Police Woman - The Complete First Season (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1975, this became the hottest show in the United States and many other countries, and ALSO became the first successful drama series in TV history to feature a woman in the title role.
And although this may sound like faint praise, in an era where Emma Peel had regrettably become a faded memory, if it hadn't been for "Police Woman", there literally would have been no (albeit more-fanciful) "Charlies Angels", "Wonder Woman", "Bionic Woman" or, a few years later, muscular "Cagney & Lacey".
But suffice it to say that Season 1 of "Police Woman" is easily its best year: the show was, for the period, edgy and focused, with Angie Dickinson (then) chewing the scenery with a mesmerizing blend of toughness and effervesence; and her chemistry with co-star and onscreen boss Earl Holliman is very good as well... In this freshman season, "Police Woman" often felt like a taut, foreboding movie, both dark and sun-streaked... No wonder it went to Number One for a few months.
Subsequent seasons weren't quite the same... There was pressure to tone down Miss Dickinson's almost effortless sex-appeal, and in so caving to pressure, the series wound-up squelching her personal power and strength as well, and so the show went off-track a bit: as a result, only about 50% of the episodes of seasons 2 and 3 are really up to par, and season 4 contained just a small handful of good installments.
Perhaps all that's why the show seems to have disappeared from view for quite a while...
Regardless, season 1 is an absolutely great '70s cop show classic-- funny, dramatic, a bit shocking for TV (at the time) in places, with a moody and often-cinematic '70s flavor--- and Angie Dickinson and Earl Holliman NEVER had such a good vehicle.
4/17/06: Unfortunately, no one seems to know it's on DVD, and the mediocre sales reflect that. Plus, it hasn't been available much for a while, so the kids haven't seen it.

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Smart and sexy, tough and brassy. Meet Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson, LAPD's top undercover cop. A member of the Criminal Conspiracy Unit, Pepper works the wild side of the street, where she poses as everything from a gangster's moll to a streetwalker to a prison inmate. Join Golden Globe-winner Angie Dickinson and guest stars Cathy Rigby, Larry Hagman, Pat Morita, Bob Crane and Philip Michael Thomas for 22 episodes and the 2 hour pilot of explosive crime-fighting action and excitement in POLICE WOMAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

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Life On Mars: The Complete First Series (U.K.) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am ecstatic to see this wonderful series from the UK come out on DVD for us Americans to own. Life on Mars is one of the best live action series I have seen in a long time with a combination of great drama, comedy, and superb performances by all involved. John Simm and Philip Glenister who play Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt are especially fantastic, their chemistry as a team is exceptional.
If you happen to have seen the US series please give this version a chance as well. While the premise is the same they are very different in tone. The original UK series is grittier and the 1970's Sam finds himself in is much more politically incorrect adding a bit more conflict and spice to the series. Sam and Gene's relationship is also more of a buddy cop type compared to the father/son type relationship you get from the US version. Even the ending is completely different and in my opinion much more emotionally satisfying than the US one. The UK series is really one of a kind and should not be missed.
Note: This DVD only has the first 8 episodes of the series. The DVD with the final 8 episodes will be coming out sometime in 2010.


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The time-warping detective series seen on BBC America

Dreaming, delusional, or displaced in time? Police detective Sam Tyler (John Simm, State of Play) must decide which describes him in this intriguing twist on the police procedural that has won two International Emmys® and rave reviews from critics and fans.

Hot on a killer's trail in modern-day Manchester, Tyler gets struck by a passing car and wakes up in 1973. The high-tech tools and respect for proper procedure have vanished. Instead, he finds himself working on a homicide squad where hard drinking replaces hard thinking; forensics takes weeks to analyze; and his boss, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, Cranford), has no qualms about roughing up suspects--or Sam himself. Still, Tyler has real-world crimes to solve, even as strange voices call him back to his 21st century life. But when he bonds with sympathetic policewoman Annie Cartwright (Liz White, The Fixer), Sam wonders: does he really want to return?

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio commentaries for every episode with cast and crew
"Take a Look at the Lawman," an hour-long documentary with cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Interview clip with director Bharat Nalluri
"The Music of Life on Mars" featurette with composer Ed Butt
"Get Sykes" featurette with production designer Brian Sykes
Outtakes reel

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