INCREDIBLE HULK,THE - SERIES 4 - COMPLETE [1980]

Not even the awesome power of The Incredible Hulk could prevent the 1980 Writers Guild strike from delaying the debut of its fourth season, or from reducing the number of episodes in the season from 23 to 18, but fans still found enough excitement and drama in the lonely adventures of Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) and his powerful, green-skinned alter ego (Lou Ferrigno). It's unfortunate that the fourth season wasn't allowed to air its complete run of episodes, since the ones that were broadcast were among the series' best. Season opener "Prometheus" finds Banner stuck in mid-transformation after encountering a meteor, while "The First" introduces him to another individual who has his own Hulk-like side.

The fourth season also shows the program's writing and production staff continuing to deliver fresh takes on Banner's dilemma; in "Deep Shock," he develops the ability to see into the future after the Hulk is electrocuted in a power plant, while "The Harder They Fall" finds Banner forced to embrace his uncontrollable side as a means of curing his paralysis after an accident. Jack Colvin's Jack McGee also gets a fine showcase in "Interview with the Hulk," and Ferrigno is featured sans makeup and wig as an aspiring bodybuilder in "King of the Beach." Unfortunately, the truncated 4th season was also the beginning of the end for the show; cost-cutting measures put a halt to the fifth season after only 7 episodes, leaving fans wanting more of the quality adventures they saw in the fourth and final full season.--Paul Gaita