User reviews

It was not only that Karl Malden and Michael Douglas had good chemistry for four out of five seasons, they did. But it was a friendly generational rivalry in looks and style.

Back in the 40s and 50s on the big screen and small detectives all looked like Karl Malden with the button down shirts and the obligatory fedora. But in 1972 when The Streets Of San Francisco made its debut Malden was dinosaur from another era. So without one big of dialog set you had a generation gap the second Michael Douglas in a hip outfit for the Seventies or as hip as a police force allows you to be.

But there was no conflict, an occasional disagreement as the older cop taught the younger one. But it wasn't that Malden was always right. Occasionally Douglas taught Malden a thing or two about reaching the younger generation when it was necessary to solve a case.

Douglas left the show in 1976 and Richard Hatch became Malden's new partner. But they never quite got it together as a team the way Malden did with Douglas.

I liked the show, I liked the stories. But most of all Malden and Douglas were a joy to watch.

The Streets of San Francisco, as with most Quinn Martin series, is a standard crime drama. What makes the show better than most crime dramas is the father/son chemistry between Karl Malden as veteran Detective Lt. Mike Stone and Michael Douglas as the younger partner Inspector Steve Keller, the 70's, R&B-style theme music by Patrick Williams and the cool, pre-MTV opening credits.

What really made this show better than most is the fact that Quinn Martin did spend the extra money and filmed the show entirely in San Francisco. In the 70s, most prime time TV shows were filmed in Los Angeles. I believe Hawaii Five-O was one of only a few prime-time dramas from the early 70s that was filmed on location.

When Douglas left the series and Richard Hatch (from the original Battlestar Galactica, not the Richard Hatch from the first Survivor) replaced him, I quickly lost interest in the show. The chemistry between Malden and Douglas was very important to the show and Hatch had the thankless task of creating a character that in the long run was bland.

Despite the show's final season, I'm certain that if I had the TV on and heard the drum beats of The Streets of San Francisco theme, I am very sure that I will probably spend the rest of the hour watching the show.

I like those crime shows of gone times, as crime shows and movies where about crime and not about personal drama of the detectives or suspects. The show now lives mainly from the great chemistry between Karl Malden and Michael Douglas and the fine 70s flair in Frisco. The stories may look from today's perspective to some rather simple and standard but remember this show was aired first in the 70s, so this is not the copy but the original. Still good + refined by nostalgia.

This was definitely a good show and it really fed off the dynamic of the older cop (Malden) and the younger cop (Douglas). The chemistry between the two was what made the show great and it would eventually be the springboard to the later success that Michael Douglas would have in later years. Also, this show is definitely overlooked when it comes to classic police dramas. Too bad it had to come out in an era when the super cop shows dominated the television landscape.

Please make a DVD package available for Streets of San Francisco!! This series was one that our family dropped everything to sit and watch together. Drama, suspense, great characters and plot lines and clean language all wrapped up in a 1-hour weekly show. How could you miss having a faithful audience? In 1973 my infant daughter became a (family) star on the episode titled "Most Feared in the Jungle." How many moms can say that they met Karl Malden and Michael Douglas, who commented on how cute the baby is?? I would LOVE to have a copy of it, along with the rest of the series.

To whatever powers that be, I sincerely request that Streets be put on DVD. Thanks for listening!

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.

The San Francisco locations, the action, the music, the photography, the same early 70s setting, even tough Karl Malden, all looks to me like it could be like watching the Dirty Harry movies in a weekly manner. That's what makes it so entertaining.

Just the opposite of Dirty Harry. Where Eastwood spent his time ranting against and beating up, shooting, or threatening hippies, women, and Blacks, these were San Francisco detectives in a show with a social conscience even while they tried to catch criminals.

Gays are depicted positively. Blacks shown sympathetically, even if guilty of crimes. Outcasts of all kinds are shown as victims of circumstances.

Probably the height of its progressive sensitivity was an episode with one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's first roles. He plays a bodybuilder who accidentally kills a woman who mocked his muscle flexing. Surprisingly, his acting was better than in most of his films.

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.

I wish Netflix, or Prime would bring this series back to life. Someone somewhere bring this to their attention!! Thanks

This show has one of the greatest opening credits and theme music. The chemistry between Karl Malden and Michael Douglas resonates immediately. Watching the pilot episode, the characters come across as if everything is already established. There is no sense of the show "starting out," which tends to be the case in most other shows. The stories are gritty and realistically presented, in great 1970s style. It is great to be able to revisit this show on DVD.

I recently rewatched The Streets of San Francisco and was amazed at how good it was. There certainly is great chemistry between Malden and Douglas. Also the juxtaposition of seasoned veteran vs. Rookie works really well. The story writing generally has a very high standard and they tackle some really progressive issues. I find two things amazing becuase they add to the athenticity of the show: as opposed to many other shows TSOSF was actually mostly shot on location and they used direct sound, meaning it was not dubbed later. That reaklly lends a qualuity and authenticity to the show that very few had and have.

In the pilot, inspector Keller's hair was too foo-foo to be believed! 🤣They toned it down after that.

The only genuine thing about this series, is that it takes place not in L.A but in Frisco. That's all. The stories here are son predictable, so run on the mill schemes, with foreseeable and cheesy endings, for the whole family. I watch it again ONLY to see supporting characters who will be famous later. It is sooo boring. That's my own opinion. But as far as I love seventies atmospheres and settings, that's why I proceed in that comfortable torture.

The 119 hour-long episodes of this police drama were originally broadcast on ABC from 1972 to 1977. This DVD contains 12 episodes (570 minutes) of the 23 episodes from the second season. All the second season episode titles and their original air-dates are detailed below.

Quinn Martin ("The Fugitive" and "The F.B.I.") stayed with his favorite genre and enhanced it by using the city made famous for its crime by "Bullet" and "Dirty Harry". The production is classy but the stories are not particularly interesting or original.

The show's real claim to fame is as the best ever pairing of a veteran cop with a young hunk rookie. While this is an overused concept it works particularly well in this series because the actors (Karl Malden as Mike Stone and Michael Douglas as Steve Keller) shared much the same career dynamic as their on-screen characters. Veteran actor Malden ("On the Waterfront" etc.) plays a blue-collar 23-year veteran of the force and acting novice Douglas a college-educated newcomer interested in new methods of crime solving.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I remember the Streets of San Francisco all those years ago, and really the star of the series was San Francisco for sure. Michael Douglas was still finding his feet, and Karl Malden had yet to exhort viewers to "Don't leave home without it".

One rumour was that a teenage Sharon Stone was an uncredited guest star in an episode, where she shared a scene with Michael Douglas. They would star together in Basic Instinct many years later, which was filmed in San Francisco ironically.

The final season was much more intricate, intelligent and entertaining than the first four seasons. Plus Richard Hatch made a much better subdued partner for Stone, unlike that ham Michael Douglas who I never believed as a cop. Just watch how he falls when shot. Who does he think he is, Kirk Douglas, the biggest ham of all ?????

The headline says all I think about "The Streets of San Francisco". Great scene, great screenplays, great actors, great atmosphere. Michael Douglas shouldn't have left 1976... I would have loved to see two or three more seasons with the Stone/Keller team. SIMPLY THE BEST in any way! There have been only few "great" TV crime shows during the past 30 years; I would place Streets of San Francisco on top, followed by (in no particular order) Cannon, Petrocelli, Vega$, Magnum, Miami Vice, Jack and The Fatman, and Nash Bridges. These make watching TV a real pleasure.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

This 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.***