Kojak: Season Two

No sophomore slump for Kojak, which was nominated for four Emmys in its second season and took home TV's top prize for Telly Savalas's iconic role as New York detective Theo Kojak. Cop shows were plentiful in the '70s, but this series had its own distinctive beat, with the sharply dressed, bald, lollipop-sucking Kojak epitomizing a gruff, no-nonsense guy who barks orders and smart-mouths his superior (“Did you know your lips move when you read?”). In one memorable episode, he does not mince words with grieving parents whose dead son—Kojak all but tells them—was involved in a rape. Although grittier than similar fare, the show was also a class act, created by Abby Mann (Judgment at Nuremberg) and featuring incisive writing and naturalistic direction. And it was pure procedural. Forget Kojak's private life; it was the heinous crimes that made him tick—and ticked him off. In this season, Kojak grapples with the usual gangs and crooks as well as a bank-robbing gypsy, a mad bomber, and a scheming, homicidal wife (not his). Some great guest stars make appearances here, including Leslie Nielsen, Paul Anka, Emmy-winning Zohra Lampert as the thieving vagabond, and the indefatigable Ruth Gordon as a psychic. TV Guide ranked Kojak No. 18 on its list of the “50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time,” and this set contains ample evidence of why. Who loves ya, baby? We do. Compiling all 25 episodes from the 1974–75 second season, this is recommended. (D. Liebenson)