The Streets of San Francisco offers textbook television detective fare that is both rewarding and sometimes redundant. This long-running detective drama, about two detectives on the beat in the city by the bay doing everything in their plaid-panted power to put bad guys behind bars, is effortlessly engaging television. But while it’s obvious the show has had a penetrating influence on modern hour-long boob tube programming, it’s an easier show to appreciate than it is to actually like.

I recently finished my review of The Untouchables: Season One, Volume Two, and in addition to complaining about television seasons being split into two volumes (I really hate that), I mentioned that its second installment made good on the uneven promises its first round made. The second half of The Untouchables was way better than the first, showcasing a series truly hitting its narrative stride. But The Streets of San Francisco is a different kind of show than The Untouchables, one is an action-packed crime thriller while the other is far more of a mystery series. And this first season’s second half simply continues doing the same old thing as its older brother.

For those who were able to avoid the show, here’s a quick synopsis. The Streets of San Francisco follows Lieutenant Mike Stone (Karl Malden), a hardened, by-the- book fellow who after twenty years of police work was assigned to the homicide detail of the SFPD with an upshot young detective named Steve Keller (Michael Douglas). They solve crimes, they spar with one another, and they make good TV. Because, seriously, with talents like Malden and Douglas, it’s effortless to get sucked into the world of The Streets of San Francisco.

However, as engaging as these episodes might be – Lord knows that if you start one, you’re definitely going to have to finish it – The Streets of San Francisco exhausts its shtick very quickly. I truly enjoy the camaraderie (but more importantly, the friction) between Malden and Douglas; they make for an exceptional Mutt-and-Jeff detective team. But as savvy as the plot points can be, I found everything to be exceptionally repetitive. Yeah, the show took on some pretty sticky topics for its time – illegal immigration, heroin addiction, etc. – but even with the PG-13 subject matter, the show defaults to a standard storytelling style.

Yet, perhaps this is an unfair judgment. Maybe because so many crime series since this one have copied the show’s rubric of the whodunit style, my disdain for the series’ presentation lies more in the fact that subsequent TV shows (L.A. Law, The Practice, etc.) have beaten that dead horse far too often than to find this revisit to the source intriguing. For example, my good buddy Troy says quite earnestly that it’s tough for him to watch TV sitcoms with laugh tracks. With the advent of The Office and 30 Rock – shows whose styles exist far outside the realm of canned audience participation – even Friends and his beloved Seinfeld seem more like antiquated placeholders of TV past than currently important shows.

So maybe the reason I had trouble getting through all the episodes on this Season One, Volume 2 set of Streets of San Francisco is that I’ve seen murder mysteries done with more provocative narrative, and the return to standard, by-the-book episodes like these feel distinctly second-rate. I don’t know.

This writer loves television, and even the humdrum sensibilities of a dinosaur like The Streets of San Francisco won’t prevent me from plowing through four DVDs’ worth of episodes. I can’t help myself; I love a good mystery. But with the exception of a surprisingly dirty episode involving an assassin and an overly- trusting teacher (A Room With a View), I found most of these episodes to be only momentarily engaging and ultimately immediately forgettable.

So I’ll leave you with this. Is it a well-made show? In some ways, yes. Is it worth owning on DVD so one can go back and revisit the intricately nuanced drama and intrigue at the show’s center? Probably not.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

These full frame transfers are identical in quality (and imperfection) to their Volume One older brothers. Presented in the show’s original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, The Streets of San Francisco definitely shows its age. Color accuracy is only so-so and there’s quite a bit of grain, but black levels are relatively consistent and, for a 35-year- old TV show, the transfer prints are clean and free of dirt and grime. They’re not reference-quality, but fans of the series will be satisfied.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Ditto with the mono sound tracks on these episodes. They’re subdued and rather bland. But that’s how the show was originally recorded so no fault lies with this DVD set. Dialogue sounds fine, although music cues sound tinny and compressed and sound effects are boomy and brittle. Anyone familiar with the show should come to this set with appropriate expectations.

Included are Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

None.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.