In 2022, I discovered the absolutely wonderful television show, Starsky and Hutch, via GET-TV, one of numerous television channels that broadcasts older television shows. I had heard of the show Starsky and Hutch but never watched it in its first-run or on other television channels who had broadcast the show in reruns. I was watching a third season episode when I said to myself, “This show is really good.” I then viewed other episodes broadcast on GET-TV and then decided to purchase the DVD box set of all of the episodes from Seasons One through Season Four.
I then decided to look through Facebook to see if there were groups that had a passionate interest in this show. I found a few groups and subscribed to these groups, but what interested me was a SHareCon virtual event devoted to Starsky and Hutch. I signed up for this event as I was interested in fans’ knowledge of the show and I then discovered that many of them were fans from the very beginning. I discovered that there were fan fiction writers, especially of the variety known as “slash,” as well as fans who created much-loved videos.
After the virtual SHareCon event, I found out about a Saturday Zoom Watch Party whereby fans get together via Zoom and talk about the episode shown on that day as well as other topics of conversation. From this Zoom event every Saturday, I have met so many passionate and devoted fans who are always teaching me a great deal about anything related to Starsky and Hutch.
There are many great and wonderful episodes that can be viewed many times over. What is interesting is that some Starsky and Hutch episodes presented storylines that resonate in today’s society such as the episode, “Manchild on the Streets,” which concerns a white police officer who kills a black man, and the episode, “Death in a Different Place,” which touches on the murder of a police officer who is found to be a homosexual and the struggles Starsky faces with the issue of homosexuality.
As a television series centering on two characters as police officers, Starsky and Hutch was not just a generic “cop show” but a show that presented two characters who trusted one another and also had a love for one another. Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, as the characters Starsky and Hutch, provided the audience with a different portrayal of two police officers, which was really not shown on television during the 1970s.
The entire fandom community has shown its devotion to this series and its characters and for the future, the series should once again be broadcast on other over-the-air broadcast stations as well as streaming channels in order that the series can reach a wider audience of new fans.
So glad you found us! It’s always interesting to hear about other fans discovering (or rediscovering) Starsky and Hutch.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I really enjoy this group and as I may have said previously, I always learn many facts about Starsky and Hutch.
It’s great you found fandom and specially Starsky & Hutch. It’s a wonderful place to be and to enjoy. Many super people and decades of groovy fic to read. Have fun!
Thank you for the wonderful comment. I really enjoyed writing this journey into the fandom of Starsky and Hutch.
Your lovely letter reminds me of when I discovered fandom, back in 1982! Looking at the convention center’s main room, I was instantly in love with everyone. I felt I had finally found “my people.”
Fandom was the key that unlocked my heart and my head–whole rooms that I’d sensed were there, but could not open by myself. Now they are filled with friends, fan fiction, art, plays, and videos. An internal playland with no end in sight!
So glad you found us! I’m looking forward to many years of fannish fun together.
Kath Moonshine
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I appreciate it and sometimes wish I discovered the fandom of Starsky and Hutch sooner. However, I did find the fandom and am so happy I have joined.
So nice to hear your story! I too, found the S&H fandom later in life, but for me, it was a ‘resurrection’ of the feelings I had for the show back when it first aired. Those feelings lay dormant for so many years (due to life etc), and when I rediscovered the show a few years ago, it hit me with something even more special than I remembered, or at least, that I am now better able to understand and articulate. In whatever form, this fandom is a way of connecting us all, and I believe that has always been DS and PMG’s hope and intention.
So glad you read my story into fandom. I appreciate so much your comment to me on my story.
What a fabulous story! It’s always interesting to find out how other fans (especially those of us who found it in reruns) came to join in. No two stories are the same. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for giving us your story and I hope you’ll stick around for a long, long time.
What an interesting read!
I was introduced into the fandom community in late 1976 and never looked back, and I was so happy to read your thoughts here, which had me reminiscing about so many fannish things I’ve been involved in throughout the years.
The fandom community is not just a place to celebrate the shows and the characters we love but provides a wonderful support network. It has given me so much. The opportunity to exercise my creative side, increase my confidence, improve my writing skills and stay abreast of current world events at the same time. I’ve made lifelong friends here. and no matter what’s going on in my own life I’ve always been able to rely on it as a very safe place to land.
I’m so glad you discovered what a wonderful place the fandom community can be and hope that you’ll have many wonderful and fulfilling experiences in the years ahead. XX