The Good
Mixing interesting characters, social issues and the So Cal Police Department make this one show one to certainly check out.
The Bad
No extra features.
Telling the stories of Officer Webster (Georg Stanford Brown), Officer Danko (Sam Melville), Police Lt. Ryker (Gerald S. O’Loughlin), Officer Gillis (Michael Ontkean) and Jill Danko (Kate Jackson), The Rookies: The Complete First Season explores the on and off duty lives of the Southern California Police Department. We open with “Concrete Valley, Neon Sky” and we see Officer Gillis try and offer some outreach to local gangs. When it becomes apparent that he might need some help, Officer Webster comes in to lend a more disciplined hand. “A Bloody Shade of Blue” showcases what happens when an officer is injured in the line of duty. Terry gets shot but then has an enlightening experience with a nurse who helps him get better. “Point of Interest” sees Terry have to get involved when his friend, a martial arts expert, gets in trouble for assaulting a police officer. Lastly, “Easy Money” sees Terry’s relationship with a woman tested when he realizes that her brother is working with local gangs.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
In yet another example of of the brilliance of Aaron Spelling, The Rookies is a tightly put together show that easily draws us into the lives of all the characters involved.
Features
No Extras came with this release.
Video
Aspect Ratio - 1.33:1. I have to admit that Sony really impressed me in regards to how well they compressed these shows. They looked really sharp and at the same time the colors and tones weren’t that harsh. This is no small feat considering how many of the people on this show wear the dark police uniforms. It would be easy to see all the characters being compressed into one figure considering how sludgy these old shows from the 1970s can look. There was just such a sharpness to all the images, I was literally blown away by how good this show looked.
Audio
Dolby Digital. Language: English. Close Captioned. The sound on this show was good, I sadly found that the acting seemed a little too self conscious at times. How this plays into the sound is that it effected the cadence and the way the actors were talking. I loved the soundtrack, which couldn’t have come from any era except the 1970s. In addition to this, there was a crispness to the audio that I often hear from the older shows, but many of todays newer shows seem to go out of their way not to employ it.
Package
The front cover of this slipcase features the main stars from this cast with Kate Jackson (a supporting character) featured prominently front and center (I guess that’s the Charlie’s Angels effect?). The back showcases a bunch of pictures from this show (even giving us a shot of the squad car panel for some reason), it serves up a description of what The Rookies is about, and it also offers up technical specs. All 23 episodes are stored on 5 discs that are stored in 3 slim cases. There is a bunch of artwork laid out all over them, and the backs feature episode listings and descriptions. There’s nothing too special about the way this is set up, but I like how economical Sony has made things here.
Final Word
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from The Rookies: The Complete First Season. I figured that it being from the 1970s, I would most likely enjoy it, and the fact that focuses on cops merely served to sweeten the pot (I am a sucker for police stories). What is so interesting to me is how thickly layered all the episodes in this set are. They are filled with so many characters, so many stories and so many subplots. And most amazingly? They work. They manage to resolve all the storylines without things feeling forced or contrived. Granted, I found that when the episodes focused on Officer Webster, I got into them more but that is probably because of the nature of his character. That said, I did enjoy seeing episodes about Officer Gillis and of course Jill Danko.
While I don’t think that it is nearly as well known as other police dramas, I will say that it’s not surprising that The Rookies: The Complete First Season had such a long run.
The Rookies was released .
