I came up with this new system to buy TV shows on DVD that I might write about sometime. The basics of it is this — buy the set when it first comes out, or you’ll *never* get around to collecting it. Since I’m such an impulsive guy (when it comes to purchases), it actually puts off a lot of impulse buying if I can instead buy stuff at a reasonable, regular, affordable stream. So it works out.
Anyway, when season one of CHiPs came out on DVD, it was one of the ones that I snatched up with my new little system, not really sure of what to expect. Like most shows that I now own box sets of, I’d seen partial or whole shows of it as a kid, and can remember generics or specific scenes, but not much more than that. Believe it or not, while I watched a ton of movies as a kid (easily into the hundreds), I really don’t recall watching a lot of television. My feelings back then towards it are pretty much the same as they are now: there’s a lot of junk, and not much worth my time.
I did remember this one as being one that I enjoyed watching every time I saw it though, so I didn’t feel too weird about picking it up, thinking I might like it again. So far, though, I’ve watched two discs and am halfway through the third, and I like it quite a bit.
The funny thing is, I can’t figure out why I like it so much. I don’t know why, but it just strikes a chord with me. Part of it is that the stories are just plain really interesting, about the stuff that as highway patrolmen they run into. What’s even cooler is that for a season one of a series, it is doing pretty darn good holding its own, which is *really* rare. The first season of any show is usually really rough and tumbled, as they try to figure out how the characters would consistently act in a situation, getting good stories down the pipe, and basically setting the standard for a successful show. If you ever go back and watch the first season of a show you like now, you’ll generally find that it pretty much sucks or is completely different from the format you’re familiar with.
There are some stories though that the stretching out tends to show its way through, but for the most part I’ve been pretty impressed. There were two episodes that I completely skipped through once I realized it was going to be even too corny for me. I can’t remember now what the first one was, but the second one had something to do with animals blocking the road somewhere. I, personally, hate any kind of movies or tv that use animals for cheap jokes, because like sports movies, they are all just so predictable and stupid.
I’m excited for more season sets, though. I can remember a few cool episodes from watching it as a kid, and I hope the sets keep coming. Warner Bros. is releasing them, which is always a good sign.
“Traded…like baseball cards!”
Oh, I love the “Traded, like baseball cards” line. that was the best.
Another favorite was the roller derby thieves on the beach, and the one where Ponch delivers a baby on the disco floor. good times.