In the 1970s, there seemed to be nothing more definitive in the visual medium that the great car chase action scene. By 1977, Smokey And The Bandit became an enormously popular car chase romp on screen and TV already had a glut of memorable law enforcement action drama series such as The Mod Squad, S.W.A.T., and Starsky And Hutch.

However, by the fall of that year, TV would premiere one of its most popular and enduringly beloved series in the genre. That series, of course, is CHiPs, of which the first season is now available on DVD.

Francis "Ponch" Poncherello (Erik Estrada) and Jon Baker (Larry Wilcox) are as different as any two people can possibly be. Baker is a mild-mannered, by-the-book straight man and Ponch is a rowdy, boisterous smooth-talker.

However, there are two things these very different individuals manage to share together: their beat together as California Highway Patrol men or "CHiPs" for short, and the incredible bond they have both on and off duty. Regularly, the two CHiPs engage in adventures both on and off the field, while Ponch gets the regular ribbing from the twosome's boss, Sergeant Joseph Getraer (Robert Pine).

The concept of the everyday routines of a pair of highway patrol officers did not seem like the most exciting idea on paper. However, CHiPs managed to defy expectations and take the genre of the action/chase formula to crowd-pleasing new heights.

First and foremost, the creative personnel ingeniously managed to make the relatively broad and seemingly mundane concept work in unexpected ways. While most law enforcement action dramas were fairly gritty and violent, CHiPs was light-hearted and humorous.

And because the basic concept was so simplistic and so ordinary, the series manages to appeal to audiences young and old genuinely without having to stretch credibility a great deal. While character development is at a snail's pace and the episodes lack sharpness and tend to get formulaic rather quickly, the series was fairly innovative for the time as its broad concept and California setting gives it a uniquely light, breezy, and often cinematic atmosphere.

However, what really drives the series are its two stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. While two have great chemistry on-screen with their perfectly-pitched polar opposite personas, it's Estrada that shines the brightest.

Playing against type at a time when most Latino actors on TV were relegated to criminal characters, Estrada has a consistently charismatic and likable presence. Even during the series' occasional lulls in episodes, he continually drives the series' energy and makes the seemingly run-of-the-mill concept work.

The DVD's picture quality is in the 1:33:1 full-screen aspect ratio of the show's original TV broadcasts, with the sound quality in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. The DVD also contains a pair of special features.

The first is a series of newly-filmed introduction segments on 13 of the 22 episodes called Ponch's Police Tips,