Kirpianuscus it is the role of Telly Savalas. this fact is so obvious than is very difficult to ignore it. because his Theo Kojak is always surprising and gives the right expected portrait of unconventional detective against the crime world. because it is the hero in his way, far by others recipes and formulas. the face, the gestures, the voice. Telly Savallas works each detail with huge and precise care and efficiency. and this is the basic virtue of a series who remains, decade by decade, spectacular.

shogunmre Kojak was/is the best cop show ever. Telly Savalas was the best man for the job. His charisma, whit, and cool demeanor was unmatched for its time and even now. I really wish the show stayed on longer than 5 seasons. Its very hard to find the 5 season DVD set. All I've come across is the first 3. I've seen all 5 seasons but only the 4th and 5th seasons once. This show is so good that you can watch it over and over and not get bored with it. Telly's (kojak) other movies and guest appearances were great as well. Check out all his other movies right here on IMDb the man is awesome as an actor and a person. He is/was the coolest actor on TV and when i say cool i mean everyone wanted to be like him. My friends father is from New York and he said in the 70's-90's if you were cool and bald everyone called you KOJAK... TELLY IS MY FAVORITE ACTOR. ENJOY HIS MOVIES IF YOU HADNT ALREADY. get this he beat out Marlon Brando for the Kojak job. Marlon wanted to play a tough cop bad but Telly came along and was the man for the job. Telly IS THE BEST.

Jo55 Great series! 30 years after, I always feel the same pleasure to re-discover each story. Just one regret: your list mentions 24 episodes; the box "Season 1" just has 22; 0/The Marcus Nelson murders and 4/The Trade-Off are missing. As I watched the first Season, there were a lot of stories I had forgotten. So hope that the 2 missing will be reported to another special DVD or box. By the way, starring Sgt Bobby Crocker was/is the best role for Kevin Dobson, except his terrific "spotted cravats", which (by chance!) did not took away anything from his natural charm. Hope the next series will be soon on the swiss/french market. Just for the pleasure to "crack for Crocker"!

mollyshearergabel Sure, Dragnet was in a category all its own and Naked City did pave the way for Kojak, but the grit was too shiny and fake. I grew up in NYC and later, after I moved away, when I watched Kojak in syndication I would get so homesick. What got to me the worst wasn't seeing landmarks like The Angry Squire or Washington Square, but by shooting on city streets, the NYC detritus was blowing down the sidewalk. Yes, that made me lonesome for home. Kojak was a show by, for, and about New Yorkers. Kojak's attitude was a New York cop's attitude, he was tough and glib and underneath that layer was the soft chewy center.Law & Order owes a huge debt to Kojak. I knew I would have to watch L&O because of what I can only describe as Kojakisms, and it is a disservice to Kojak (& to Telly) that he is only remembered for "Who Loves Ya, Baby?". Kojakisms were as rich and varied as literature.Here are some of my favorites: "That's the way the baklava crumbles, baby" "Whatever you do, don't you so much as double park anywhere near Manhattan South, 'cause you'll get a Hear Ye and a Hear Ye and a greeting you'll never forget." "Light a candle, baby; a Get Well card won't do." "...kiss off Goldilocks, your porridge is getting cold.""You could package that with a wrap-around deodorant and still come out with a stink." "...the Internal Affairs shoo-flies, they're gonna be all over us like a groom on a honeymoon. And lemme tell ya something, we all better be virgins or have a pretty good story." "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may; there's a chill in the air.' "The wine, it smells beautiful baby, but the company, strictly down the tubes." "Ya know what a vendetta is? It's when a whole bunch of people kill a whole bunch of people for years and years and years and like that!" " Yer no good! And that's the end of the story!" Absolutely one of the best shows ever.