Very disappointing...

Very best movie i ever watch

just watch it!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

One of the "Wandering Hero" shows, "Stingray" had elements that made it truly unique and special. True the hero had the traditional skill set (combat expert, demolitions, etc.) and he traveled the country helping people, but the details of this show gave it a very unique "flavor". There was no (obvious) "fugitive-factor" (ie the A-team, the Pretender, etc), in fact, it seemed as if the main character (known simply as Ray) had semi-legitimate government connections. He traveled the country in a classic car helping people. His price: a favor. This was where the show really differed, because there would be people that he had helped before doing their favors in payment, which provided his resources.Unlike most of the action shows of the '80s, Stingray did not feature constant "big battles", although there were some, it was the character and his way of solving problems that made it really special. Kind of a cross between John Wayne, James bond, and a little of MacGyver. It's a show that would do well if redone.

Like the recent "WKRP in Cincinnati" Season One DVD release, they've replaced some of the music, probably because of an expired licensing agreement. For example, Pete Townsend's "Give Blood" has been removed from the episode 'Less Than The Eye Can See', and substituted with a generic song by an unknown artist, which really diminishes the impact of the storyline. Too bad! Other than that, a great show finally comes to DVD in one complete series package from VEI Canada, and the quality of the video and audio is excellent. VEI has kept the packaging to a minimum (one plastic case), and that has kept the retail price affordable enough that everyone can buy it, unlike some single season releases that were just too pricey for the casual fan.

i remember being mesmerized by this show and of course the vintage 1965 Stingray driven by Nick Mancuso. He played his character quite well...he was very handsome, mysterious, yet there was also a vulnerability to him that i found extremely sexy -- not to mention those hypnotic dark eyes and the stealth in the way he carried himself. like i said...sexy...elusive and yet very masculine, with a chameleon-like existence...much like "The Pretender". unlike the other private eye characters, where they are paid for hire, "Ray" only provided favors for those he helped, and when the time came, for the favor to be given back. sounded fair enough for me. it's a shame this series was so short lived. i lived for those Friday nights before "Miami Vice" when "Stingray" came on...with its sexy, yet edgy musical score. to be quite honest...they could've kept "MV" and continued with "Stingray"...perhaps one day the good folks of TV Land will show the short reruns of it...we can only hope.

For a few years in the late '80s, when I was just starting high school, "Stingray" was a regular fixture of my Friday nights. I used to stay home to tape it and "Crime Story" every week, so I got to see many episodes, and I think they still exist on ancient videocassettes somewhere in my brother's house. What can I say? This was easily one of the most stylish of the prime time dramas of the day, kind of Film Noir meets MTV, complete with quasi-music-video segments (all Post/Carpenter compositions, of course), disorientating quick-cuts in time with dramatic bursts of electronic drums, lots of shadows and glistening wet nighttime streets. Very moody and atmospheric at times, especially the episodes directed by David Hemmings (the same one who starred in Blow-Up and other movies). Being a sci-fi geek at the time, probably my favorite episode of all was the implausibly silly but neat-looking "Playback" (the "Desert Dome episode" as I call it, directed by Hemmings and co-starring Eugene Roche). Great series. Bring it back. Not that they ever will. Did I mention the '65 Vette?