Pilot

Did not enjoy the new Kojak one little bit. The opening to the pilot was supposed to shock, but I just laughed. Compared to the current 'gritty' shows out there, this sucked (no pun intended!!!!). The way it was filmed put me off straight away. With dodgy slow motion techniques which should now belong in the dark ages. This has nothing I haven't seen before. Compared to high quality shows like Sopranos, The Shield, Six Feet Under, Lost & CSI, this is just poor. Don't get me wrong, I like Ving Rhames, he's a class act. But I think he's making a big mistake with this. Perhaps it will get better once the series is shown over her in the UK, but I doubt it.

Tonights episode of Kojak was the single greatest episode of television I have ever seen. I am honored that people make such great television for me to watch. It has a beautiful, strong message that is greater than I could have hoped for. I look forward to Many, many years of this show and many awards. Well done USA Network you should be so proud of yourselves.It is high time that television does not pander to it's audiences. It is high time that we are told the truth. It is high time that a great actor like Ving is delivering such potent messages. I am so excited for this. Tonight's episode should be shown in schools. It is genius.When can we expect more episodes? This would be great to know.

Generally speaking, I don't like remakes of shows I watched in the '70s. This show proved to be a surprising exception. Ving Rhames gives an excellent performance.He brings a different portrayal of Theo Kojak. . I was afraid this remake would seem dated,but it was not. I'm not that familiar with his other works, so I don't know him as an actor. However, as Kojak, he seemed like an old friend.I also liked the fact that there were many different ethnic groups portrayed in this show, they all just worked together(as in real life), and no big deal was made about it.My overall rating(based on the premier episode) 9 out of 10. Kojak is on my short list of shows not to miss

I started watching re-runs of Law and Order on USA about the same time Kojak started to air, and I think it's safe to say that as cheesy as Law and Order can get from time to time, it beats Kojak by a mile. With the former, there is at least lip service given to trying to break the typical mold for a cop drama. However, with Kojak I am hesitant to call anything that happens a "plot twist" as any so-called plot reveal can be seen coming from a mile away. This show is nothing short of a caricature of the generic cop drama, and therefor Hollywood's interpretation of what it takes to make a cop seem "bad" and "a renegade." I think it's a shame that the show's writers stoop to such lows to hammer home over and over that Kojak's a cop on the edge, willing to do whatever it takes to bring the bad man in, blah blah blah. This phony macho tough guy cop stuff is more overused than fart jokes on South Park, only in this case without the attached ironic humor.

It's hard to like a show that panders to the lowest common denominator of cop show watcher so quickly in its run, especially when within five episodes the chief is already engulfed in a crime mystery. That kind of lame sweeps-week cop-out (I better copyright this stupid pun before the Kojak writers see it) doesn't usually surface in a series's long journey to the middle until their ratings take a nose-dive, seeing as how ridiculous and pathetic it is as a basis for an episode's plot. Just watching the 'african-american boy from hard times trying to make it in the white man's world while being pressured to become a hoodlum" or the "he's a deadly sniper who'll kill you in a second but he's got a family and a split personality that includes a heart of gold" was enough to make me want to vomit and laugh at the same time, sort of a yuk-yak (back of Kojak, this one's mine too). Not only are these ludicrous ideas completely moronic, but they're done in such a heavy-handed way that there's no possible way to salvage any ability to be watched.

I gave you five episodes Kojak. Congratulations, I can't watch any more. Good luck Ving when you inevitably return to the small-part tough guy roles in summer flicks you are destined to play.

I'm a huge fan of Telly Savalas' Kojak. Kojak was a sharp dressing cop who acted as a prince of the city. He didn't always go by the book, but he protected the innocent. He was slick, smart, and had a great heart. Now it's 2005 and there's a new version of Kojak starring Ving Rhames. It is superb. The character is still a sharp dressing prince of the city. He still doesn't do everything by the book and he still protects the innocent. Bobby Crocker is back. Frank MacNeil is back. The lollipops are back. The bald is back too. Most importantly, Kojak still has his heart of gold. I'm as happy watching Ving as I am watching Telly in the role on DVD. Both men bring their own individuality to the role, but the heart and soul of Kojak is there in both versions. The 2005 series truly maintains the integrity of the original character. Kojak is still one hell of a guy. This is how all remakes should be. It's excellent.