Series Overview: The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama series set in San Francisco, California, USA. Quinn Martin Productions produced the TV series. They produced the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television. Quinn Martin Productions produced the TV series for the remainder of its run.
The Streets of San Francisco series is an old-school-style cop show that stars Karl Malden and Michael Douglas as police detectives in the Bay Area. Malden plays a 20-year police veteran who is joined up with partner Douglas as the younger, college-educated detective Steve Kelley. The show was hugely successful mainly because both actors had great on-screen chemistry. Both received Emmy nominations for their performances.
In addition, the series was widely acclaimed for being well-written and well-acted. The Streets of San Francisco television show ran for five seasons on the ABC television network between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, for 120 episodes. All are available for purchase at the link below.
The Ford Motor Company sponsored the series. Many of the vehicles used on the show were Ford models. In early episodes, Detectives Keller and Stone drive a brown 1971 Ford Galaxie, a four-door sedan. The police cars and the entire SFPD cruiser fleet consist of Ford Galaxies.
Why We Like This Show
If you like cop shows, you’ll love this one. The on-screen chemistry between the two actors is fantastic. The young Michael Douglas has the charisma, charm,
The mentor/student relationship in some of the genre’s most well-written scripts and plot twists. The two plainclothes detectives solve various city crimes, usually murder. Plus, the show is filmed on the beautiful hillside streets of San Francisco, an excellent place for plots to unfold. This series is one of our all-time favorites.
Streets of San Francisco TV Series on DVD
All of the episodes are available on DVD
- Michael Douglas, Karl Malden, Richard Hatch (Actors)
- German (Subtitle)
- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Season One, Volume 1 includes the first 14 episodes from the 1972-1973 season on four discs. The first season received a n
omination for an Emmy Award for Best Drama. In addition, Karl Malden received a nomination for Best Actor. Michael Douglas received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Notably, famous guest stars in this season include actors such as Robert Wagner, Tom Bosley, Dick Van Patten, and many more. - Season One, Volume 2 (1972) – Includes the final 13 episodes from the season on four separate compact discs.
- The Streets of San Francisco: Season Two, Volume 1 on DVD (1974) – The
three-disc set includes all 11 episodes. - Season Two, Volume 2 on DVD
- Season 3 Volume One and Two – Six different CDs.
- Season 4 Volume One and Two – A total of six discs.
- The Fifth Season ran in 1976 and 1977, divided into two volumes, volume 1 and volume 2, with a total of 24 episodes. Released on October 30, 2012, and includes six discs.
Following is a video of the opening and closing themes.
Reviews and Ratings
The series has a rating of 7.3 out of 10 stars on IMDB and 8.8 out of 10 stars on TV.com.
If you have any questions about the Streets of San Francisco TV Series, please post a comment below. If you’d like to learn more, visit the show’s Wikipedia page.
Like cop shows? Check out other Police Crime Dramas on DVD.