The Mod Squad Season One (1 Viewer)

They have now released box art:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=8016

I love the design, but is it my imagination, or is that picture not from the first season? The actors look too old. For all I know, the pic is from the 1979 reunion movie. And while I'm thrilled the show is making it to dvd, they've done it again--they're releasing it as 1/2 seasons. Great. Just great. That's how you can make a 5-season show into a 10-season show. I would barely hope to have all five seasons on dvd, but if it's going to take ten individual releases, we may never see it all. I wish the studios would consider that logic when splitting seasons in half. Anyway, that practice is getting old....nowadays, we expect to see complete series sets, such as Land of the Giants. By splitting seasons in half, the studios risk frustrating viewers more than ever. As it is, people are waiting to buy even one season until the entire show is released, because they're starting to expect a Complete Series boxed set at the end of it--which is always cheaper, saves space and is usually more aesthetically desirable than the individual releases.

We may get 2 or 3 releases of Mod Squad, then it's bye-bye forever, like the Big Valley.

I'll buy it. I blind bought The Fugitive, Perry Mason, and various other TV shows and I was impressed. This one I'll have to catch.

That and Cheyenne, which is going for $15 on Amazon right now as well.

I totally excited about this release. I haven't seen this show in years. I'm definately getting this the day it comes out.

Very good points, Ethan.

I'm with you 100%. I loved this show and would like to buy it but I won't lay out money for a 1/2 season only to see the series put on hold like most of the new stuff that gets released, or to wait years for a show to be completed. That's absolutely ridiculous.

It used to be a studio would release Season One and make you wait years for Season Two. Now, they're further cutting back now only releasing half seasons?

People say 'consumers don't get it' but if you ask me, 'Studios don't get it' and because they don't, I'm not getting it. If someday they release a full series box set, I'll buy but I'm through with investing in Season One's anymore.

1/2 Season One is completely crazy. People will now be paying 2x as much for one season.

Crazy, just crazy.

Do wonder if the series gets to season 3 where they went down to 24 episodes if Paramount will put the show out as season sets since they can put all 6 DVDs into a single wide case.

I remember watching this series some when it aired in the 60s. I am afraid the episodes will now seem trite and dated.

Well, you can argue that anything over 10 years old is trite and dated. Even now, things I saw in the 1990s that I then thought were fresh and edgy, now seem too tame and dated. That's just the way it is. The Mod Squad's value is mostly in nostalgia. It's fun to look at the clothes and listen to the bizarre slanguage, man.

But, yeah--I am upset about these !@#$#@ half-seasons lately, but I'll probably still get it. But why are they doing 1/2 seasons for all these classic late 60s dramas? I don't get it. It's been Mod Squad, Big Valley, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Streets of San Francisco, Hawaii 5-0...is there some reason I'm missing? Are they really that expensive to put into full season packs? Because sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. I'm just trying to understand...

Hawaii 5-0 is being released as season sets. The B&W shows are especially prone to being released in split sets--"Rawhide", "The Untouchables", "Perry Mason", The Fugitive", "Route 66". We're talking over 60 separate announcements just for these 5 shows.

Um, everything is "dated" inasmuch as it reflects the attitudes and beliefs of the people who made it when they made it.

Mod Squad (NOT THE MOD SQUAD as it says on the box) was a dated show when it was on the air. But, in spite of that, I will buy it. There were some great guest stars and like any Aaron Spelling show, you can't look for great drama or great writing but just to enjoy the schlock. I just hope they have the knowledge of the property to make sure the original pilot which aired in a 90 minute time slot is included in that form.

Per IMDB, the "THE" is supposed to be in the title ("The Mod Squad"). I put a lot of faith in IMDB re. things like exact titles too. They even have "Pit And The Pendulum" (1961) correct (sans the incorrect "The" on it).

http://imdb.com/title/tt0062589

Whenever I think of this series, I always also think of "All In The Family" and Archibald Bunker:

"What are you, one of them mod squads?"

"No, just a police officer, Mr. Bummer."

Then again, there's this, without the "The". So, maybe Hank is right. (Is this a still shot from the '68-'73 main titles? Anyone know?)......

I wouldn't buy Mod Squad even if they were complete seasons, but it was a good show. I saw them all when WWOR EMI Service used to rerun it in the mid 1990s.

"The Return of the Mod Squad" was a respectable (but unnecessary) TV movie reunion with all 4 of the original stars. I think it was an attempt to revive the series, but ABC didn't give them an option.

"Three hip young cops on the soul beat...one Black,one White,one Blonde...MOD SQUAD."

I am kind of looking forward to getting MOD SQUAD. I have not seen it since it's original run and didn't start watching it every week until it's third season. (Being a western fan I was watching LANCER on CBS for two seasons.)

My memory of Mod Squad is that it was a pretty straight-forward cops-and robbers action show with some social issues mixed in. The acting heavy lifting was done by the guest stars, with Pete, Linc, and Julie reacting to the problems of the people they were trying to help or save from the bad guys.

The friendship and loyalty for each other portrayed by Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton, and Tige Andrews was quite touching and was a large part in the success of the show. (And it was a very successful show, pretty much forcing the cancellation or time slot change of every show that came up against it, for it's first four seasons.)

They did not carry guns, so most shows featured well staged fist-fights with Pete and Linc demolishing hordes of armed evildoers. I don't think Julie ever got involved in any of the fights.

Interestingly, I never saw a Mod Squad episode where anyone used the words "Mod Squad"to refer to them.

Here's a Mod Squad fan-site where you can hear the theme song, see pictures, and read some original TV Guide articles about the show.http://www.chezgrae.com/modsquad/index.html

I remember this a little from my childhood, though at that age it was never a show I could really watch and get into. But I'll definitely do a blind buy on this release, no problem. I do recall only one strong episode where Link was at some sort of mental institution and he had to get shock therapy or something.... it stuck with me.

Turns out that both variants may be correct. Scroll through the episode guide link for the site that Bob Gudera provided. In S3-5 the title was shortened to just "Mod Squad" apparently. But then I just viewed the video "promos' for the 4th and 5th season and the title appears as "The Mod Squad", so...who knows.

I remember all 3 words THE MOD SQUAD for all of the seasons....not that it matters.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE was shortened to TWILIGHT ZONE in its 4th season and stayed that way to the end.

Of all the actors on this show, it's interesting that Clarence Williams III (who played Lincoln Hayes) had the most successful career -- particularly from the late 1980s to the present. Clarence has become a character actor, usually playing wacky older guys in film comedies. There's no type of role the man won't take for a laugh!

Then there was the Episode where one of them was shot by a Runaway Child who picked up a Gun that had been tossed out by a Mobster after he made a "Hit". A few years later that story was "Cloned" by ABC for an episode of Charlies Angels. Viewers were'nt thrilled by this, and they FLAMED the Network for it!

Still another Aaron Spelling production.

I hope that we get at least the first three seasons before they give up on it. It's too much to hope for the entire five seasons so I'll settle for the first three seasons. If we get all five, then, well happy day!