- Release Date: June 2, 2009
- Publisher: Paramount
- Price: $25.99 on Amazon.com (Buy It)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 609 minutes
- Special Features: Episodic Promos
- Starring: William Conrad
- Genre: Crime Drama
As you probably already know if you’re a regular reader of this blog, I am just a casual fan of procedurals. That doesn’t mean I don’t like them, I just don’t watch them regularly and I will almost always pick a serialized show over one that isn’t. “Cannon” is just another show in that long line of procedurals. It’s alright and I generally enjoy most episodes but I just prefer to watch more original shows.
If you haven’t heard of “Cannon” before, it is a 1970’s P.I. show starring William Conrad. Conrad plays Frank Cannon, an overweight detective who once was part of the police force. The show is pretty much your typical detective drama in every way.
Even though the show is a little generic it does have one thing that should make it worth watching for most procedural fans; William Conrad. He is terrific in this role which is a good thing since he is the only series regular the show ever had. For a younger viewer who is used to ensemble casts, its a little odd to see a show with just one main character but it works because of Conrad.
Other than Conrad though, there really isn’t anything else notable about the series. Some of the cases are pretty good but like all procedurals, the quality varies wildly from week to week. Some cases have outstanding guest stars and interesting concepts, others are poorly acted (other than Conrad) and similar to other cases I’ve seen a million times. This set has twelve episodes and I would say six are really good, four are average, and two are below average.
This season aired in 1972 so I wasn’t surprised to see that the transfers on this set are pretty poor overall. They are way too soft and sometimes filled with grain and other artifacts. The DVD is watchable but still a far cry from most of Paramount’s other releases. The only extra included is a series of episodic promos which only barely counts as a bonus feature in my book. Since the show aired in the ’70s and Conrad passed away in 1994, I can understand the lack of extras but I do think the price should have been lowered a bit. $25.99 is a bit high for just twelve episodes and episodic promos.
“Cannon” is a solid show, it just isn’t one that I would watch every week if it was still on TV. It’s the kind of show I’ll pop in the DVD player for one episode every so often. The decision on whether to purchase this set basically comes down to how much you love procedurals. If you love them, go ahead and pick up “Cannon: Season 2, Volume 1.” If you just enjoy the occasional episode, I would probably pass.
