Starsky and Hutch is a fantastic show (despite its occasional 1970s cheesiness), touching and inspiring in many ways. If you have not seen any episodes, I invite you to; David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser made the show what it was.
While I have not seen all the episodes, the ones I have seen have really impacted me. So, because I like the show so much, I thought I would relate three things I have learned from it. Only three, you say?—Yes, only three, for now. More might be forthcoming.
In no particular order, here are three things I have learned from Starsky and Hutch:
1. Take your time in life (unless your best friend is dying—then rush, and rush fast).
Don’t rush into relationships—especially marriage. Starsky comes close to getting married, and the relationship probably would have worked, too. But otherwise, he does not rush relationships. Hutch thinks he wants to remarry multiple times, but for whatever reason does not. Something always goes wrong.
At least they both find out the relationships won’t work before they propose. Both men are far into their thirties and still unmarried; yet, as much as they date and think about marriage, they obviously do not rush into marriage. Smart move, guys. Neither has found the “right person,” but this does not mean neither ever will.
And ultimately Starsky and Hutch end up, as always, with each other. They may one day get married, but not yet. Their friendship endures beyond any of their romantic relationships. Which brings me to point two . . .
2. Friendships can be more important than romantic relationships.
Yes, really. While both Starsky and Hutch value women—highly—and desire relationships with them, their default relationship is the one involving each other. Throughout the series, this relationship is less explicitly pursued than it is implicitly assumed, which is what makes it so understated and striking. It just exists.
As a friendship, it simply is. Starsky and Hutch do have arguments, and certainly experience ups and downs just as they do in romantic relationships. But while those romantic relationships change—even Hutch’s one long-term relationship ends—Starsky and Hutch’s relationship endures through every episode. And by the end of the series, it seems clear they value each other above all else.
3. Every person is valuable. From Angel and Zack Taylor in “Texas Longhorn” to Detectives Kalowitz, Corman, and Burke in “Snowstorm” to Lionel in “Targets Without a Badge,” all people are just that—people.
They are not objects. They deserve to be treated as if they have feelings and motivations, because they do. Starsky and Hutch respect and listen to Angel, they give Detectives Kalowitz, Corman, and Burke the benefit of the doubt, defending them as “family men”; they comfort Taylor even when they know he’s out to kill one of their suspects; they get to know Lionel as a person despite his past and criminal behavior. They do not excuse anyone’s behavior, but they do strive to see each person as a whole human being—not just the sum of their illegal activities.
