Mannix: The Seventh Season [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

One reason might be because season 7 is one of the best seasons of "Mannix." And, we finally have it back, with 16 of its 24 episodes not aired in the US since '73-'74 because they, along with all of seasons 1 and 8, were not included in the US syndication packages.

I've said elsewhere (see the "Mannix is Coming!" thread on [...] that if I was forced to be on a desert island with only one season of "Mannix," this could well be the season I'd choose -- and, believe me, it would be a difficult choice. Each season of "Mannix" has a tone all its own, while always being true to its main themes of toughness, individuality and sacrifice blended with gentle good grace and humor. Each season has special moments to savor.

As of this writing, let's assume that CBS/Paramount will continue to do the right thing by "Mannix" and not only release the entire series, at long last, but also continue to give us high quality DVDs with the digitally re-mastered episodes packaged in beautiful menus that capture the spirit of the show. Thanks CBS/Paramount! And the fact that these episodes are uncut means that what you get with these DVDs is what the series was meant to be -- a singular character study with subtle but oh so graceful character relationships revealed, often in very small nuances.

In season 7 is an episode where Art Malcolm gets married ("A Night Full of Darkness") -- a lot happens in there that sounds like so much less on the surface than it winds up being on screen. And you also get the last season of Adam Tobias -- presumably Robert Reed's absence from the final season of "Mannix" (season 8) had something to do with his not showing up to the filming of the last episode of "The Brady Bunch." Season 7 of "Mannix" coincided with season 5 of "The Brady Bunch" and both were Paramount productions. Notice how Robert Reed seemed to actually want to do "Mannix" though.

Loyal "Mannix" viewers are especially rewarded in the subtle evolution of the interaction between Joe and Peggy. They have some of their best scenes of the entire series in season 7. And no, they never did "do it" -- not in this season or any other. Well, we don't really know what happened during the commercial breaks... And, I checked, but President Obama was born before the series began -- according to his birth certificate anyway.

"Mannix" was both timeless in its themes as well as way ahead of its time.

Season 7 epitomizes why "Mannix" is such a special show. Shows about one main, mythological character have the biggest problem staying fresh over a long run because the character, already larger than life, has to somehow become ever larger in order to stay compelling. Season 7 of "Mannix" addressed the problem by putting Joe in lots of physical peril. He survives a plane crash ("Climb a Deadly Mountain"), being shot in the side by a gang and left on the streets ("The Gang's All Here"), and being knocked unconscious and then shot to the point of actually being presumed dead and being taken to the morgue ("The Dark Hours"), diverted only at the last moment. On the surface, just looking at the episode descriptions -- surviving a plane crash and even seemingly raising Joe Mannix from the dead in one of them -- this might seem to be the "jumping the shark" year for "Mannix" (for those unfamiliar with this term, consult Wikipedia -- with the "Happy Days" explanation). But, instead of going too far, "Mannix" does what it always does -- finds the sweet spot between larger than life myth and reality -- and it just gets better.

Consider "The Dark Hours," the episode that finds Joe barely alive after being shot with his own gun, complete with Art Malcolm finding him dumped down a hillside, declared dead and hauled up the hillside with a sheet over him, only to be diverted from the morgue at the last minute. This stuff all happens in the first few minutes of the episode. From those first few minutes it sounds like "Mannix" went too far -- surely it's jumping the shark. And yet, that episode winds up being great. The shocking stuff is preliminary stuff -- not there for shock value alone, but to set up something much better. Most of the episode has Joe lying there in a hospital bed, trying to recollect what happened the night before (an excellent chance for Mike Connors to act with only his eyes -- something he was superb at in "Mannix"). Forget for a moment the theme where you could say Joe rises from the dead -- if that isn't enough of a present-day setting for a larger than life myth for you. What you get to see is Joe on the edge of survival, trying to piece things together -- and he winds up helping someone else with whatever he's got left in him. I don't know of too many other shows -- and maybe there are no other shows -- that can consistently depict that kind of "higher form of love" and never look corny or cheap. And "Mannix" manages to convey the same kind of message in at least two other episodes of season 7 alone -- ones that are so beautifully done that they can be watched over and over again.

Maybe that is why that man is smiling -- because he has managed to reconcile such timeless themes so well with a present-day setting, making the struggle behind it all seem so appealing, even stylish.

There will only ever be one Joe Mannix, and thankfully no one has ever had the stupid idea of doing a revival of the series, unlike the idiocy now called Hawaii Five-O. Mike Connors would not have it, and I think part of it is due to the emmense respect he had for his co-star Gail Fisher. Joe and Peggy are really iconic characters. Others tried to duplicate the on camera chemistry these two had, Remington Steele, and others, but failed miserably. Mannix had powerful writers, and a brilliant director as well. And the stories are timeless. I would rather watch a dvd of a Mannix episode, than about 90% of the garbage the networks are jamming down our throats right now. Season 7 was only partially rerun once, and not in all parts of the country. It is a real treat to bre able to see this season again, let alone own it, as the guest stars and stories are brilliant. Season 6 and 7 were always my favorites of the show, not that I didn't love the others, but these two seasons were great. This was by far the best detective show on tv at the time, and more than likely always will be. CBS had the two best shows at the time, the original Hawaii Five-O, and Mannix. Nothing has ever come close to what this show was. Yes there was violence, but far less than todays shows with sub machine guns, and uzis and cars being blown up at every turn of the corner. But the show also had a story as well. And you were glued from the beginning to the end. Mannix had a way of keeping your attention, and always knew when to throw in a curve, so that you would have to keep watching. It really is a shame that todays writers have no clue what the audience wants, and keeps writing for the the 17-27 year old crowd. The greats don't want to get invovled with half the nonsense that is on tv now, and also shows that go to the big screen. Perfect example is Mission Impossible. Tom Cruise is no more believable as the IMF leader as is the current McGarrett on the current Hawaii Five-O. It is no wonder Peter Graves turned the role of Phelps down in the first movie, when he found out that Phelps was being made the villain. Compared to Peter Graves, Tom Cruise leaves a lot to be desired. Which is probably why Mike Connors refuses to let anyone touch this show, while he is alive. I know that I would not watch any remake of Mannix, since it will never come close to the original. Todays writers just can't pull a show like this off. Season 7 was worth the wait, and now I am already looking forward to Season 8.

When Nflx stopped carrying Mannix past the 3rd season for rental, I began buying them. Around Season 6, I got a little bored. Still a good show, but many of the same plots, locations, etc. There were a few stand-out episodes, but the thrill was gone. I'm glad I risked buying the 7th Season. The producers obviously realized they had gotten into a rut, & decided to change things up. The first 2 discs demonstrate this the most. Mannix is lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains being hunted by corrupt prison guards. Mannix is in Palm Desert being hunted by a group of assasins he stumbled on by accident. Mannix is wounded & hunted by a young teenaged gang out to prove themselves by killing him. Mannix trails a missing man to a ghost town & is hunted by its few violent inhabitants.
Mannix falls for an opera singer he's protecting (curiously played by the same actress he fell for in Season 5).

The theme here is that Mannix is outside his LA comfort zone. 65 percent of the episodes take place in other locales. Cry Danger has beautiful location shots in San Francisco, making you wish they'd shot more episodes there.
As others have mentioned, after 7 years of this, Mike Connors looks a bit older this season. How many cracks on the skull or jumps from roofs can a man near 50 take? I do think it was a mistake to have at least 4 episodes where Mannix is badly wounded (even near death) all in one season. Although "The Dark Hours" told in flashback, is a highlight of a very consistent season. Since it's 1973, there are some odd fashion choices. The loose blue pastel clothing he wears in "Way to a Dusty Death" are SO not Mannix. At the end of "Cry Danger" we see him in a big fluffy white coat with absurd wide lapels. What happened to his super-cool tan suede jacket or sport-coats?

I deducted one star for the 2-part travesty called "Race Against Time". This smelled like an unused story for Mission: Impossible (which had just gone off the air in 1973). To involve a Los Angeles private eye in international espionage goes way beyond any sense of plausability. Mannix has to fly a doctor into a vaguely Eastern-Bloc country (or is it Latin America? More-likely the back-lot at Paramount) to save the life of a just deposed leader & get him back into power. Yes, this exact plot was done several times by Mission Impossible... in the 1960's !!! By the 1970's the IM Force dealt with US crime: "The Syndicate". It took all my wits to suffer through a double-episode based in a country where the military & police all wear vaguely Soviet uniforms, but everyone looks Californian & speaks w/ clear American accents.
Mission Impossible would have done this in one episode, not dragged it out into a 2-part snore-fest.
When Mannix trudges through the hospital in a green & red military-style uniform, there's a look on his face of defeat, of "what the hell am I doing?". And as he & the doctor mount a plane to escape in disguise at the end, you will imagine (or wish for) the Mission Impossible score playing in your head. If there had ever been an episode where Gregg Morris & Peter Graves SHOULD have been guest-stars, this was the one.

Thankfully, this abomination is followed by more great episodes in one of my 3 favorite Mannix seasons !! And in the last episode, Mannix gets to kiss Linda Evans, more than once--and man, she was a knockout in 1973 !!