Overview: Twenty year veteran Detective Lt. Mike Stone is partnered with young, college educated Inspector Steve Keller who has a lot to learn about being a police detective on the Streets of San Francisco.

DVD Verdict: Wow, never expected to see this incredible series packaged in this manner! Ergo, Season 4 of the late night cop show known as 'The Streets of San Francisco' has just been released as a 2-Pack DVD Box-Set, factory-sealed together in Volume One and Volume Two stayle. You can also purchase each Volume separately, but that doesn't make much sense given this sealed-together twofer!

Anyway, moving onto the show itself, it was a '70s TV police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions. It starred "big-nosed" veteran cop and widower, detective Lt Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and a "wet-behind-the-ears" plainclothes detective and energetic partner, Assistant Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) as two detectives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The show ran for five seasons, between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, on ABC, amassing a total of 120 60-minute episodes. For those that don't know, the series actually started with a pilot movie of the same title (based on the detective novel 'Poor, Poor Ophelia' by Carolyn Weston) earlier in 1972!

But I digress ... in these 23 episodes all manner of madness is thrown at our two loveable cops to solve. In 'POISONED SNOW,' the season opener, Stone and Keller investigate the death of a cop who dies during a drug sting; whilst at the same time trying to prevent the cop's partner from doing more damage. In one of the better episodes, 'THE GLASS DART BOARD,' a psychopath killer uses San Francisco high-rises as a target practice. In 'TRAIL OF TERROR,' Keller is pursued by killers as he transports a prisoner to jail and in 'POLICE BUFF,' an average joe citizen who listens to police scanners becomes a vigilante.

In truth the mystery element, even the suspense element of these episodes is for the most part low. I mean, stories about Stone being hit by a van ('DEADLY SILENCE') and after surgery has wait for his hearing to come back properly, about two rival gangs who start a turf war ('MERCHANTS OF DEATH') with a youth worker caught in the middle, and even one of when a passer-by helps a badly injured policeman, but gives a false identity ('HONORABLE PROFESSION') are hardly gripping storylines to begin with!

But, the show got by on its two main characters, how they bonded, how they argued, how they always got their man and worked things out for the best. And the show being shot on location meant that the actors made a great effort to insinuate themselves as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of the city. Unlike shows today that are filmed 3000 miles away from where they say they are, this show was right in the thick of things - and it showed.

And man, there were some great, high profile guest stars this season! Names such as Mark Hamill, Stephanie Powers, Meredith Baxter, Tom Selleck, Fritz Weaver, Bill Bixby, Christopher Stone, Shelly Novak, Robert Reed, Paul Sorvino, Don Gordon, Bruce Glover, Dick Van Patton, Francine York, and so many more graced the 'Streets ...' set for our enjoyment!

FYI - Did you also know that Michael Douglas's own mother, Diana Douglas, guest-starred in a season two episode, 'CHAPEL OF THE DAMNED'? I know, right! These are all Full Screen Presentations (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.