Police Woman - The Complete First Season
After holding her own opposite heavy hitters like Frank Sinatra (Ocean's Eleven) and Lee Marvin (Point Blank), Angie Dickinson earned the right to top billing. For four years,Police Womangave the cool blonde that chance and, as she admits in the DVD commentary, the idea of becoming a household name was a big attraction. (It worked.) Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson, a two-year police veteran is first introduced, as Lisa Beaumont, inPolice Story's season finale, which opens this five-disc set. In "The Gamble," Pepper proves she has what it takes to handle undercover work as she foils both a prostitution ring and a gambling racket. Airing in the coveted slot afterThe Rockford Files, the gritty, yet glamorousPolice Womanbecame a top 20 hit. In the season premiere ("The End Game," actually the fourth show), Pepper is joined by the rest of the vice squad: Italian-speaking Irishman Lt. Bill Crowley (Earl Holliman, taking over from Bert Convy) andPolice Storyholdovers Royster (Charles Dierkop) and Styles (Ed Bernard). Together the four were as tough on crime as they were fierce about fashion. Among hundreds of groovy get-ups, sartorial standouts include Royster's patchwork cap, Styles' suede jacket, Crowley's plaid sports jacket, and Pepper's studded pantsuit. First year guest stars include TV vets, like Robert Vaughn ("Blast"), Patti Duke and John Astin ("Nothing Left to Lose"), and Dickinson'sBig Bad Mamaco-star William Shatner ("Smack").Police Womanalso provided a showcase for up-and-comers like Kathleen Quinlan ("The Beautiful Die Young") and Phillip Michael Thomas ("It's Only a Game")--as a character named "Sonny" no less. (In the show's fourth season, another up-and-comer named Michael Mann would direct an episode.) In 2002,TV Guidevoted Dickinson the sexiest TV star of all time after Diana Rigg and George Clooney.--Kathleen C. Fennessy