I’ve seen the Starsky & Hutch movie I don’t know how many times, but I’d never seen a single episode of the TV series. This is actually the 70-minute movie-of-the-week pilot. While the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson movie lifts a few elements directly (particularly the characters’ absurd wardrobes), this was way less silly/cliché-ridden than I expected. And unlike the movie, Starsky and Hutch don’t have an awkward feeling-out period. They’re already as close as two partners can be, and the strong rapport between the two actors is surely why the show became popular. I could definitely see people wanting to watch these guys chop it up for a few years.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Barry Shear’s name listed as director. He made two of my favorite movies of this period; Wild in the Streets and Across 110th Street between tons of TV gigs like this one. He had a long and really interesting career; I’d love to read more about him.