence, a heart, and a no-nonsense approach which allows the rules to be bent if it means bringing a villain to justice. Savalas is perfect in the role, his imposing physical presence filling the screen and his magnetic charm keeping you glued to the set. With his nattily dressed style, deep reassuring voice and well chosen naturalistic sounding `street' dialogue, Kojak is an impressive and believable construct, almost a living being rather than a work of fiction.The joy of the series for me is that while it has a strong central character in the form of Kojak, it also has a very strong supporting cast, especially Dan Frazer as Kojak's Captain, and Kevin Dobson as Crocker, Kojak's number two. Kojak might have the brain that fits the pieces together, but the detective work shown here relies on a team, all doing the boring stuff of checking files and making endless phonecalls in order to find the clues Kojak needs. It's as much about the team as it is about the main character. That the script writers managed to make mundane policework look so interesting is a testament to their abilities. There is also quite a bit of comic interplay between Kojak and Stavros, played by Savalas' real life brother George (here credited as Demosthenes), which never feels too jokey or out of place - it comes across as tough men doing a tough job letting off a bit of steam, another credit to writers and performers.This set contains all 22 episodes from series 1, on 6 discs. Beautifully remastered and with great sound, these look and sound fantastic. As far as I can tell the episodes are uncut. It is a real pity that the same care and attention was not taken with the release of later series. There are no extras, and the pilot episode, the Marcus Nelson murders is not included. I suspect this will be in a later release of the Kojak films, expected in March 2012.An excellent set, a real gem in my DVD collection. 5 stars, no hesitation.

I've watched about half of this now, and it brings back feelings and memories of watching the original series when I was a kid in the 70s. But, even for those not of a certain age, this is good stuff. I can appreciate much more now how good Telly Savalas is in his role of the honest cop with a conscience, and his solid acting and portrayal of the strong central character carries the show. You also really get immersed in the feel of seedy 70s New York. There are 22 episodes on here, so well worth the price. If you havent seen it yet, or if you saw the original like me, give it a go. Who loves ya baby !

Better than how I remember it. Gritty exciting episodes. Realistic. Great to see stars in early roles like Harvey Keitel. The dialogue is raw and memorable. Absolutely brilliant. Remember watching this with my late father. Wish I could watch again with him

The DVD would not even play. If buying from the UK, do not purchase this as you will be disappointed.

When a film has Kojak driving his Buick Century ..the police arriving on the scene in a Plymouth Fury then never mind about the plot or story its like a history lesson or winding the clock back for me....I owned a Plymouth Fury of exactly the year and model that was in the last "Kojak" I looked at. Phil Eyre

THE DVD ARRIVED VERY PROMPTLY AND WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE 70s SERIES WAS FAIRLY POOR! IT WASNT WHAT I EXPECTED. KOJAK HAD NO CATCHPHRASES OR HABITS YET! ACTING WAS SO POOR, WE WERE LAUGHING!BY SELLER WAS NO.1 , SERIES WAS PANTS THO'

I remember this show from the first time round in the 70s when it was transmitted at 9pm on a Saturday night on BBC1. I loved it then and I love it now. The stories still work and there is enough location filming in New York to make up for the scenes clearly shot on the backlot in Hollywood. For Savalas, this was a career defining role and an opportunity to step up from the ranks of supporting actors to leading men. He took it and made the part his own.

It may be old, but its certainly not dated, the storys are gritty and realistic, and still have the power to grab you, mainly due to the quality of the writing, and the excellent, low key performances of the actors, which prevent it looking like 70's kitch.An award winner in its day, and it's easy to see why.One question.....when's season 2 coming out?

Magnífica serie policíaca de los años 70's en que su protagonista Telly Savalas presenta una inigualable caracterización del personaje, carismático, honesto, cínico al estilo de Philip Marlowe. La serie es una fototgrafia de la vida en las calles en la Nueva York de aquellos años. La calidad de la imagen en color es insuperable, con una brillantez y nitidez excelente. Además, la opción de audio en varios idiomas, incluído el español es un valor agregado para esta colección de DVDs. Debo resaltar que el estuche de presentación también es inmejorable. Cada disco esta colocado firmemente en bandejas de plástico las cuales estan colocadas y presentadas como las hojas de un libro. Felicito a los creadores de esta edición, pues se conjuga la calidad y excelencia de imagen con una presentación bonita, funcional y de buena calidad. Estoy satisfecho con esta compra y la recomiendo a todo coleccionista de series policíacas.

Muy cuidada la presentación. Ocupa poco espacio. Excelente calidad de imagen y sonido, y en los idiomas indicados. Muy satisfactorio el haber recuperado esta serie. Lástima que no publiquen el resto de temporadas en español.

Excelente serie policiaca de los años 70's, en especial me gusta que esta doblada al español. En la serie Kojak es un gran detective.