Emergency! Season One

This dramatic series from the early and mid-1970s did for Los Angeles-based fire-department paramedics what Dragnet and Adam-12 did for the LAPD—which was no accident, given that Dragnet star Jack Webb produced all three shows, and insisted upon incorporating actual departmental terms, procedures, and case histories. Emergency!, which debuted as a midseason replacement on NBC in early 1972, pioneered the two-pronged story structure that later became a staple of Dick Wolf's Law & Order. Typical episodes would open with field rescues by paramedics of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Station 51, before continuing with follow-up plot developments in the fictional Rampart Emergency Hospital. The paramedics included Johnny Gage (played by Randolph Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe), while the Rampart staff was mainly represented by Doctor Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller), neurosurgeon Joe Early (Bobby Troup), and head nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London). Like the other Webb-produced shows, Emergency! occasionally suffered from a tight-lipped earnestness that made the characters seem campy—even back in 1972—but that was something Webb and his creative team were willing to risk in the glorification of these hardworking public servants. Another innovation of this fast-paced show was the introduction of multiple subplots in each hour-long installment—something that's now commonplace in TV drama (Johnny and Roy participated in up to three calls per show and baby boomers that remember the show will recognize literally dozens of familiar faces here). Presenting all 11 first season episodes on an extra-less double-disc set, this is recommended for larger TV-on-DVD collections. (E. Hulse)