Tweet

From The TV IV

Kojak centered around the cases of New York City detective lieutenant Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas), a Greek policeman with a lot of experience on the force and an unpleasant temper when he didn't get his way. Kojak, best known for his fondness for lollipops and the catchphrase "Who loves ya, baby?", solved crimes throughout New York City with the help of the other detectives in the 13th Precinct, who included Kojak's partner Sergeant Bobby Crocker and Detective Stavros, a pudgy detective played by Telly Savalas' brother George.

Kojak was actually introduced in a TV movie predating the television series by several months, The Marcus Nelson Murders, and due to its popularity a television series was commissioned. Kojak's popularity continued for years, with the grouchy Greek detective becoming something of a symbol for the nation's police and the show even attracting the attention of the Queen of England, who actually requested that Telly Savalas attend a function at the White House so she could meet him.

After the television series ended in 1978, it continued in the form of televised movies, the last several of which aired in 1989 and 1990 as part of a rotating Columbo/Kojak series. As well, a "reimagined" series aired in early 2005 starring Ving Rhames as Kojak.

The series was produced by Universal Television. NBC Universal Television Distribution handles syndication of the show.

Contents 1 Cast 2 Seasons 3 Telefilms 4 In-Depth 5 DVD Releases 6 External Sites

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Billed Cast
Telly Savalas	Lieutenant Theo Kojak	1	2	3	4	5
Dan Frazer	Captain Frank McNeil	1	2	3	4	5
Kevin Dobson	Detective Bobby Crocker	1	2	3	4	5
George Savalas	Detective Stavros	1	2	3	4	5
Vince Conti	Detective Rizzo		2	3	4
Mark Russell	Detective Saperstein		2	3	4

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale	#
CBS
Season One	October 24, 1973	May 8, 1974	22 + 1
Season Two	September 15, 1974	March 9, 1975	25
Season Three	September 14, 1975	March 7, 1976	24
Season Four	September 26, 1976	March 22, 1977	25
Season Five	October 2, 1977	March 18, 1978	22

Telefilms

Title	Network	Airdate
The Belarus File	CBS	February 16, 1985
The Price of Justice	CBS	February 21, 1987
Ariana	CBS	November 2, 1989
Fatal Flaw	CBS	November 30, 1989
Flowers for Matty	CBS	January 4, 1990
It's Always Something	CBS	January 31, 1990
None So Blind	CBS	March 16, 1990

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

Title	Release Date	#
Season Sets
Season One	March 22, 2005	3	purchase
Season Two	September 27, 2011	6	purchase
Season Three	March 20, 2012	6	purchase
Season Four	May 1, 2012	6	purchase
Season Five	September 11, 2012	6	purchase
Made-for-TV Movies
The Complete Movie Collection	January 24, 2012	4	purchase

External Sites