Reviews

Typical Spelling schtick, helped by a solid lead actor. Lee Horsely was in his twenties during the series production, played older, and was usually a bit above the predictable plot lines. Better in later episodes.

Show started really cartoony. Ridiculously handsome zillionaire Texas oil family heir living in Southern California sidelines as a private eye, eventually taking the p.i. Gig full time.

The usual Aaron Spelling drivel is all there, copious wealth, a really silly hero car, HUGE hair, screechy Dominic Frontiere music, canned sound effects, new Fords everywhere, women as victims, and laughably obvious plots.

I think this may be the best of Spellings mountain of dreck, carried mostly by the likable Horsely. Not 'good, but more bearable than Aarons usual tripe.

I'll watch just about anything that Robert Reed appears in. I've always heard that he loathed the Mike Brady role and tried to balance that dreck with meatier roles like his supporting role in MANNIX and a tasting sinister turn as a hit man in HARRY O.

Something must've distracted him along the way because he signed on to this mess, the Brady mob singing and dancing and pretending to be entertainers of some sort. It's just painful. Badly written and endlessly strained, it lasted nine episodes before being put to sleep forever.

Please spare yourself of this mess. Guest stars like Vincent Price (???) in torturous sitcom skits t(avoiding the use of well-known Brady sets) didn't help, nor did the contrived musical numbers. And what's with the canned laughter and extended applause?

Seventies TV was rarely 'great' and there has to be a bottom rung somewhere. Trust me... this is it.

San Francisco was still like THIS! Karl Malden dispensing wisdom, Michael Douglas dispensing testosterone, new Fords as far as the eye can see, and only a hint of the depravity that the city exudes. Good stories, well directed, thoughtful in short doses. Worth your time until Douglas exits, then it fades to black.

... because a friend at the time and I provided the truck that 'stars' in this fun episode. It was a customized diesel-powered Toyota pickup that had recently been imported from Sweden by its' immigrant owner. The slotted hood scoop that becomes a story element was in placve to give space to the turbocharger intercooler, and the chrome appliques omn the body were popular cosmetic items. I accomplished the exterior graphics on the car using 14 different colors.

I'll leave the detailed reviews to the other qualified reviewers here.IMPO the weakest link of the story is the 90s technology presented. Time flies, even if it is fun. Just suffice to say that it's never a good idea to let the Lt. know that you're making fun of him behind his back. If he squints more than a coupla seconds, your ass is grass.

No surprise, this is one of my favorite Columbo outings.,

Edge-of-your-seat suspense, great character development, and involving story lines define Prison Break. You find yourself cheering for the characters regardless the desperate acts they create for themselves. Its violent, occasionally on thin justification, but you look past that to the battle for Lincoln Burroughs' freedom. Excellent actors? Oh yeah. Sarah Wayne Callies is the best 'peril' actor in the business, and I'd watch Stacy Keach read the phone book. Just plain ol' epic television...

I have a background in TV production and technical aspects, and I do love a good cop show. I think several factors helped HI become one of the best ever.

First in my mind was the involvement of Steven Spielberg. Look at the man's early work and his great use of pacing for the stories, but often with a well-positioned 'BOO!!!' at some point in the show. HI often had more action before the opening credits than other shows had in their first half hour with many instances coming from the 'total shock' department.

Next, the Technical work was magnificent! From the precision driving to the firearms aspects to the lighting of suspenseful scenes, this series rocked! The series made use of special cutaway Crown Vic Police cars that enabled seamless camera transitions from in-car to exterior camera work, perhaps another Spielberg method...

Casting was magnificent! Louis Mustillo as Russell Topps was and remains one of my favorite characters ever! R Lee Ermey as the female officer's retired Marine father in ep 2 was a masterstroke! The sense of history, the San Fernando Valley quirkiness, the frequent onset of genuinely funny and sweet comments from even minor characters was just about perfect. ('Richard, you were the best of them all!') Officer Topps in particular was put in many situations that showed the humanity of the character.

With the second season Lindsay Frost was added to the cast, and I'd watch Ms. Frost read the phone book!

Much was made of the final episode, 'Shootout' written by Ann Donahue after the infamous North Hollywood bank robbery shootout. Better fare has never been shown on TV! It had everything, and was a fitting sendoff to a great series that ended many seasons too early.

H.I. should rank with 'Boomtown' and 'NYPD Blue' as the best ever. Ms. Donahue's reward for her work on HI was her EP gig for the various CSI series, and many of the cast went on to greatness. Wonderful work!