Kojak

A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in New York City.

Kojak (1973-1978) is an American network police procedural created by Abby Mann for CBS and ABC. Telly Savalas plays Theo Kojak, a bald, lollipop-sucking New York City detective with a fiery, righteous streak, while Dan Frazer as Frank McNeill and Kevin Dobson as Bobby Crocker work the same cases alongside him. Across five seasons and 118 hour-long episodes, the engine is a steady stream of individual crimes that Kojak must crack through street contacts, interrogations and stubborn persistence against bureaucratic obstacles and a city full of petty and violent offenders. Each episode is largely self-contained, with a case-of-the-week structure rather than a continuing storyline. The series is set in 1970s Manhattan, with its gritty streets, precinct offices and late-night stakeouts giving the show a grounded, documentary-leaning texture. Its tone is blunt, confrontational and sometimes wry, with a swagger that comes from its lead rather than from any stylish flourish. Fans of Columbo, Hill Street Blues and Starsky and Hutch will find resonance in its classic police drama.

Audiences broadly remember the early seasons of Kojak fondly for Telly Savalas's commanding lead, though later seasons are rated noticeably lower.

• Columboshared police procedural format, gritty new york city crime, charismatic detective lead
• Hill Street Bluesshared urban police drama tone and street-level new york crime stories
• Starsky & Hutchshared gritty 1970s cop series with an idiosyncratic detective protagonist

Created by

Abby Mann

Release Date

1973-10-24

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.1 / 10 (155)

What is Kojak about?

A bald, lollipop-sucking New York police detective with a fiery sense of justice takes on the city's crime.

What is Kojak like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kojak as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.

Is Kojak violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Kojak as moderate.

What did critics think of Kojak?

Audiences broadly remember the early seasons of Kojak fondly for Telly Savalas's commanding lead, though later seasons are rated noticeably lower.

Which shows are like Kojak?

Shows with a similar feel include Columbo, Hill Street Blues, and Starsky & Hutch.

How long is Kojak?

Kojak: 5 seasons, 118 episodes.

Is Kojak still running?

No, Kojak has ended.

Where can I watch Kojak?

In United States, Kojak streams on The Roku Channel.