I swear there has never been a better time to own a DVD player. Well, in reality it could also be called ‘the best of times and the worst of times…” Most of us can rejoice at the seemingly endless parade of TV series that have flooding the market over the last couple of years, but at the same time there are so many that only the hardest core fans can afford to buy the shows they deem their favorites. When you have people like me, who were raised on television the fear of going into bankruptcy isn’t too far off the mark. Fortunately I’ve learned to temper myself when it comes to DVD purchases and I only buy those sets I reaaaallllyyy have to have. Speaking of… I’m here to tell you a little bit about a set I reaaaallllyyy had to have. The series is “Quincy, M.E.”, and I reaaaallllyyy had to have it because it was one of the shows I grew up watching with my parents. My mom loved watching mysteries, and it is from her that I gained my love of the same. Though there were only a handful of good mystery shows at the time, we always made time for “Columbo”, “Perry Mason” and “Ellery Queen.”

Originally “Quincy, M.E.” aired as part of the 1976 - 1977 ‘season’ of the NBC Mystery Movies, which rotated different sleuths each week in 90 minute movies. The series included “Columbo”, “McCloud” and McMillan and Wife”, among others. So the ‘first season’ as it were of “Quincy, M.E.” actually consisted of 4 of these mini-movies. I was fortunate enough to see these episodes when they originally aired and immediately loved the concept of the show as well as its star, Jack Klugman.

Klugman is probably best known for his stint as Oscar Madison opposite Tony Randell on the series “The OddCouple.” However, those of us who are fans of older television and films know him as a great character actor who showed up in numerous TV anthology series in the 50’s and 60’s. Two of my personal favorite roles were in episodes of the original “Twilight Zone”. In one, “A Passage for Trumpet”, he was cast as a down and out sax player who gets a new lease on life, while the other, “A Game of Pool” pits him in said game against the great Jonathon Winters.

In “Quincy, M.E.”, Klugman gave his all to the role, often having the opportunity to get his own personal opinions written into the series. The series ran from 1976 to 1983, and was always at the top of its game. Since Quincy was a medical examiner who often sleuthed his way into solving crimes, the series was sort of a pre-cursor to the newer “C.S.I.”, though certainly not as slick. Great pains were taken to make sure the medical information was correct (for the time) and this helped to make the show all the more believable.

What really kept the show going for me, and let me tell you I watched it all the way through its 1983 season, was Klugman. The series was very well written, and I enjoyed the banter between him Quincy and his sometime partner Sam Fujiyama (Robert Ito), but it was Klugman’s forceful personality that drove every episode. He pushed, he prodded, he dug in a like a pit bull until the crime was solved and nothing stood in his way.

Universal is releasing the first 2 seasons of “Quincy, M.E.” on in one DVD set. This is possible because (as I mentioned) the ‘first season’ was only made up of only those four 90-minute films and the ‘second season’ has only 13 hour long episodes. As it was, they all aired during the 1976-1977 season, but are considered two separate seasons.

The episodes are spread out over 3 discs, each held in its own super slim case. These cases fit nicely into a great looking slipcase, which oddly enough takes advantage of the “C.S.I” connection by touting that Quincy was the ‘Original Crime Scene Investigator.’ Unfortunately, there are no extra features to be had on this set, and there lies my only disappointment with the release.

Universal has been releasing a lot of TV on DVD sets without extra features, and I believe the reason is to keep costs down. I have mixed feeling about this, because while I like for the sets to be affordable, the fanatic in me really likes to watch the behind the scenes stuff. Even with shows this old, there has to be something that still exists that can be added to further the enjoyment of owning the set.

But I digress. “Quincy, M.E.”, still ranks amongst my favorite shows from the 70’s and just having it available is enough to give me something to look forward to.

Episodes:
Season 1 –
Go Fight City Hall
Who’s Who in Neverland
A Star is Dead
Hot Ice, Cold Hearts

Season 2 –
Snake Eyes, Part 1
Snake Eyes, Part 2
…The Thigh Bone’s Connected to the Knee Bone
Visitors in Paradise
The Two Sides of Truth
Hit and Run at Danny’s
Has Anybody Here Seen Quincy?
A Good Smack in the Mouth
The Hot Dog Murder
An Unfriendly Radiance
Sullied Be Thy Name
Valleyview
Let Me Light the Way

Starring: Jack Klugman, Robert Ito, John S. Ragin, Val Bisoglio
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 6/7/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Quincy, M.E.: Season 1 & 2 a B+.