Mike Hammer, Private Eye 1997-1998 DVD review

May 16, 2023- Permalink

Film Chest is releasing Mike Hammer, Private Eye 1997-1998 on DVD and I had a chance to take a look. I love it when boutique labels release almost forgotten series on physical media. This show, which stars Stacy Keach, only ran for 26 episodes and though it’s currently on Prime, streamers are notorious for dropping shows on a whim.

You may remember that Keach played Hammer on the Eighties’ CBS series Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, which was later renamed The New Mike Hammer. In the late Nineties, the producers tried their luck relaunching the series as a direct-to-syndication show and so Mike Hammer, Private Eye was born. Sadly, the show never found it’s audience and production ended after just 26 episodes. Keach’s tough and gritty Hammer was joined by Shannon Whirry as his sexy secretary, Velda, and Shane Conrad as his sidekick.

Film Chest has presented the series in a five DVD set. The video is presented in the original 4:3 aspect ratio. With the 26 episodes spread over five discs, compression isn’t bad at all and this is a good looking DVD presentation. Audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 with English closed captions.

Mike Hammer, Private Eye 1997-1998 comes in a nice embossed slipcover. There’s a booklet with episode synopses and the discs contain the original series trailer.

Film Chest has done a great job with the Mike Hammer, Private Eye 1997-1998 DVD set and if you’re a fan of Stacy Keach, Mike Hammer or collecting short-lived series, then this is an easy recommendation.