Sledge Hammer! - Complete Series

For two glorious seasons from 1986-1988, television had a hero you could really count on and his name was Sledge Hammer. The sexist and clueless exploits of Sledge were unlike anything else in the sitcom landscape at the time and the network was never quite sure what to make of the show. Facing cancellation after its first year, the creators quite literally decided to go out with a bang. The conclusion was so dramatic and devastating that when the show was unexpectedly picked up for Season Two, it came back with an anachronistic disclaimer (saying that the show was now set 5 years prior to the Season One finale) and acted like everything was business as usual. It was daffy and made absolutely no sense, and yet it was strangely perfect. But that's the way things are in the world of "Sledge Hammer!" The only thing that could keep him down was his time slot rival, television's number one comedy "The Cosby Show."

DVD Details: This is the first time that the two seasons (41 episodes over 5 discs) of "Sledge Hammer!" will be available as the Complete Collection. Sadly, though, this Image reissue is what you'd call bare. None of the bonus extras that were included on the individual seasons released by Anchor Bay are being included. I'm not sure why such a decision was made, but if you own the previously released versions--this is not an upgrade! If you are new to "Sledge Hammer!" however, this is an opportunity to pick up all the episodes at a lower price point if you can't get the other version or if you don't particularly care about special features. Also, no subtitles or closed captions.

"Sledge Hammer!" is essentially a riotous parody of the Dirty Harry movies in particular and pop culture's fascination with gratuitous violence in general. David Rasche perfectly embodied the title character. To my mind, it is the best and most iconic work of his career. Sledge is an egomaniac who never met a fight he didn't want to engage in. And whether dealing with a petty criminal or a brutal crime lord, Sledge approached every situation with blunt force trauma and his beloved .44. The irony is, of course, that he bumbles rather cluelessly through most situations--oftentimes creating more havoc and destruction than those he is pursuing. Sledge is paired with a woman partner (Anne-Marie Martin), which he hates, and she is an able foil who solves most of the cases despite Sledge claiming credit. Also along for the ride is a long suffering chief played nicely by Harrison Page. Both are nimble comic support for the stellar Rasche.

For nostalgia factor alone, I love Sledge and his cohorts. I'm not entirely sure how it will hold up to new audiences. It has a dreaded laugh track and some of the references are obviously and appropriately dated. Also, the TV world has evolved and is much more explicit than 25 years ago, so the show can even seem a bit tame. But still, Rasche and cast throw themselves into the silliest of scenarios with gusto. There's a reason it is considered a cult classic. A solid slapstick spoof. Some compare it to "Get Smart" or "The Naked Gun," and I certainly see some correlations, but Sledge is a unique figure in TV history for me. I just wish more care had been taken with this DVD compilation! KGHarris, 10/11.

I was thrilled when I saw the entire Sledge Hammer series was going to be available in one set. This was one of my favorite shows at the time and I haven't seen the majority of the episodes since they first aired. When I got the set and opened it, the first thing I noticed was the lack of an insert paper. No episode list. No idea how many episodes per disc. Nothing. What if I wanted to watch a couple episodes I remembered enjoying first? Oh well, not really a huge deal. I just started off with the first disc and watched them in order. That's when the picture quality hit me. Most episodes are like watching a VHS transfer.

The show itself? It's a great mix of Dirty Harry and Police Squad with David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer and Anne-Marie Martin as his partner Detective Dori Doreau. She is the intelligent, sensitive and competent half of this duo. Sledge Hammers idea of taking out a gunman on the roof involves blowing it up with a bazooka. Harrison Page plays Hammer's eternally angry supervisor, Captain Trunks. Other guest appearances throughout the series include Adam Ant, Sid Haig, Norman Fell, Richard Moll, Armin Shimmerman and Ray Walston.

I give the series itself five stars, but unfortunately have to knock a couple off for video quality, lack of inserts and no real special features to speak of.

"Sledge Hammer" is one of those great, lost TV shows with a wonderful cult following. A show that was so inspired, so ahead of it's time, so great, that it was bound to struggle in the ratings and have a short life on television. It's truly one of the great "Cut before their time" shows. Thankfully, the show's rabid fans and cult base have never given up on the show, and it was released on DVD a few years ago. Now, you get this one stop shopping collection right here with the entire 2 seasons and 41 episodes all in one package.

Premiering in 1986, "Sledge Hammer" was a half hour cop show that was obviously a spoof on Dirty Harry. It starred Inspector Sledge Hammer (David rasche), a hard boiled San Francisco cop who loves violence, his gun, getting the chance to shoot or blow up something, and is quite insensitive, rude, and sexist. Oddly enough, he is very llikeable. Go figure. In the premiere episode, he is partnered up with Dori Doreau (Anne-Marie Martin). The series followed the two from one crime to the other, with their captain, Capt. Trunk (Harrison Page) trying to hold his temper and blood pressure from the always dangerous, clueless, and destruction causing Hammer.

Featuring a kick butt theme song by Danny Elfman, this collection is a laugh riot from start to finish. There is a lot of fun in watching Rasche brilliantly bring the gun loving, mayhem causing Hammer to life. You can tell he relishes the role and delivers it all straight, which makes it all the funnier. The premiere episode is titled "Under The Gun", although on the disc it's listed as just "Sledge Hammer!". The debut episode sets it up nicely. We instantly get a sense of who Sledge is, and is quickly partnered with Doreau. In a nod to 'Dirty Harry', the episode features John Vernon as the Mayor, a role he played in the Clint Eastwood classic. This episode deals with Sledge having to rescue the Mayor's kidnapped daughter. I don't need to go into every episode, but other season 1 highlights include "Witless", which is a spoof on the Harrison Ford film 'Witness', where Sledge takes refuge at an Amish settlement. "Dori Day Afternoon" is an obvious take off on the Al Pacino film 'Dog Day Afternoon' where Hammer and Doreau are trapped inside a bank with a couple of robbers. Sledge is followed by a news crew in "Hammer Gets Nailed", and investigates a slate of Elvis impersonator murders in "All Shook Up". Producer/Creator Alan Spencer ended season one pretty abruptly with "The Spa Who Loved Me, thinking it would not be renewed. It was, and the finality of that episode was explained away in a typical TV cliche in the season 2 premiere, "A Clockwork Hammer". Season 2 is just as good, but I will leave it to you to either discover or re-discover the episodes.

Unfortunatley, this collection does not bring over the extras from the previous releases. No commentaries, no featurettes. That's a big disappointment, but the hysterical brilliance of the show is more than enough to make up for it.

In the end, "Sledge Hammer" was a hilarious show that was really too awesome for it's own good. I guess it was just not what the audience could warm up to at the time it originally aired. It's a shame. It is nothing but a huge, gigantic smile from start to finish. Hilariously acted, written, and just a blast. Still, we have the show on DVD, and that is cause for a huge celebration.