Posted on: January 31, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Mill Creek knows how to pull series from well beyond the grave and provide viewers with an experience that many of them have not had since the show originally aired. For those that were not alive or watching NBC from 1985 to 1987, Stingray was a Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, The A-Team) production. Provided further energy through the inclusion of a number of different musical interludes, Stingray is a show with a tremendous premise – Ray (Nick Mancuso, of Embassy and Under Siege) helps people with whatever problems they may have. In exchange, Ray extracts a future favor with each person ey helps. Ray is a true renaissance man, controlling of eir mind and body to the point that ey can slow down eir heart or assume the mantle of a number of different and distinct characters. Ey can also hack computers, take down even the most educated feet, and remember practically anything that eir series. Ray’s interactions with the world are always intense and fun; the show’s two-hour pilot immediately straps viewers in and does not let them go for a good two hours.

With murky origins, Ray comes forth in Stingray as a loose cannot. While some of the dense and layered backstory is provided with the show’s final episode, “One Way Ticket to the End of the Line”, I cannot help but wonder why the show was not given a few more seasons to flesh Ray out. The show seems to have hit its stride in the later part of the second season, with episodes like “The Second Finest Man Who Ever Lived” being a favorite.

Make sure to pick up a copy of this value-priced release for a look into the unique quality and timbre of mid-eighties network television. Mill Creek has provided viewers with hours upon hours of compelling television at a MSRP of $14.95. The video quality is superb considering its source material, while audio and music present ensures for an all-around stellar experience.

Rating: 8.2/10

Stingray – The Complete Series (DVD Set) / 2011 Mill Creek / 1800 Minutes / http://www.millcreekent.com

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