The Incredible Hulk, based on the Marvel Comics creation of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 1960s, debuted on CBS in a made for TV movie in 1977 before becoming a full fledged weekly series in 1978. The show ran for five seasons before it was cancelled in 1982. Despite the fact that it wasn't all that long lived a series, the show definitely developed a cult following over the years and as such, Universal has followed up their releases of the complete first four seasons with this fifth and final boxed set containing all seven episodes from the fifth and final season of the show.. just in time for the new movie's DVD/Blu-ray debut!

So what is the show all about? Well, most of us know the story of the Hulk, but for those who don't let it suffice to say that it's the story of a scientist named David Banner (Bill Bixby) who was inadvertently exposed to high levels of gamma radiation while researching the strength that lies within us all. Whenever David gets angry, he 'hulks out' and turns into a giant green skinned monster (played by Lou Ferrigno in a role that Arnold Schwarzenegger was famously turned down for) of incredible strength and very short temperment who tends to smash first and ask questions later. It's sort of like Dr. Jekyll And Mister Hyde with a little bit of Frankenstein thrown in periodically in that sometimes the Hulk is a fearsome creature, other times he is quite sympathetic in his childlike simplicity. As if turning into a giant green monster weren't bad enough for poor Banner, he's being followed from town to town by a tabloid reporter named Jack McGee (Jack Colvin), who by this point in the series has become pretty obsessive in his quest to break the big story and blow Banner's secret wide open. You see, early in the series the Hulk was fingered as being responsible for murder when in reality, he was trying to save the victim. That said, who would believe that a violent green monster wasn't responsible? As such, Banner lives his life on the run and roams from town to town taking odd jobs to get by.

So with Banner, his alter ego hopefully held firmly in check, wandering from town to town trying to lay low and stay out of the public eye, you can see how the premise was ripe for odd situations. While it's fun to see the Hulk go nuts in a big city as he did from time to time in the first few seasons, it seemed to be the episodes that take place in more remote areas that lead to strong character development. While we don't get too much of that character development this time around, most of the action does take place a little off the beaten path.

Here's a look at the seven episodes that make up the swan song of The Incredible Hulk:

DISC ONE:

The Phenom: The constantly hitchhiking Banner scores a ride with a young man who is quite a talented baseball pitcher and looks to have a pretty serious career ahead of him. Unfortunately his agent is just out to rip him off. Banner befriends the kid but it'll be up to the Hulk to stop the crooked agent from screwing the poor kid out of what he deserves.

Two Godmothers: Three no good escaped convicts bust out of a women's prison and they wind up kidnapping Banner! Obviously they don't realize who he is or what happens to him when he gets angry. Regardless, things get complicated for everyone involved when one of the escaped cons starts going into labor!

Veteran: A mentally deranged Vietnam veteran wants to assassinate a man running for local office who was once a war hero himself. When David discovers what the man is up to, he has to alert the authorities which will definitely jeopardize his nice, comfy, anonymous status in the small town he's wandered into.

Sanctuary: Banner winds up taking a job at a convent as a caretaker but soon finds himself having to impersonate a Catholic priest in order to access an injured boy that a gang of smugglers have brought in illegally from Mexico. Banner once again has to stop his angrier, greener side from busting out and taking care of business, but he might not have much of a choice as he's sorely outnumbered.

DISC TWO:

Triangle: Banner becomes romantically involved with a woman who seems to treat him well. Unfortunately for both of them, the local lumber mogul has got eyes for the lady too and he is not above stooping low to get her. Banner winds up in a contest to win the ladies affection, but how far is Banner willing to go for love?

Slaves: An insane ex-convict is holed up in a desolate and remote ghost town. When Banner wanders into the area, he's kidnapped by this man and forced to work as a slave in the crazy guy's gold mine! Banner isn't going to have much choice if - if he wants to make it out, he might need some help from his old friend The Hulk.

A Minor Problem: In the final episode of the series, Banner finds a small and seemingly abandoned remote town which he soon finds out was recently contaminated by a deadly plague. With everyone in the town infected, including himself, Banner isn't going to have much time to find an antidote...

The Incredible Hulk was cancelled quite suddenly and as such, the series doesn't really end properly. A Minor Problem wasn't a bad episode it doesn't give the show the send off that it really deserved nor does it give the series a truly proper ending. With only seven episodes in this fifth season, it doesn't have as many interesting stories of characters as the ones that came before it but there are still enough strong moments in here that fans of the series will certainly enjoy it for what it is. Bixby and Ferrigno are still a lot of fun in their roles and Jack Colvin is still an enjoyably obnoxious foil for Banner and company. The scripts are still creative in many ways even if the plots are fairly similar by this point and stick to a bit of a formula.

While the series was cancelled, that didn't mean the end for the Hulk's run on television. A few made for TV movie events would follow, keeping the spirit of Bixby and Ferrigno's most famous characters alive and well, even earning them some new fans along the way.

Video:

The series was made for TV so it makes perfect sense that it was shot and shown fullframe, which is exactly how Universal presents it on DVD in this set. Surprisingly, considering the age of the material, these episodes look very good. There are some stock footage inserts used in various episodes that definitely exhibit more grain and print damage than the rest of the footage does, but thankfully the actual footage shot for the show is in very nice shape. Some film grain is present, and periodically you'll note some specks and possibly a bit of dirt here and there, but color reproduction is stronger than what you usually see on seventies television and there's a surprisingly good level of both foreground and background detail. Mpeg compression artifacts are never an issue and while there is some mild aliasing and some mild edge enhancement from time to time that you'll detect if you want to look for it, overall The Incredible Hulk arrives here in very nice shape.