aldunisch Do this show, with a female with a cute butt and new stories.

soulexpress I've only seen 10 episodes of THE HITCHHIKER, but they were on a DVD anthology. So I'm guessing they represent the best that the show had to offer. If that's the case, then I would hate to see the worst episodes. THE HITCHHIKER was a smarmy, badly written TWILIGHT ZONE retread. It even took its name from a classic TZ episode. How could such swill have garnered multiple Emmy nominations? Payola?I assumed each episode would begin with the Hitchhiker (Page Fletcher) getting out of the car of that week's main character and delivering his narrative. But that was never the case. And his monochromatic, soundbite-length attempts at profundity always fell short, particularly if one compares him to THE TWILIGHT ZONE'S Rod Serling.THE HITCHHIKER focused on bad people getting their comeuppance, either by natural or supernatural means. Alas, the bad people in question are so one-dimensional, I didn't give a damn what happened to them one way or the other. The writing here is surprisingly weak for a show that lasted six years on a major cable network (HBO). While THE TWILIGHT ZONE frequently served up timeless morality plays, THE HITCHHIKER, in a fashion typical of the 1980s, offered style over substance. While it may have been a stepping stone for up-and-comers like Willem Dafoe, Helen Hunt and Kirstie Alley, it was a decided low point for established performers like Darren McGavin, Peter Coyote, Margot Kidder and Gary Busey.If you want an anthology series that appeals to the intellect and not the prurient interest, eschew this crap for THE TWILIGHT ZONE or THE OUTER LIMITS.

owenmoney To get right down to it, this show makes Tales From the Crypt look like a Disney series. The main character almost always dies. It is hilarious to see them so arrogant and ignorant in the beginning and then have all of this horrible stuff eventually happen to them. Some of the episodes are a bit corny, but they are so in that bizarre, remote 80's way. I remember watching the re-runs on USA when I was in grade school (that song gave me nightmares), and those showings were edited. The unedited episodes are the real deal, but unfortunately only a few are for sale on VHS and they are no longer shown on any HBO channel. A DVD with ten episodes is due in March 2004, but with only ten episodes. If you are an enthusiast of the series, buy the DVD and maybe there will more to come.

tfrizzell A really disturbing and sick series from HBO that ran forever it seemed (1983 through 1990 actually). "The Hitchhiker" was "The Twilight Zone" for the sex- and stomach churning gore-starved public as the titled character (originally played by Nicholas Campbell, but replaced early on by Page Fletcher) walked around and told short 30-minute tales of terror that always pushed the envelope on anything ever seen on television before or since. The casts usually included has-beens and never-will-bes that struggled to carry tele-plays that were motivated in getting women naked and making its audience physically sick with unnatural causes of death. Still one of those things that holds a strong candle in some circles, "The Hitchhiker" is best if left alone. 2.5 out of 5 stars.