The Hardy's play out like live-action Scooby Doo Movies meets-Columbo, and they even run into Casey "Shaggy" Kasem playing a Peter Falk impressionist in The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom; another two-parter that has Nancy and the boys gum-shoeing around Universal Studios. Aside from bumping into Dennis Weaver, they meet fellow ABC all-stars Robert Wagner and Jaclyn Smith (note the funny Aaron Spelling reference). Even though the sound stages of Universal Studios are highlighted in that episode, you'll notice that whether the dabbling detectives are sneaking around the streets of Acapulco, Paris, Cairo, or New York City, it's all one big tour of Universal City! The exterior location shots keep the show feeling exotic, but it becomes obvious if you watch a few in a row.

By the second season of The Hardy Boys Sean Cassidy had become a bonafide pop star, and why not? His mom and brother were "Shirley" and "Keith Partridge" (Shirley Jones and David Cassidy). And while the Hardy bros weren't a rock band like in the animated version of the Stratemeyer Syndicate franchise, Cassidy still got to sing some tunes, and the mixing of music and mystery was a formula that sold belt buckles, lunch boxes, puzzles, and posters. Maybe Pamela Sue Martin, as popular as she was, didn't sell as many posters as Sean Cassidy, but the execs decided to cut the solo Nancy Drew entrees and joined the shows; which provided the viewers with a hi-energy first-meeting. Martin did two two-parters and decided to split after growing disenchanted from her diminishing screentime, thus opening the door for Janet Louise Johnson who would take over the role (and would also end up on Battlestar when Nancy is dropped altogether in the third season). The new Drew may not of had the Playboy-ready charisma of the previous star, but the producers still ramped up the flirting between her and the brothers. Actually, she gets paired up with older, more nerdy brother, "Joe," who seems much more interested in his skiing sweaters and corduroy pants than his female counterpart.

The Seventies madness of it all (the van, the bellbottoms, the hair, the sweaters, and Cassidy's bubblegum face) may attract or repel some viewers, and depending on how you receive that world you'll either feel right at home with the series or incapable of digesting it. But along with the predictable Scooby Doo endings (where the villian laments, "Those meddling kids!"), the show offered some suprises as far as gripping narratives and clever camera work. Take Sole Survivor, an episode that has a little of the You Only Live Twice effect, except here we're in Hong Kong where "Joe Hardy" is told he has just woken from a year long coma, and both his brother and father have died in an an accident. The flashback-style editing and the epsionage-filled plot is suprisingly gripping.

The Episodes
The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (Part 1)
The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (Part 2)
The Mystery of King Tut's Tomb
The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (Part 1)
The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (Part 2)
The Mystery of the African Safari
The Creatures Who Came From Sunday
The Strange Fate of Flight 608
Acapulco Spies
Nancy Drew's Love Match
The Silent Scream
Will the Real Santa Claus...
The Lady on Thursday at Ten
Oh Say Can You Sing
The House on Possessed Hill
Sole Survivor
Voodoo Doll (Part 1)
Voodoo Doll (Part 2)
Mystery Of The Avalanche Express
Death Surf
Arson and Old Lace
The Campus Terror

The DVD
Video: Much improved from the first series release, now comes with single-sided discs. Presented in the original TV aspect ratio (1.33:1), the shows look as good as they did on TV Land, but not much better. There doesn't seem to be any digital cleaning of the image, and the contrast between second unit shots and studio shosts are sometimes jarring. Some episodes offer nice, crisp colors, however, perfect for the detail in Parker Stevenson's sweaters.

Sound: In Dolby Digital, the sound is fulfilling, but there isn't any Alan Parsons production going on here; however that opening theme is exhillerating everytime! Those Seventies studio musicians were the funkiest in the world, and you may notice a lovely pop in the bass.

Extras:Nada, nothing, zero. It would be great, to get some interviews, or commentary, but forget about it. Hopefully if there's a last release (for Season Three) they'll get it together.

Final Thoughts:
If you already bought the first season, then you need this one too. If you didn't buy the first season, I would suggest that you start there, but it's not imperative. The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries captures the very essence of pop TV in 1977, and it's a perfect way to escape some of the "reality" based shows of today.