Kolchak: The Night Stalker

For some reason, I've been on a tear lately with the old series from 1974, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. If you've never seen it, it's about a reporter who seems to always find the supernatural stories. He doesn't look for them, he just stumbles onto them, and, since he's a believer, he's perfectly willing to follow the story to the truth, no matter how obsurd it might sound to his editor.

Originally aired in 1974, after two highly rated TV movies, Kolchak: The Night Stalker is one of the most underrated TV shows in history (in my never to be humble opinion). McGavin brings the perfect amount of 'everyman' and 'veteran reporter' to the table, Simon Oakland is perfect as Tony Vincenzo, Kolchak's ever put upon editor and, while each story is basically the 'monster' of the week, they never become repetative and each monster is an individual...although, you might wonder how so many monsters might populate Chicago with no one else noticing!

And, speaking of Chicago, since this was all shot in the 70s, all the exteriors and longshots of Kolchak in Chicago are actually shot in the city, which gives the series an authenticity that wouldn't happen today.

If you're a fan of The X Files, and you've never seen Kolchak: The Night Stalker, then you need to run to the video store NOW and grab this series. The whole series is available in one package and it's well worth your money! 4 out of 4 cigars!