Let's see: A 1970's television show about a womanizing private investigator with attitude who lives by the beach. Sounds like "The Rockford Files," right? Except, instead of handsome, middle-aged Jim Rockford driving a cool car, imagine well-worn, old Harry Orwell driving . . . nothing. That might be why "The Rockford Files" went on to classic status and "Harry-O" fell into oblivion after two seasons.Fear not, however: The series is currently being rerun on a small network, called The American Life Television Network (http://www.goodtv.com/program.php?programid=HR#). The acting is simply not that good: The guy who plays Lt. Trench (Zerbe) is so over-the-top that he always seems about two seconds from eating the scenery; David Janssen, who plays the P.I. Harry, seems to just be going through the motions. The plots can sometimes be incoherent, and the dialogue . . . well, let the few snippets on this site suffice to show how stupid it could be.As 1970's kitsch, as a show that's so bad it's good, I actually LIKE "Harry-O" !

Only 2 comments so far? That can't be right!I can't believe how rarely shown this show is, I've only ever caught 2 episodes! But even just 2 episodes were enough to tell that this was a series of quality, in all departments. David Jansen brought something special to every role he played and definitely gives extra depth and believability to the character of Harry O, compared with most other shows of this type. I've always had a soft spot for The Rockford Files and Harry O reminds me of it in some ways, but there seems much more to Harry O that would keep me watching over and over, if only the TV companies would actually show it! All 44 episodes on DVD would be even better of course. Soon Please, come on.

If ever a series deserved a better fate, it's this one. A quirky, three-dimensional main character, interesting plots and smart dialogue. It should have lastedyears, lasted 44 episodes. Janssen was terrific (better than in The Fugitive, a show where you only had to see the first episode and the last), his supporting players were almost as good and the writing, particularly by creator HowardRodman, was a cut above the typical TV fare. Yes, it was just another detective show and it did follow some of the typical cliches, but hey, it also provided a poignancy and adult (not X-rated, but intelligent) point of view rarely seen on the little screen. Hey, Warner Brothers (I think)! Where's the DVD collection?

Harry-O was truely one of the greatest shows to ever grace the television medium. It combined superb acting (Janssen, Zerbe-who won an EMMY, Darrow, and guests), writing (Howard Rodman, Robert Dozier and others), direction (Jerry London, Russ Mayberry, Jerry Thorpe) and a brilliantly photographed San Diego and Los Angeles. Janssen took to this role like no others, and made Harry Orwell and understandable and beleivable character, someone you wanted to go out and have a beer with. This show lasted but two short years, (though it did have two pilot movies shown during the 1973/1974 season) and was cancelled in favor of "Charlie's Angels", a travesty of the greatest kind. Without a doubt TV's greatest detective, Harry O's adventures ended far too soon.