Der Sechs Millionen Dollar Mann - Die komplette Serie (Blu-Ray)

First, this will be a LONG review, so be warned, this is for DIE HARD fans, and let me start by recommending that you go ahead and plan on buying The Bionic Woman boxed set along with this one - you can't go wrong, and they compliment each other brilliantly - but even if you don't, this set has a few key Bionic Woman episodes AND all three reunion movies, so... it ALMOST feels complete without the Bionic Woman set. That said however, its better if you have both, and this will be a review of the key episodes from BOTH series.Before I list the essential episodes though, be warned that its not a PERFECT series. Nostalgia made me forget some of the clunkier elements - it was made in an era before cable, dvd, and blu ray, when broadcast over the airwaves meant that the signal degradation was often so bad that you couldn't see the stunt men's faces, etc; a time when "home video" was called "re-runs", and its definitely a product of its time. That said, its still good enough, fun enough, interesting and well-written enough to hold your attention today, even with clunks and all - a great "family friendly" show that might alienate more cynical Millennials, but will have grandma and grandpa cheering for sure.ESSENTIALS: The three "pilot" movies. The first stand-alone movie-of-the-week is an adaptation of Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg, and by today's standards, is a little slow, having none of the sha-na-na-na-na razzle dazzle that became so iconic later on in the weekly series. However, its a showcase for Lee Majors acting talent, as well as for the vast potential the concept of a bionic man in a spy-adventure formula had. Darren McGavin is GREAT as Oliver Spencer, the surprisingly cynical precursor to Oscar Goldman. The second and third movies-of-the-week were made by none other than Battlestar Galactica's Glen A. Larson, who not necessarily for the better, tried to cash in on the popular 007 zeitgeist of the time. Lee Majors wasn't comfortable in a tuxedo (and it shows), and they retconned a few things from the first film without explanation, such as replacing Oliver Spencer with Oscar Goldman. No explanation, not even real continuity. Goldman was simply added to be less sinister and more likeable than Spencer. Dr. Rudy Wells was also recast (the second of three actors who would play Rudy), and though they're a bit more violent than the series that would follow, they're still well worth a watch to see how the formula COULD have gone, and to see what elements they got right.The 1st Season was an instant hit. Veteran producer Harve Bennett (The Mod Squad) recognized Lee Majors' appeal as a kind of "western" guy, and ditched the tuxedos for toothpicks and a more folksy, down-home flavor. He also knew how to keep all the action and intrigue of a good science-oriented spy-caper series, while still telling stories about people. The result was an instantly iconic smash hit, aided in no small part by Oliver Nelson's iconic jazz score. These are the episodes I feel are essential, listed in the order I prefer watching them:Population: ZeroThe Last of the Fourth of JulysSurvival of the FittestDr. Wells is MissingEyewitness to MurderThe Rescue of Athena OneDay of the RobotSeason 2 continued the iconic, highly entertaining formula that was so successful in Season 1, but towards the end saw the introduction of romantic foil for Steve who would out-class his many other on screen romances, and alter the DNA of the series. Writer Kenneth Johnson (who went on to create The Bionic Woman series, The Incredible Hulk, V: The Miniseries, and Alien Nation: The Series), was responsible for the introduction of the iconic "bride of Frankenstein" 2-parter "The Bionic Woman" that launched Lindsay Waggoner into the same level of stardom as Lee Majors. The 2-part episode was so well received, that Lindsay Waggoner received her own series as a mid-season replacement during the airing of the third season of The Six Million Dollar Man.The Deadly ReplayThe PioneersThe Pal-Mir EscortNuclear AlertThe Seven Million Dollar Man (Introduction of SECOND Bionic Man)Return of the Robot MakerThe Bionic Woman 1 & 2Steve Austin, Fugitive (Introduction of Oscar's Secretary, Peggy Callahan)Target in the Sky (a 3rd Season episode that I'd recommend here to give Steve some down time between Bionic Woman episodes)The Six Million Dollar Man peaked with Season 3. While Seasons 4 and 5 are still worth watching and seem littered with great episodes and crossover events, this was (for me) the high water mark for the series. Not only had the producers gotten the formula down to a science, but they started running The Bionic Woman concurrently during this season, with many "surprise" cameos between the two, giving audiences a double-dose of bionic action almost every week. I've put asterisks next to the essential episodes of The Bionic Woman series, of which only Kill Oscar 1-3 is featured on the Six Mil Man boxed set collection.The Return of the Bionic Woman 1 & 2The Price of LibertyThe Bionic CriminalWelcome Home, Jaime 1 & 2* (technically the first two episodes of The Bionic Woman) Jaime’s Mother* The Jailing of Jaime*The Deadly Test Angel of Mercy* A Thing of the Past*Love Song for Tanya Bionic Beauty*The Secret of Bigfoot 1 & 2 Mirror Image* The Deadly Missiles*Season 4 toned down the cameos between the two highly popular action-adventure shows, but doubled-down on the crossover "event" episodes. Lee Majors decided to grow a moustache this season, which didn't go over that well with ALL the fans, but... its not THAT distracting, and while some people felt that the moustache, and the introduction of the more epic, sci-fi elements like Bigfoot and the Fembots ultimately derailed the series, I thought they made for some of the most memorable, iconic, and fun moments.The Thunderbird Connection 1 & 2The Return of Bigfoot 1 & 2Kill Oscar 1-3 The Deadly Ringer 1 & 2* Doomsday is Tomorrow 1 & 2*Season 5 was the last. The moustache vanished, and in its place Lee Majors got a new wavy-haired "perm" look. It was a bit Shatner-esque, but it beat the moustache in my opinion. Season 5 was, quite sadly, devoid of Jaime Sommers, and again, in my opinion, more than Bigfoot or aliens or any other factor, the loss of that "heart" killed both series. The network cancelled The Bionic Woman after two seasons, and instead of adding her character to The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman was picked up for one more season on another channel. That was great for Lindsay Waggoner and the fans of her series (which was getting higher ratings than Six Mil at that point), but the legalities of the move prevented any further crossovers. Thankfully, Oscar Goldman and Rudy Wells WERE allowed to jump back and forth, but in my opinion, it marked the beginning of the end. Six Mil began to rely on "epic" 2-parters that weren't as epic or classic as the first few seasons. These episodes are worth a watch, but Star Wars had arrived in theaters, and the era of audiences forgiving "cheap" sci-fi was coming quickly to an end.Sharks 1 & 2 The Bionic Dog 1 & 2*Deadly Countdown 1 & 2Bigfoot VDark Side of the Moon 1 & 2 Fembots in Las Vegas 1 & 2* The Antidote* On the Run*And then, nine years after both series were cancelled, there were the Bionic Reunion TV movies. These were must-see events for long-time fans who wanted (or even NEEDED) some closure, and although they weren't perfect either, they were pretty good, and prove satisfying enough for fans of both series. Be warned though, like the series, the reunion movies peaked early, and stumbled across the finish line not a moment too soon.The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman is a mini-epic written and produced by The Equalizer's Michael Sloan, who updated the OSI for a more modern world a bit, and skillfully proved that these characters and the actors who portrayed them still had it. This film connected well with the previous series, and deftly balanced the effort to start a new weekly show with new characters like Michael Austin and Jim Castillian (played by Lee Majors son, Lee Majors II). The special fx were hit and miss, and the jazzy drums of Oliver Nelson were replaced by some painfully cheesy 80's pop music, but the beats of the main theme and the snazzy saxophone of Marvin Hamlish (For Your Eyes Only) proved romantic enough and action-y enough to deliver an extremely satisfying (if cheezy), highly nostalgic and smile-inducing bionic bonanza. It didn't reignite the original series' former popularity, but it was the best of the reunion films, and had they ended it here, it would've been a satisfying-enough coda.Thankfully, die hard fans got more (for better and worse). Bionic Showdown was the second TV reunion movie that inexplicably ditched Steve's new bionic son, Michael Austin, and served as a backdoor pilot for a young Sandra Bullock's Kate Mason character, who just became bionic. This one isn't bad... but it doesn't balance the new with the old nearly as well. Rocky's Bill Conti did the music, but it wasn't particularly memorable. Lee Majors and Lindsay Waggoner bookend the story, but Sandra Bullock and Jeff Yagher have to hold up the middle, and while they're not necessarily BAD... you end up wondering where the hell Steve and Jaime are half the time. Its a solid spy yarn though, with some decent twists, and Richard Anderson gets to chew some scenery as Oscar Goldman for once, but the film is brought down even more by the introduction of a really bad bionic blur effect that just... doesn't work. It's worth a look for both fans of the old series and Sandra Bullock lovers, but... thankfully, there would be one more attempt to salvage what was left of these iconic characters.Bionic Ever After? is the third and final episode in the form of a TV movie. On the plus side, its TOTALLY Steve and Jaime-centric. No bionic kids. It feels like a classic episode, albeit written by The Equalizer's Michael Sloan (who wrote and produced all three reunion films, tending to make them a bit edgier and more cynical than the original series for better and worse). My only real complaint is the score by Ron Ramin, which simply failed to evoke the proper spirit. This one gets by on a nostalgic story about Steve, Oscar, and Jaime, and finally sees the central, star-crossed, often ill-fated lovers finally making good on a few decades' worth of innuendo. Its a satisfying end, but not a moment too soon.Overall, two great series with two great boxed sets, each with enough great extras to make them worth the purchase price. I would love to see a proper remake, but not an improper one. Like Star Trek, this old series has a very specific formula, and I'd hate to see it revamped "in name only". Probably inevitable, but from concept to formula to zeigeist to old age, this is where you can find the one and only original Six Million Dollar Man. A VERY satisfied customer is what I am. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the show as much as I.

Absolutely love this set! Very glad I made the purchase. Episodes are fantastic and I love that it includes all 6 SMDM movies and several episodes with Steve & Jaime. Lots of great bonus features as well. Definitely worth getting if you are a big SMDM or Lee Majors fan. :)

Hey, it's a childhood friend. This series is from the generation of myself and my husband. We were very young teens when this series came out and we watched it as kids and it is part of the memories we share from that time. "... wow, you watched the SMDM too! Remember that episode when ..." We always said, 'I wish they would put that series out on DVD'. And finally they did. The audio and visual is not super-dooper high def; blu-ray; super clear whoopty doo -- whatever. It is as it was back in the day, and for that we are happy. Watching the series, for us, is like being thrown back through a time warp. It has become a Saturday night, standing date, for two 55 year olds. A couple of SMDM episodes, a plate of fantastic chicken wings and a cold beverage. Woo-hoo! Fun times remembered and enjoyed. A buffet of lost and forgotten character actors -- .. oh yeah, I remember him or her!... Fun T.V. the whole family can watch. It should not be taken seriously, just entertainment. Thank you to the old T.V restoration guys that finally put this series on DVD. Worth every penny for us time warpers!

This collection is fantastic. It includes the original pilots, all of the seasons and the three reunion movies - Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, Bionic Showdown (with Sandra Bullock) and Bionic After Ever. The quality is excellent and the price is perfect. I've wanted this for a long time, but the "collectors" set was out of my price range.

I used to watch The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid, and always loved it. And, yes, there were plenty of times that I ran around or picked things up in slow motion making the "da-na-na-na-na-na" sounds. When I saw this was available, I knew I had to have it. And it doesn't disappoint. There's so much that I didn't remember -- from the pilot being so different from the rest of the series, to Lee Majors singing in the Bionic Woman episodes (he got much better by the time that he sang The Fall Guy's theme song), and so much more. It's been great watching all these old episodes. And the stories are still really entertaining. The quality of the videos is excellent, there's bonus materials included (some of which are good, some aren't), and there are a TON of episodes -- something like 14-16 per season. It's taken me weeks to get through 3 seasons ... and I've still got several to go. The price isn't bad, either -- it works out to less like 60 cents per episode -- even less if you count all the bonus materials.

Some of the humor is so 70's - and some humor I am surprised they allowed on television - but it WAS the 70's ! There will NEVER be a show like this on television that was filled with technology driven inspiration about what the future has to offer. Even though we have come a long ways with medical advancements, we still have a long way to go to create cyborgs where your mind can control the electronic part, but I can see it happening in the future in a much smaller scale. I just love 70's programming as the clothing styles are great to see and many 70's iconic references. There are some beautiful women in the episodes - very James Bond'ish. This concise complete series is awesome and it actually has a few of the movies as well. I've just started so I'm not sure what else is included.

I loved this tremendous series as a kid in the 70s and I'm loving it all over again as an adult. My partner and I try to make time for an episode every Saturday morning, and to think that there are 100 episodes and lots of extras totalling approximately 17 hours is one hell of a treat. I managed to pick this up on Amazon 'used like new' for £55 and boy what a bargain that was!Mine came in a sturdy card box (as seen in the image) which features 6 large, really solid DVD cases with the many DVDs in each mounted safely on clips. The first five cases contain dozens of DVDs for series 1-5 whilst the sixth case contains DVDs of bonus features of which there are plenty. Each case also features a nice colour booklet. I really feel for those who got saddled with versions of this collection featuring the DVDs slapped on top of each other on spindles. That is simply not good enough!If you get the decent version with the nice quality cases then it really is everything fans of this series could hope for. BTW, picture and sound quality are very good throughout which I am delighted with.Very highly recommended!

This Review Comes From The Newly Released German Import Blu-ray release for This classic series Not The current UK DVD releases. with The DVD releases mixed in with Blu-ray reviews it can get difficult at Times. The Six Million Dollar Man The Bionic Adventures of astronaut Steve Austin. we all know The premise Austin his mortally injured in a Test flight and They can rebuilt him better stronger faster. Steve Austin superbly played by Lee Majors is one of TVs Most iconic characters. All Five seasons of Austin's incredible adventures are now available in stunning High Definition be it a German import release. personally There are some really good points for This collection which is surely The remastered Blu-ray prints They are simply Gorgeous from The classic opening credits you will be hooked on This series all over again. I do own The UK DVD release of The series and like Steve Austin's super speed This release leaves your DVDs far behind. A staggering Ten episodes per Disc feature on The Blu-ray and perhaps This is were The collection as a few little bad points. I presume to fit say Ten episodes per Disc we are loosing some edits Towards The end of The episodes simply They are slightly shortened. Die Hard fans of The series like myself know These episodes inside out. There only minor little Trims and if you were not familiar with The episodes Themselves you really wouldn't notice it. unlike The DVD releases from what I can tell there does not appear to be any Extras for The collection. Though my past experience with foreign import releases if They were They would probably be as in This case in German. which brings us onto The Discs main menus a simple click To English plays your Discs in just That. an informative episode guide booklet while in German retains The English Titles for The episodes so you can still Tell which Disc your favourite episode is on. Despite The plus and Negative sides for This release I would still Highly recommend it until an official English release comes along Though I won't be given up my DVDs of The series just yet. you will be purchasing This collection simply for The upgrade and it is one remarkable upgrade That said if your a die hard fan of the show The cuts to The episodes are a slight put off and needs To be Taking in view before you purchase That would really be my only advice on opting To purchase This release.

The 2018 German Blu Ray released by Turnine/Universal Studios is in fantastic 1080p High Def.I had my doubts in purchasing this collection but so glad I did.So far I have watched :Survival of the FittestDay of the RobotRun Steve RunThe Last of the Fourth of JulysThe Seven Million Dollar ManReturn of the Robot MakerThe Bionic Woman Part 1The Bionic woman Part 2One of our Running Backs is MissingThe Secret of Bigfoot Part 1The Secret of Bigfoot Part 2I have never seen this great series looking so great.I thought the release by Fabulous was very good,but the picture quality here is a major upgrade.I can’t see the Six Million Dollar Man looking better than this.The language is English and the scope is 1.33:1Lee Majors was perfect in the role as Steve Austin.I’m bewildered as to why no US or UK Blu Ray release and why it took so long for a UK/US DVD release!!!Repeated on the Sci Fi channel in the mid 90s here in the UK,but mysteriously never shown again on Mainstream TV after it was first aired in the 70s!!!Really quick free delivery from Amazon arriving within two days after ordering.

First things first.....The contents are fantastic, Steve Austin is in all his glory here...lot's of extras tooIt's everything a fan would ever want...well almost...The problem is the box that holds the DVDsWhoever designed this has not spent much time or thought, result being that every time you lift the outer lid to get the DVDs out, the lid basically "wastes away" . This is because the lid does not directly lift off, instead it bends back and already is showing wear.Like Steve said in the intro, "she's breaking up!At £100, they should have done betterA pity, for what would otherwise have been a major( pardon the pun) release.

As you may or may not be aware, The Six Million Dollar Man has only been released on BluRay in Germany (this set). Every other country has to put up with old, DVD quality releases, and that is the first thing you notice - the quality!Where the old DVD picture looks blurry, faded and grainy, this looks clear and sharp with magnificent colours!The sound remains in mono, but is now in glorious DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono!Being a German release, the audio is available in German DTS as well as English, and although most of the content has no subtitles, what few there are, are in German.Apparently, the DVD release had some content cut so that the episodes could all fit on the disks, and some of the original soundtrack music had been replaced due to licencing issues. This set restores the original music and cut sections.The three original pilot movies are available as the cut down TV movie versions that were released on the DVDs, or as 2 part Episodes which add approximately 25 minutes of extra footage to each movie, and as a result, make a lot more sense and explain what would otherwise be plot-holes.The “The Bionic Woman” episodes are also available here as both individual episodes, and as a movie version – although the movie version doesn’t seem to have anything cut from it, and is approximately the same running time as the two episodes minus the “previously on the Six Million Dollar Man…” catch-up and the second episode title sequence. New on the movie version is a Director’s Commentary, but I can’t say who it’s by or what it’s like, as it is German language only, and not mentioned in the accompanying booklet…In fact, the only thing that lets it down for me is the fact that it has been slightly "Germanised" and before you all shout "Racist!", let me explain:• The original title sequence (“I can’t hold her – she’s breaking up, she’s break…”) [which were shown either at the start of each episode, or more commonly after a short ‘teaser’ and before the episode proper] have been removed. These have been replaced with an almost identical version (except with the titles in German) that is shown at the start of every episode, then followed by the teaser, then by the episode proper.Why not have the title sequence in the same place as the original version?• The episode name has also been replaced with a German version, but I don’t really mind this as this is the German version after all…• Occasionally, hard-coded German subtitles appear on-screen, translating an important sign or document title, or other plot-relevant item that is not in German.This is distracting, and unnecessary as it could have been easily accomplished using ‘forced’ subtitles. These can be switched on or off at will in the player menu, and could be set by default to automatically switch on if the player language is set to ‘German’. Completely unobtrusive and transparent.There is one more omission - The crossover episodes with ‘The Bionic Woman’ are a bit muddled.1. “The Return of Bigfoot” parts 1 & 2 are both included, even though part 2 was a ‘Bionic Woman’ episode. This is great, although the Bionic Woman title sequence has been removed, and The Six Million Dollar Man title sequence has been inserted at the beginning, before the ‘catch-up’ for part 1.2. “Kill Oscar” has been omitted entirely. This was originally a three-part crossover, with parts 1 and 3 being episodes of ‘The Bionic Woman’. It would have been nice to have had all three episodes here in glorious HD, but I can only assume that they are on the companion BluRay set of ‘The Bionic Woman’ (Die Sieben Millionen Dollar Frau), albeit in Standard Definition only, as is the rest of that box set.Apart from those minor issues, this is a very well put together, if slightly basic, set. There is a nicely constructed accompanying booklet (printed on glossy, heavyweight paper) which lists the episodes for each disc along with a brief resumé of each one (this is all in German, but it does also give the English title of each episode).It doesn’t list any of the included extras, which are few and far-between for the first two seasons, and completely non-existent after that. What there (five featurettes and an interview) is in 480p US Standard Definition, and looks to have been grabbed from the season 1 & 2 DVDs.All things considered; this is a set well worth buying. What you will mostly be doing is watching the episodes, and the quality of the ones here greatly enhances the viewing experience.