Streets of San Francisco: The Complete Series

The Streets of San Francisco ran from 1972-1977, and the word on the street is it’s still solid nearly 50 years later. I grew up watching this television show in the ‘70s, and after revisiting the series now, I personally feel the series still holds up. It comes down to originality, style, storyline, and casting, and TSOSF had it all. Fresh off the heels of the blockbuster Dirty Harry franchise, Dirty Harry in 1971 was a gamechanger in the detective genre and San Francisco remained an intriguing backdrop in both cinema and television during that period of time. The unsolved mystery of the Zodiac Killer left an indelible mark on the beautiful and noirish Golden Gate City, and we all became armchair detectives. The Pilot for Streets of San Francisco, which is included in this complete series, is an excellent script that was based on the book Poor, Poor Ophelia by Carolyn Weston (another recommended read). Great payoff and not predictable even by today’s standards. The Gregory Praxis character was masterfully played by Lawrence Dobkin. I was reminded of what a great actor Karl Malden was in hindsight (what a face). Michael Douglas was solid right out of the starting gate (and Golden Gate). The Four Act Structure (I, II, III, IV, and Epilogue) was a crime script formula that worked, offering twists and cliffhangers during commercial breaks. Top talent as guest stars also included not just top television, but also film stars like Nick Nolte, Robert Wager, Jack Albertson, Mark Hamill, and more. Sometimes the storylines are as much of a Whodunit as they are a Howcatchem (the inverted Columbo model). The opening theme song by Patrick Williams is hip as hell and on par with Mannix (by the great Lalo Schifrin), and the series music has a consistent swagger, swing, and funk. Love it! This set has a lot of crime “bang” for the buck and all the discs played well will no loss of production or transfer quality. The DVD discs are stacked like pancakes, but they were not damaged in the plastic clamshell case. The titles of each episode are printed on the discs. The Streets of San Francisco is still cool in my book and still one of the best crime shows of the ‘70s. Enjoy.

Although I got this DVD set some time ago, I have only watched one episode so far, and the series looks fabulous on a 4K TV. Absolutely fabulous! It's crystal clear, the colors are as vivid as can be, and you get all that wonderful San Francisco scenery you probably didn't really notice when watching the series in the '70s on a smaller TV. I can remember the first time I saw an episode as a teenager, actually it was only the end of an episode. The violence was too realistic for me. I was used to '60s type TV violence, not real looking violence. I swore I'd never watch the series again, but there was something touching about that episode, too, and I ended up watching the one the following week. I watched every episode after that until the end of the series. I loved Karl Malden, didn't like Michael Douglas at all, thought Richard Hatch was a terrible replacement for Douglas, and thought Mike Stone should have had a more tradition daughter than Darlene Carr. All those negative things were okay, though, since both the stories and Karl Malden were so good. My favorite episodes were "The House On Hyde Street", "Trail of the Serpent" and "Mister Nobody". This DVD set was certainly well worth thirty something dollars. I'm sure I have forgotten what happened in lots of the episodes, too, which will make it like watching new shows I have never seen. The series was never syndicated any place I lived. So, it's back to the '70s with Karl Malden and all the scenery and streets of San Francisco.

Yes, it may be a little dated, but what show from almost 50 years ago isn't? Great acting, Karl Malden and Michael Douglas, what more needs to be said. Great guest stars from that era and before. I've only watched three episodes and already have seen Robert Wagner, Janice Rule, Edmond O'Brien and others! Great directing. I noticed right off some of the camera angles, attention to detail in selected shots and use of light and color are reminiscent of some of the better feature films of the time. You just don't see these high production qualities in today's Television series. Great location shots from San Francisco of the time. Story lines are well thought out and there is attention to character development, something else that is lacking in many of today's series. It's shoot 'em up and blow 'em up and less on the whys and wherefores. The third episode season one "First Day of Forever," has Rule's character, a prostitute, quoting Shakespeare and Socrates, classic! As for the packaging, it is compact but the single spindle format is a bit clumsy. I tend to judge content on the content of the show and not the box it comes in, but they could make things easier for consumers. Also, the only information on the program episode is on the back sleeve of the box. I wish other TV series would go the extra mile and include a small booklet with episode information (a la the Batman TV series). Amazon delivered on time and in good condition. I was in my teens when this show first aired, so I remember bits and pieces, but I'm really going to enjoy this series. Go with me to The Streets of San Francisco, a Quinn Martin production!

This is a great show from the past, with three great stars; Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, and the city of San Francisco. The latter is what really drew me in to getting the entire series, the fact that most of the show was filmed on location which added to the realism. I remember enjoying it when it was first on, and in many ways I’ve been enjoying it even more now. It’s not just seeing the sights such as the Golden Gate, Coit Tower, and Candlestick Park, but also so many great actors in guest and cameo roles. You not only had the famous such as Edmund O’Brien and Vera Miles, but also actors like Nick Nolte and James Woods who were not very well known but would later go on to stardom. Sure, it’s dated in many ways, and amusing, also. It’s kind of funny how many criminals Michael Douglas shot during the course of the series. My wife and I are currently into season 4 and we’ve lost count of how many perps Inspector Keller has either killed or wounded (all with good reason, of course), so much for police review boards in the old days, I guess. Overall this is a great series to binge watch, as each episode is neatly tied up by the end of every show, and entertaining throughout. I recommend this highly to whomever just wants to sit back, relax, and enjoy a little less than an hour of some good old fashioned “cops and robbers.”

I bought the full set of "The Streets of San Francisco" primarily for the location shooting. I'm a native. The stories and the acting were very fine for all five seasons. The episodes with Karl Malden and Michael Douglas are famed for the rapport shown. Although the writers were slow to develop Richard Hatch's character in the last season, that season is still very enjoyable. Great show, overall. There were disc production problems. The first two discs of Season 1 Volume 1 were defective. There was breakup in the early part of the climax of the pilot episode on the first disc, and the middle two episodes on the second disc were mostly unwatchable. The rest of the discs were as you would like. I have chosen to order a separate set of Season 1 Volume 1 to get replacements, getting me out of having to check all the discs of a replacement Complete Set. I'll keep returning Season 1 Volume 1 sets until I end up with a good Complete Set. The other production oddity is that the navigation arrows of Season 4 Volume 2 did not show up until after there had been a complete playing of the opening title music. All the other discs had the navigation arrows showing up with the first notes of the music. This is not a problem, just patience required. The extras are a short "making of" and a brief interview, both on the first disc, with the pilot episode. Times do change. Shooting fleeing suspects was frequent and considered unremarkable. The 1970 and 1980 census figures for San Francisco show the Asian population rising from 13% to 22%, the Hispanic population rising from 10% to 12%, and the white and black population proportions going down. The non-straight contingent was rising rapidly. "The Streets of San Francisco" did not capture those dynamics. Still, these were interesting shows, ranging over many issues and circumstances. I love seeing the locations, many not with us any more.

Great series, classic show i watched back in the day. Good quality, recommend for those who remember the show.

Magnificent series. I not only enjoy the episodes for the stories that unfold, but I’m a huge fan of 70s programming. While I’ve never lived in San Francisco, watching Stone and Keller drive up and down the City by the Bay intensifies my nostalgia for that era. During its run, The Streets of San Francisco featured a variety of actors that were quite popular then, but that you may have since forgotten about. Now for some criticism. The negative in this review focuses on the presentation of the episodes and DVDs. While the content of the episodes themselves remain favorable, this 32 disc series comes densely packed in a cheaply constructed case, with DVDs on top of one another and in the way of other DVDs. This means that because the DVDs are layered that you will have to remove disc 1, disc 2, disc 3, and disc 4 in order to access disc 5. Very frustrating and inefficient. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the case itself cracks very easily (my case came already cracked from Amazon). Because of the inaccessibility of the DVDs and the uselessness of the plastic case design, I ended up throwing away the plastic case and purchased a DVD storage case and placed the discs inside in chronological order. Now I can access individual discs without the hassle of having to remove five DVDs that are on top of it. Also, layering DVDs in such an irresponsible manner elevates the chance of scratching them. Conclusion: Great, classic series at your finger tips that you can watch at your disposal. The negative is the manner in which the DVDs are stored in a poorly designed cheap case.

I'm a big fan of 70's and 80's crime procedurals and I've seen a lot of them over the years, but this is one that I had never previously seen. When I saw it available at such a great price, I had to buy it and I am so glad I did. I'm already well in the first season and I absolutely love The Streets of San Francisco. Karl Malden and Michael Douglas are two great actors, and they are such a great tandem as the two detectives, Stone and Heller, respectively. The location scenery of San Francisco and the time during which it was filmed also lend a wonderful atmosphere to the mysteries being investigated in each episode. The picture and sound quality on my 4K TV have been very good, for a show from the 70's. I highly recommend this series and the collection.

ES FABULOSO VOLVER A VER ESTA SENSACIONAL SERIE, Y COMPLETA VIÉNDOLA EN EL TIEMPO QUE SE ME ANTOJE, ESTOY AGRADECIDO, POR ESTOS FABULOSOS DISCOS.

Tolle Krimiserie.Gutes Bild und guter Ton für eine Serie die schon über 40 Jahre alt ist.,da kann man nicht meckern.Alle Folgen nur in englischer Sprache mit englischen Untertiteln.Aber dafür ungekürzt.Bin sehr zufrieden.

un disastro no si riesce a vedere in italia

What a great series!! Well written stories, often addressing relevant issues of the time, and eye-opening to now look back on the writers take on how they should be told. Great use of the city of San Francisco, when it was definitely a top tourist destination. Karl Malden and Mike Douglas are perfectly cast as partners, and play off of each others strengths. Each episode is fast paced, and although there are always four acts and an epilog, you rarely know who done it till the last act. Great gift for those who grew up with the series, or for those who didn't yet are looking for crime drama tv you can watch as a family.