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Although its release was almost certainly spurred by the publicity surrounding series star Robert Blake's recent arrest on murder charges, the first season of 'Baretta' is quite watchable, although understandably inferior to the wealth of similarly-themed shows that followed in its wake and borrowed from its premise.
Actors & CharactersDana Elcar, who would later lend his considerable skills to the series MacGyver, co-stars as Police Lieutenant Shiller. His role, as the token superior officer who disapproves of Baretta's methods but admires his results, is stereotypical, but Dana plays the stereotype admirably, and steals many of the scenes that he is in.
Michael D. Roberts is hilarious as the flamboyant pimp 'Rooster,' who is often willing to supply Baretta with information - for a price. Tom Ewell is believable as Baretta's landlord, a former policeman himself.
Robert Blake, who first became popular as Mickey in dozens of 'Our Gang' movies, and later impacted the national consciousness as killer Perry Smith in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, is Baretta, the rogue cop with a conscience. Blake is more than adequate in his role, but the episodic nature of the show inhibits his ability to convey any emotional weight in his performance.
Two non-traditional players also deserve credit in this department. The first is the Cockatoo, Fred, whose antics give the show much of its humor. The second are the makeup and costuming departments, who disguise Baretta so ingeniously when the plot demands that he is nearly unrecognizable.
Writing & PlotBaretta is an episodic, formulaic drama. The first-season episodes following the pilot/premiere are completely interchangable. There is no continuity. Childhood friends, old girlfriends, new girlfriends, and police colleagues rise to sudden prominence in the course of a single episode, then fade back into the background, never to be seen again.
This can be acceptable and even desirable for a comedy, but in a drama on the order of Baretta, where the character's purpose is to have some palpable effect on his reality, it robs the viewer of ever seeing that effect. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the elegant plot arcs of Babylon 5, the Sopranos, or even Friends, but watching Robert Blake traverse the same territory for eleven episodes was more tiring than fulfilling.
Sound & MusicThe Baretta theme song rocks. Though the opening credits feature only an instrumental version, the episode 'Ragtime Billy Peaches' includes two accomplished vocal renditions. The ambient music is also quite good, with horns and strings sometimes echoing the theme song, but more often making their own statement with belligerant majors and ominous minors. Watch the third episode on the third disc, 'The Secret Of Terry Lake,' for a fitting and touching departure from this pattern.
Unfortunately, the sound can sometimes be uneven. In order to understand the dialogue, I had to increase the volume to the point where the music became distracting. Subtitles helped immensely, but really should not have been necessary in the first place, given the capabilities of modern technology.
ExtrasUnfortunately, Baretta contains no extra features.
Overall a 3.0
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