Simon & Simon S4

Successful long-running TV series have a predictable arc; a season or two of developing a unique style; then two or three fabulous seasons when the chemistry is nearly perfect and everything 'works'; then a decline, as strong original scripts are harder to find, 'message' episodes replace sparkle with dark drama, and the charm that made the series a hit is lost, resulting in lower ratings and cancellation. This formula certainly applies to "Simon & Simon", but the good news is, "Simon & Simon: Season Four" is certainly part of the series' peak, when Rick and A.J. were truly magical, and the San Diego detectives had a fan base nearly as avid as "Magnum P.I."

With the addition of Tim Reid as Det. "Downtown" Brown in Season 3, all the elements for a first-class show were in place, and Season 4 celebrated with a season premiere on location in Paris! More of the mysterious backstory of the boys' father, Jack Simon, an O.S.S. operative in WWII, is introduced, in flashback (Jameson Parker plays dual roles). If you were an adult in 1984, as I was, you may find yourself dumbfounded at how lax airport security was, back then, and how naive we were about terrorism. When Brown walks through the Orly Passenger Terminal with a suitcase full of weapons, I admit, I shuddered!

There are, happily, few other moments quite as bittersweet; a 1960s 'flashback' episode is quite entertaining and actually important to the series, reconciling the somewhat differing backstories of Rick's youth, as portrayed over the first three seasons (a biker who fled to Canada with a low draft number, then returned to California and enlisted in the Marines, serving in Special Ops in 'Nam). A humorous moment, showing how cheap gas was in 1965, compared to 1984 (55 cents vs. $1.24, a gallon), is even more ironic, now ($1.24 to nearly $4.85, a gallon)!

The one Season 4 'message' episode, as Rick and A.J. track a missing high school girl, framed in a drug bust, is quite effective, as A.J. has a scary reaction when dosed at a restaurant with angel dust, the arrest of the bad guys clearly isn't going to solve the issues, raised, and Rick, A.J., and Brown tell the girl, bluntly, that the odds of her actually beating an addiction problem are not good. Powerful stuff, in the Reagan era!

There are many wonderful moments, with the boys, wonderful Mary Carver as their feisty, strong-willed mom, and Rick's big ol' lovable mutt, Marlowe (who even stars in his own late-season episode about dog shows and dognapping...it WILL bring a tear to your eye, Marlowe is a scene stealer!) The boys' new office is the most upscale, yet, but don't worry, they still trash it, and Rick still can't buy a piece of electronics from Carlos that works!

A kudo to Shout Factory for using broadcast versions of a few episodes missing the original master (they really do put the fans, first, as I'd rather see an abridged version than no episode, at all!), and an oft-requested plea...PLEASE bring Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney in to do commentaries (and Tim Reid and Mary Carver, too, if possible!!!) Come on, guys, we're buying every one of these collections...give us our dream, PLEASE!!!

What can you say about Simon and Simon, except that it was one of the best detective shows on TV in the 80's. You really believed these guys were brothers. Who know that in real life they were the same age within a couple of months?

All the seasons were at their best, no one season stands out really. It was not over acted, not over dramatic, and it made you laugh. The Simon Brothers were very endearing characters, and their mother Cecelia was a crack-up.

And anyway, was there anyone better looking than Jameson Parker in the 80's? I don't think so !!

This is by far the best season yet. The writing only gets better and the storylines really balance the mystery and intense moments with humor.

A couple of episodes are from the syndicated run because Shout! was unable to locate the original prints. I like that they do not hide that fact from the consumer. I also appreciate the fact that they included the episodes instead of skipping over them. Nice touch!

Season Five is only available through Shout! Factory direct. It includes each episode from that season and Shout! has also added the reunion movie.

In addition, Shout! Factory announced the release of Season 6 through TVShowsOnDVD recently only to issue a retraction almost immediately stating that they have no plans to release Season 6 (full season) or Seasons 7 and 8 (half season each).

Let's hope they reconsider because Season 6 is rated as one of the best seasons and one of the episodes they licensed from Season 8 has never been seen. CBS never aired it after they canceled the series.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 14 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars