Riptide: Complete First Season [DVD] [1986] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Diciding to go into the private-detective business, Nick & Cody worked from Cody's cabin cruiser, the "Riptide". Having at least two advantages over the compitition: Cody's Speeboat the "Ebbtide", and the "Screaming Mimi", Nick's old but serviceable pink painted helicopter.

Since they knew it was the high-tech era, they employed an army buddy called Boz, a computer nerd and genius with electronics.

The boys also occasionally get the help of Mama Jo and her charter boat all-girl crew moored next to their boat.

First telecasted on January 3rd, 1984 until its last telecast on April 22nd, 1986 for a total of three seasons and 58 episodes.

The show ranked 18th among the best 30 TV shows in its first season, getting 18.8% of viewers according to the Nielsen Rating. The rating jumped even higher in the second season ranking 14th, getting 19.2% of viewers(The Nielsen Rating is the percent of all TV-equipped homes tuned to the program on an average night, as measured by the Nielsen Media Research).

The cast were:
* Cody Allen ..... Perry King
* Nick Ryder ..... Joe Penny
* Murray "Boz" Bozinsky ..... Thom Bray
* Mama Jo (Occasional, 1984) ..... Anne Francis
* Lt. Ted Quinlan (1984-1985) ..... Jack Ging
* Kirk "The Dool" Dooley (1984-1985) ..... Ken Olandt
* Lt. Joanna Parisi (1985-1986) ..... June Chadwick

The first season consisted of 14 episodes and they are as follows:

01- Riptide (Pilot) (1) 1/3/1984
02- Riptide (Pilot) (2) 1/3/1984
03- Conflict Of Interest 1/10/1984
04- Somebody's Killing The Great Geeks Of America 1/17/1984
05- Hatchet Job 1/31/1984
06- The Mean Green Love Machine 2/7/1984
07- Diamonds Are For Never 2/21/1984
08- The Hardcase 2/28/1984
09- Four-Eyes 3/6/1984
10- #1 With A Bullet 3/20/1984
11- Long Distance Daddy 3/27/1984
12- Double Your Pleasure 4/3/1984
13- Raiders Of The Lost Sub 5/15/1984
14- Something Fishy 5/22/1984

I Hope the second and third season will be released shortly after the first.

Thanks for reading my review and have a nice day :)

There are TWO releases of Riptide "Season one" on DVD. This release by Sony, and another by a company named VEI. Here is why I'm urging you NOT to buy this version, and instead support VEI;

Sony has a long history of neglecting fans and waiting for several YEARS to release further seasons. They also tend to discontinue many DVD TV releases, citing poor sales (no further seasons). For instance, TJ Hooker may never see another season released.

VEI on the other hand, seems to care about the fans of each series they release. Everyone thought that Hardcastle and McCormick would never make it to DVD, yet VEI released ALL THREE seasons, QUICKLY, and apparently unedited (no music changes)!

Sony has not released season TWO of Riptide, while VEI has already released BOTH Season One AND Season Two, with Season Three just around the corner (February 27, 2008)! I doubt you will even see a Season Two release of Riptide by Sony!

So, why would you want to buy this release and support Sony, when they will probably NEVER even release season two? Before clicking on the "BUY" button, I urge you to Search Amazon for the VEI release. As consumers we need to support the DVD releasing companies that SUPPORT ALL OF US!

Here's the info on the DVD release that you should buy:

Studio: Unidisc.Inc (This is VEI)
DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006
ASIN: B000HD0YGA

You'll find it here on Amazon.

Also, the VEI release is indeed an "Official Release" (Fully Licensed) and you will not be sacrificing quality!

VEI will soon be releasing Stingray, another great Stephen J. Cannell series!!!

I have NO AFFILIATION with VEI. I'm just a fan who appreciates it when a studio actually releases an entire TV series, quickly!

This series deserves FIVE STARS. The ONE STAR rating is for this SONY release.

JM

The genius of Riptide is difficult to quantify; it is the one subtle aspect of a show that threatens to careen overboard in all other areas. You first briefly see its brilliance during the opening theme, so explosively edited that the appearance of the title itself feels like an afterthought. You see it in the characters: in Nick and Cody, who are constantly surrounded by beautiful, bikini-clad women but always look most comfortable sharing each other's personal space; in Murray, the impossibly earnest nerd who must have invented wireless internet; in Roboz, who brilliantly doubles as inimitable set design and convenient deus ex machina; and even in Quinlan, a police chief so one-dimensionally inept that he symbolizes an erratic force of nature more than a being capable of rational thought. You see it in the action sequences, bravely realistic in their haphazard composition, and in their running gags, the sheer length of which must have set network television records every week. It even shines through in the guest stars, most of them lesser-known actresses showcasing the most unique of performances. You see it too in the deceptively uncomplicated plots, the curious end credit freeze-frame choices, the ever-unspooling variations on the theme reprise, and the alarming frequency of shirt-removing.

It all adds up to a singular viewing experience, a fascinating product of its time that could not be replicated today. Two more seasons of Riptide gold were produced, including cameos by Steve Allen, James Cromwell and George Clooney; hopefully sales of this DVD will be high enough to warrant their future release.