Kojak - Season 1
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Kojak DVDs
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On the timeline of successful TV cop dramas, Kojak offered bold
authenticity and paved the way for NYPD Blue. As immortalized by
Telly Savalas, veteran detective Theo Kojak was introduced in the
1973 TV movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders (not included in this 3-disc
set), a ratings hit that encouraged CBS and writer-producer Abby
Mann to create a trend-setting series (based on a book by Selwyn
Raab) that premiered on October 24 of that year. The Greek,
bald-headed, snappily attired Kojak brought no-nonsense bravado to
homicide cases in South Manhattan--a setting that lent a gritty,
urban edge to intelligent plots that won the respect of real cops
with an emphasis on diligent police work instead of overblown action
and phony glamour. While working cases with his captain Frank McNeil
(Dan Frazer) and closest colleagues Crocker (Kevin Dobson) and
Stavros (played by Savalas's brother George, credited as
"Demosthenes" for the first two seasons), Kojak had a knack for
bending the rules (but never breaking them) if he knew it would
solve a crime. Kojak came at a perfect time for Savalas and cop
dramas in general. The actor's career was slumping in the early '70s
(he'd just appeared in the Italian horror film Lisa and the Devil),
and he quickly put his personal stamp on the role with street-wise
sarcasm and trademark lollipops (a perfect prop that Savalas adopted
to quit smoking). Consistently well-written, the series was
realistically rooted in a broad spectrum of New York City crime.
These qualities attracted plenty of fresh and established talent,
and these 22 well-preserved episodes include guest appearances by
Harvey Keitel, James Woods, Richard Jordan, Hector Elizondo, John
Ritter (in one of his first TV roles), Paul Michael Glaser, Dabney
Coleman, Tina Louise, and a host of familiar TV veterans. For this
debut season, Savalas won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor
in a Drama Series, and Kojak ran for five well-rated seasons,
followed by several TV-movie revivals in 1985, 1989, and 1990. The
enduring popularity of Kojak was further proven when the show was
revived yet again in March of 2005, with Ving Rhames in the title
role. --Jeff Shannon
