Television series

Starsky & Hutch

Name: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Action, Crime
Released: 1975
Cast: Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul, Richard Ward, Bernie Hamilton, Antonio Fargas

Other titles called Starsky & Hutch: the 2004 film.

Police procedural
Car-chase action
Relentless
Dip in and out

Starsky & Hutch is the ultimate 1970s buddy cop show: two mismatched detectives tearing through the streets in a beat-up red car, cracking jokes between gunfights. It's propulsive, funny, and thrives on the chemistry between its leads. Made for anyone who loves crime shows that don't take themselves seriously, and for anyone discovering why the '70s had such style.

TVMaze rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love a buddy partnership where the easy banter and loyalty between two cops matter as much as the case, and you enjoy 1970s cop shows with a loose, funny, sun-faded swagger like Miami Vice's ancestors.

Skip it if you want serialized plotting or grit, since each hour tends to close its own case, and the jokes, flares and cheerful mugging can feel dated next to modern crime drama.

What it asks of you: About an hour per episode, across four seasons and ninety-two episodes, so you settle in for the long haul; the pace is brisk and the mood stays light even when the crimes are not.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Streets of San Francisco1972

Another '70s cop show with real texture and procedural weight, but with the same casual excellence in chemistry between its leads and the same knack for making the city itself feel like a character.

But It's more grounded and less flashy than Starsky & Hutch—if you're watching for the wild energy and humor, this moves at a different pace.

Kojak1973

Telly Savalas as a bald, lollipop-sucking detective solving crimes in New York. Same era, same zip-along structure, but anchored by one of TV's most charismatic leads ever.

But It's more of a solo showcase than a buddy dynamic. If the Starsky-Hutch partnership is what hooked you, this operates differently.

The Rockford Files1974

James Garner as a laid-back private eye getting into constant trouble. The humor, the car chases, the groove—it's cut from the same cloth, but with a cynical '70s edge that's all its own.

But It's less about action spectacle and more about character and talk. If you came for the stunts, this might feel slow.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Starsky & Hutch

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Vanishing Point1971

Both are about the erotics of movement and the car as a character. Vanishing Point is what you get if you removed the crime story and kept only the driving.

A man drives a Dodge Challenger across America nonstop, pursued by authority, with almost no dialogue. It's the pure visual and sonic essence of what makes Starsky & Hutch's car sequences sing—stripped down to just the machine, the road, and the idea of escape.

But It's abstract and meditative where the show is social and jokey. Long stretches without plot or character will test your patience.

Serpico1973

Al Pacino as an undercover cop navigating corruption and danger. Grounded, tense, and genuinely about moral stakes. Shows you what the gritty underbelly looks like when the humor falls away.

But It's a serious film with real consequences. There's no lightness here, and it won't give you the fun ride you get from the show.

The Godfather Part II1974

Coppola's masterpiece has the same early-'70s aesthetic and period texture you love, and its parallel narratives show how deep the crime genre can go when it's allowed to breathe and think.

But It's three and a half hours of deliberately paced storytelling about power and legacy. If you want car chases and one-liners, you'll be frustrated.

Get Carter1971

Michael Caine in a British crime thriller that's lean, stylish, and propulsive. Same era, same cynical edge, but made with the economy and darkness of a different tradition.

But It's bleak and brutal in ways Starsky & Hutch never is. There's no relief, no jokes—just a man moving through a corrupt world.

Columbo1968

Peter Falk as a detective who solves crimes through patience and wit rather than action. Shows the range of what '70s cop TV could do—equally smart, equally character-driven, just pointed in a different direction.

But The format is the same every episode: you know the killer from the start. Some people find that repetitive, even if the writing is excellent.

Starman1984

Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen on a road movie across America, hunted and bonding. It has the same warmth and chemistry between mismatched partners, but crossed with science fiction and genuine tenderness.

But It's slower and more sentimental than anything in Starsky & Hutch. If you need constant forward momentum, this won't deliver it.

Miami Vice1984

The spiritual successor to your show, but dressed in neon and cocaine. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as undercover cops, with style that makes the '80s look like the future. Same kinetic energy, new decade.

But It takes itself very seriously and leans hard into style over substance. If you loved Starsky & Hutch for the character warmth, this can feel cold.

The French Connection1971

Same world, same New York streets and heroin trade, but seen from the inside of someone who's been broken by it. Shows the dark truth behind the fun.

Gene Hackman as a real detective hunting real heroin. The car chase is legendary, but what makes it work is the obsession and the grit. It's the serious version of the story Starsky & Hutch tells—what cop work actually costs.

But It's unglamorous and morally murky. Your heroes don't get catharsis, and the ending is deliberately unsatisfying.