Just so...so bad

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The Streets of San Francisco was created by Edward Hume and produced by Quinn Martin. The series stars Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Richard Hatch and Darleen Carr.Filmed on location in San Francisco this series follows Lt Mike Stone (Karl Malden)the wise and decent older detective who's paired with the young and eager Inspector Steve Keller(Michael Douglas). The pair work well together and over the years become close friends too. The stories are interesting and there's lots of action too but the highlight of the series and the real key to it's success is the friendship between Stone and Keller.Malden and Douglas have great chemistry and you believe they like each other, which helps you believe the friendship between the pair. Stone and Keller are completely dedicated to the job but make time to have some fun to help them cope with the dangers and dark times they often face out on the streets. They regularly tease one another and bicker but always have each others back.The series ran from 1972 to 1977. Douglas left at the end of season 4 and went on to become as bigger star as his father Kirk. Season 5 saw Stone paired with another officer Inspector Dan Robbins(Richard Hatch). Hatch is good in the role and season 5 has some good stories,unfortunately the relationship between Stone and Robbins is nothing like the one between Stone and Keller and it feels like something is missing, the series ended after the fifth season.Many famous actors and future stars make guest appearances in this including Martin Sheen(Karl Malden guest stars in an episode of Sheen's series The West Wing), Edward Mulhare, Joanne Linville, Dean Stockwell, Brock Peters, Andrew Robinson and Leslie Nielsen.Darleen Carr made regular appearances as Stone's daughter Jeannie. The pair have an interesting relationship, Stone raised her on his own following her mothers death and Jeannie always calls him Mike instead of dad(she only calls him that when she's worried about him or something bad has happened).The pair are not just father and daughter but best friends too and Malden and Carr have lovely chemistry.The other star of the series is of course the city of San Francisco itself and there are many beautiful shots of the city and the bay. A great series that's highly recommended.

My family used to love detective shows when I was a kid and we watched them all the time. Recently, I decided to try watching a few of these series and found I really liked many of them still. Sadly, "The Streets of San Francisco" wasn't one of them. After watching the first two discs of Season One from Netflix, I found that the writing was a serious problem. Too many plot holes and way too many weird plot elements made this show hard to stick with for long. For instance? In the pilot, the killer turns out to be an old-time actor who dresses like Anton LaVey and has built a dungeon where he can torment his victims!! In the second episode, you have a Jack the Ripper-like guy hacking up prostitutes! In the next episode, you have a crazed kidnapper and ultra-violent guy talked out of crime after conversing with the Detective! In the one after that, a guy who recreates women to look like a woman he murdered--so he can then murder them!! All of these crimes are insanely bizarre--too bizarre to be believed. And, the plot holes...the many plot holes didn't make things any better.Perhaps the show did get better after the first six episodes. I just know that there are better things I can do with my time than watch a series that seems so incredibly poorly written and ridiculous.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsThis is a worthwhile enough TV series that never really became a major hit but,ironically enough,most probably played a part in setting Michael Douglas on the road to superstardom.Karl Malden is a fairly effective leading man,he overacts a little a few times but he provides a solid basis for the rest of the cast to work from.Douglas himself comes across as very eager to please,apparently determined to prove he could make it on his own as a credible actor and not just go into the big time on the basis of being his father's son.As an on screen pair,Malden and Douglas seem to lack much witty banter and effective rapport,preferring instead to heavy handedly solve cases,which probably explains why the show was never as big a hit as,say,Starsky and Hutch or Charlie's Angels.But great competence has obviously been put into making it,and it does,in turn,come off as very professionally made.One would wonder whether the San Francisco setting could be attributable to the success of the film Dirty Harry at around the time of it's release as well.***

Republic Pictures' five released VHS videos which represent eight different episodes are, I hope, the first of a complete series release. In recent years, "Streets" has been relegated to the pre-dawn graveyard of Indie and cable television stations, edited down to allow for more ghastly, no-budget local ads (trade schools, lawyers, and the like). Nowadays, low self-esteem broadcasters plaster their logos and moving promo messages along the bottom of the as if the program is an interruption of their commercials. So, what a treat to see these classic episodes without all of these distractions. Although popular enough to run for five seasons, it never received the credit it deserved -- none of the hype of a "Charlie's Angels," for example. It's too bad that Michael Douglas didn't stick with the show. His performances in "Streets" and "The China Syndrome" are among his best. I'm crossing my fingers that he'll consider returning to a follow-up "Streets" later in his career, taking the senior detective's role that Malden held in the original. "Streets" always had tight scripts, good plotting, and interesting characters -- even if they pandered to stereotypes a little. Way ahead of its time, gay themes are treated with surprising tact and good taste. In the episode "Harem," guest star Rick Nelson plays a gay pimp for female prostitutes (a novel idea in and of itself). The word "gay" is never used, but Steve (Douglas) simply tells Mike (Malden) that, "he's not exactly what you'd call a ladies man."The two-hour special "Thrill Killers," is perhaps the most interesting release. Patty Duke Astin plays a not-too-thinly disguised Patty Hearst (a headline story at that time) who takes a whole jury hostage and begins killing them one by one. It's a relief not to have to wait a week to see part two. The least interesting of these releases is "Dead Air," starring Larry Hagman as a radio talk show host (reminiscent of Bill Balance's Feminine Forum, an innovative show at the time). The studio scenes are completely unrealistic and the killer can be guessed before the end of Act 1. Unfortunately, none of these eight releases includes an episode from "Streets" most famous director, Richard Donner ("The Omen" and "Lethal Weapon" series.) Maybe they'll release some of his episodes on DVD with a director's commentary? Also missing is what I consider to be the best episode of the series, "Mask of Death," which has an amazing performance by John Davidson as a female impersonator.