'Six Million Dollar Man' fan dives into new DVD set

In the years right before “Star Wars” came along, the hearts and minds of children everywhere belonged to Col. Steve Austin.

I should know. I was one of those young fans.

Steve Austin was the main character in “The Six Million Dollar Man,” the hugely popular 1970s sci-fi/adventure TV show about an astronaut whose body is enhanced with “bionic” parts after a crash, giving him super strength, speed and vision.

That show, plus its spinoff, “The Bionic Woman,” rocked my 6-year-old world.

I spent hours in front of the mirror trying to cock one eyebrow just like actor Lee Majors, who played Austin. I carried my supercool Six Million Dollar Man doll I mean, action figure around with me everywhere.

And one day, while pretending to be bionic, I punched through a window; a jagged 3-inch piece of glass embedded itself in my left wrist, resulting in a trip to the emergency room and multiple stitches. The scar's visible to this day.

Yes, I was a fanatic, and not the only one. At its height, the show was a pop-culture juggernaut.

Then, it all disappeared. The show left the air in 1978. There were virtually no reruns. And worst of all, despite vocal clamoring from its nearly rabid following, the show never made its way to VHS or DVD. A legal dispute over rights kept the property in limbo. Fans had no choice but to wait. And wait.

Until now.

Late last month, 35 years after the show's premiere, Time Life Home Video released a staggering 40-disc DVD set that collects every single episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man” and a truckload of extras. That set came out on the heels of Universal Home Video's release of the complete first season of “The Bionic Woman” on DVD.

News about these sets activated every nerdy, pop-obsessed nerve in my body. I couldn't wait to see that iconic opening title sequence (“Gentlemen, we can rebuild him”), hear the bionic sound effects, see Steve Austin battling the bad guys in slow-motion. (After being outfitted with bionics, Steve became a government agent.)

But I approached with caution, knowing that what was totally awesome in 1976 could be a campy nightmare today.

I started with the episodes that introduced Jaime Sommers, the Bionic Woman. That story, spread out over four chapters, was a huge hit with fans and the springboard for Jaime's solo spinoff show.

When I was done with those, I jumped around in the sets for both shows, watching episodes I remembered liking as a kid, as well as some new ones.

I won't lie: Some elements are laughably dated. There's Austin's wardrobe for one a relentless parade of flared collars, wide lapels, tight-as-heck jeans and shirts always open to the navel. And viewers accustomed to complex, cinematic shows like “Mad Men” might snicker at the primitive visuals and simple stories.

Still, there is much to enjoy on these sets, most notably the warm, understated performances by Majors and Lindsay Wagner, who played Jaime Sommers.

There are also many solid stories here, including eerie dramas like “The Day of the Robot” and the multipart “Kill Oscar” storyline, which crossed over between “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman.” At their best, the shows delivered an entertaining mix of drama, science fiction and (largely bloodless) swashbuckling adventure.

The Time Life set, available only via the website 6mdm.com for $239.99, is a beauty. The episodes look fantastic maybe too good, as the wires used in some of the stunts are visible. The set includes plenty of goodies I'd never seen, like the original TV movies that launched the character, along with all the later “reunion” films.

Overall, I had an absolute blast re-connecting with both “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman” on DVD.

And my son, who's nearly 4, has become obsessed with Steve Austin after watching just a three-minute snippet. He “runs” around in bionic slow motion and loves to show off his superpowered bionic punch.

But don't worry: I'm making sure he doesn't do it near any glass windows.