List of Kojak episodes

Lt. Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) believes that a black youth who confessed to the murder of two white girls was beaten and coerced by his police interrogators and is innocent of the crime. Based on the 1963 Wylie-Hoffert murders, the brutal rape and murder of two young professional women in Manhattan, this is the 139-minute pilot episode with Ned Beatty, Marjoe Gortner and Roger Robinson. It differs from later shows (set in 1963-1966, different colleagues, precinct building, and a car never used later). Music score composed by Billy Goldenberg.

Kojak has two hours to free hostages taken by robbers in an Army surplus store - Harvey Keitel and James Sloyan guest star. This episode featured the initial use of the first Kojak main title theme, composed by Billy Goldenberg (who did two music scores for the series).

A fellow detective, Nick Ferro, kills his wife's lover and tries to cover it up - Héctor Elizondo, Barbara Rhoades, John Karlen, and Bruce Kirby guest star. Features the second of the two music scores composed by Billy Goldenberg.

Kojak is suspicious of anonymous tips suggesting that an underworld boss is attempting assassination of his rival which would lead to a mafia war. Art Metrano guest stars. The only episode with a music score composed by Kim Richmond.

A murder victim's diamond ring compounds a homicide case with that of a big robbery. Lynette Mettey and Alex Rocco guest star. NOTE: Beginning with this episode, John Cacavas would compose the music score for the remainder of the series.

Kojak suspects that the strangler of seven women, known as Excalibur, has returned when another girl dies in similar circumstances. Alan Fudge and James Keach guest star.

Kojak races a 48-hour deadline to prevent the burial without honors of his old friend, an officer accused of corruption. Louise Latham, Michael Margotta and John Sylvester White guest star.

Kojak suspects that new store staff may be involved in murder of a jewelry store owner. Lola Albright, Scatman Crothers, Alfred Ryder, and Robert Webber guest star.

The murder of a car thief reveals vital clues to a $500,000 heist. Richard Jordan, Yvonne Craig, and Marc Alaimo guest star.

Kojak tries to hold up an urban re-development project until he solves a murder case. Nicholas Colasanto, William Prince, Gretchen Corbett and Larry Kert guest star.

Freshly freed from prison, a criminal jailed by Kojak wants revenge and is targeting Kojak's niece on her wedding day. John P. Ryan and Sally Kirkland guest star.

Kojak pretends to be corrupted, not without opposition from Capt. McNeil, who tries save as much police money he can, to catch a narcotics dealer in the act. Lorraine Gary guest stars.

During a jeweler's convention, a jewel thief (Jackie Cooper) disguises himself as a priest in order to steal valuable gems.

While teaching a criminal justice class at a local college, Kojak embarrasses a student with a criminal background (James Woods), forcing him to leave a stolen item to have the upper hand in future classroom discussions. Pamela Hensley guest stars.

A junkie prostitute (Tina Louise) holds the key which would help solving the murder cases of her roommate and a local TV reporter. With Harris Yulin and Isabel Sanford.

A small time crook (John Ritter) prepares to pull a big robbery to flee a pending murder charge.

A woman (Lynne Marta) is coming back from winter holidays from Canada, smuggling two twenty Canadian dollar plates in her fake cast. Once she arrives in the US, she needs to run from an ex-partner in crime, who murdered her boyfriend and wants to get the plates back. With Chuck McCann.

A man has embezzled a million dollars in US Government bonds. Kojak taps the embezzler's phone and hears him hire a notorious hit man. Kojak has been after this hit man for many years, and he goes to the thief who stole the bonds from the embezzler with a proposition: Be a stool pigeon, sign a deposition, and return the bonds. In return Kojak will look the other way while the thief "gets away in the confusion", Kojak will catch the hit man, and the deposition will convict the embezzler. With Henry Darrow, Don Knight, Louise Sorel and David White.

A detective (Harry Guardino) is hiding his terminal illness, while pursuing his partner's murderer. The detective is even more motivated to find the murderer even if he'll have to pay the highest price. With Joanne Linville and Malachi Throne.

A young psychologist asks Kojak for help after her fiancé (Paul Michael Glaser) attempts to settle an old score with the people who left him to take the whole rap for the crime which sent him to prison.

Kojak goes undercover as a chemist in order to expose the thieves who stole morphine from an insurance company, to sell it at an inflated price. With Ed Lauter.

A psychopathic bomber targets people who hurt his friend, who is the wife of an adulterer. Kojak must find a link between the victims in order to find the suspect. With Dabney Coleman.

A 12-year-old boy wants Kojak's help in locating his missing father. The case takes an interesting twist in which Kojak is not led to the kid's missing father, but to a thief who fled to Brazil with stolen $25 million. With John Hillerman.

A series of syndicate murders in Chinatown is leading to a small gang war. Kojak finds out that those murders are blamed on a pair of rival organizations so that the real culprits, made up of an amateurish foursome, can move in and take over the territory from the rival syndicate organizations composed of approximately a dozen men. Michael Constantine and Robert Ito guest star.

A college girl has been kidnapped, taken to a warehouse and raped by two assassins. One is shot by another and the girl escapes. Her testimony would surely help find the other criminal but because of fear from publicly saying that she was raped, she's not going to police. Her father starts his own vendetta against the surviving rapist. Kojak must fight to find the truth about what actually happened that night.

A fellow policeman from Kojak's precinct is killed on duty. Theo learns the murderer is a well known criminal pursued by the Feds, which is after him in a major fraud case. Kojak goes all the way to Los Angeles, since he wants the criminal for murder, not fraud. Burr DeBenning guest stars.

Kojak takes a case about fake stocks on Wall Street, which includes also three murders. With advice and coaching from a legit broker, Kojak goes undercover as a Greek millionaire to get into the office of a well-known broker and catch him when as soon as he tries to sell the stocks. When the thieves find out that the real Greek millionaire is in Venezuela, Theo is kidnapped. Alan Feinstein and Ben Masters guest star. NOTE: This episode marks the final time the first arrangement of the first Kojak main title theme is used. The theme was composed by Billy Goldenberg.

In a hotel at an architects' convention, a couple of suicides occur. Kojak is convinced of a connection between the deaths. The story returns to a previous convention at which all of the victims were involved in a girl's rape and her sister's death. The dead girl was a soldier's girlfriend and he wants vengeance in finding (with the guidance of her sister) and killing all the people related to his girl's death. Stephen McHattie, Julie Gregg, Gordon Jump and Paul Benedict guest star. NOTE: First use of the second arrangement of the first Kojak main title theme. Composed by Billy Goldenberg.

A gun dealer is forced by a gang to sell them guns. Kojak, together with Crocker and Stavros, organize a raid on a gang-owned pub in which they find a vault with a large number of pistols. Kojak wants a dealer to testify against gang members, but the storekeeper is kidnapped and killed. A former gun-shop bookkeeper (Kay Medford) is also not so keen to testify, but Kojak warns that gang members will very likely find her soon, changing her mind. She's taken to a motel away from Manhattan but gangsters won't give up easily.

A small-time criminal is suspected of murder but Kojak thinks he was framed and tries to find the real men responsible. The suspect doesn't want to cooperate but is eventually equipped with microphone and sent to his "friend's" flat to help the investigation and be set free.

A judge died in odd circumstances and it's becoming obvious that he has been murdered, Kojak has to find out who did it, after coming to the conclusion that the judge was corrupted. The solution to the case rests in the hands of Mackie's father, likewise a judge who is upstanding before a moral dilemma when he needs to decide whether or not to set a known murderer free to cover up for his son's misdeeds. John Randolph and Abe Vigoda guest star.

The only witness to a terrorist bombing also happens to be a police informer. In his efforts to locate the witness, Kojak must cooperate with another police precinct which is keeping the man under wraps as a reliable snitch. Meanwhile, the witness escapes custody to his sister's home in Atlantic City just as the terrorist group El Compadre prepares to strike against him. With Daniel J. Travanti.

A wealthy man hires a private detective to follow his wife as he suspects she has had an affair. The detective delivers photos in which the wife is seen with his assistant after the man kills himself. He wants to help the widow get the money from insurance company (and take his share, too), so he makes his ex-client's suicide looks like a murder. The case is given to Kojak, who knows the private detective is a former police detective from his precinct who had been fired for corruption. With Dimitra Arliss and Martin Balsam.

This is to be the first day of work for a rookie cop, but on the way to his precinct he sees men trying to strangle an individual. Kojak soon learns this is the beginning of a street war involving four rival gangs.

The friend of a mentally disturbed woman (Andrea Marcovicci) thinks he is protecting her by murdering any men who get close to her, including Kojak.

An informant (Paul Anka) uses a detective to further his own criminal career. Directed by Telly Savalas. Paul Picerni guest stars.

A woman's (Ja'net DuBois) husband is murdered during the diamond heist she plotted with her lover (Leslie Nielsen). Antonio Fargas also guest stars.

Kojak is puzzled when a prosperous businessman (Alex Rocco) suddenly is accused of murder and arson. Erik Estrada and David Ackroyd guest star.

A sniper systematically eliminates a mild-mannered accountant's (Eugene Roche) boss and his associates. Elaine Joyce and Bruno Kirby guest star.

A Gypsy woman (Zohra Lampert), witness to a bank robbery, recruits the thieves for a heist involving six banks in one day. She then controls every aspect of Kojak's investigation while setting up the very same thieves. Kojak soon realizes she is one of the most incredible persons he has ever met. Note: In this classic episode, Lampert was awarded an Emmy award for her performance. Lane Smith guest stars.

A belt stolen from a Greek sailor causes three murders, but a witness appears unconcerned. Norman Lloyd, Ivor Francis, and Thaao Penghlis guest stars.

The murder of a Manhattan playgirl affects several lives, including Kojak's. With guest Priscilla Pointer.

A series of bombings involving devices that cannot be defused frustrates Kojak. With guest Jack Ging.

Crocker is torn when an old school chum is the prime suspect in the investigation of a protection racket.

A thief tries unsuccessfully to steal a painter's truck, then sits in jail while his lawyer (Robert Loggia) fails to arrange bail.

A narcotics dealer (Mark Stevens) facing prosecution kidnaps Capt. McNeil's wife and demands Kojak return the evidence.

A psychic (Ruth Gordon) reports to the police a dream in which she sees a murder committed; co-starring Tracy Reed.

A man tries to clear his name by helping Kojak trap a loan shark. Eli Wallach, Michael V. Gazzo, Jennifer Warren, Jerry Orbach, Allan Rich, and F. Murray Abraham guest star.

Note: This two-part episode was originally broadcast as a single 2-hour episode.

Kojak resists outside pressures to protect a fellow detective (Sylvester Stallone) who accidentally shot a boy. Guest Star: Claude Earl Jones.

Lt. Kojak asks an ex-addict (Neville Brand) to help his nephew, who seems to be hooked on drugs and involved in a murder. Guest Star: Michael Mullins as Johnny

Crocker lectures female students on rape at a Catholic school, while two Puerto Rican brothers attack a priest during a truck heist.

Kojak is determined to nail a big-time drug dealer who shot a plastic surgeon, even though the man was already dead from what they at first believe to be natural causes.

A woman who witnesses a body being dumped into the harbor is so fragile that the killer tries to use psychology against her in order to eliminate her. With William Katt.

A veteran cop, battling alcoholism and demoted after being held responsible for the shooting death of his close friend, impedes Kojak's murder investigation as he tries to clear his name and win back his gold shield. With Eugene Roche.

After Kojak breaks up a barroom brawl he started, a mobster's son puts out a contract on Kojak's life.

A colleague of Kojak's, Detective Weaver, discovers that a former high school buddy is now involved in fencing a million dollars worth of stolen diamonds.

Refusing to believe that a prostitute and her partner are responsible for a bookkeeper's murder, Kojak runs afoul of the FBI when he tries to investigate. With Gregory Walcott and Robert Alda.

Kojak and Crocker head to Cory County, Nevada to pick up a witness, but encounter trouble in town. With Judy Kaye.

The murder of a careless patrolman plunges Kojak and staff on the trail of a stolen car ring, which owes its success to the willingness of its victims. With David Ogden Stiers.

A former detective (Vincent Gardenia), now with the Las Vegas police force, collars a "retired" counterfeiter and calls his ex-boss, Kojak, to come get his prisoner, only to have someone prefer him dead. With Eileen Brennan.

On Christmas Eve, Kojak and colleagues find their hands full after a distraught husband mistakenly tries to shoot a woman who looks like his wife. With Veronica Hamel.

When a Greek immigrant is accused of murdering a prostitute, Kojak meets resistance from his employer, a widowed Greek woman.

A detective's (Forrest Tucker) obsession with his work is jeopardizing his family life, his career and a case involving the head of a stolen jewelry racket.

Dominic Bruno unknowingly catches a highly communicable disease from his dying brother, an escaped convict, who makes Bruno promise to kill the man who framed him.

A man (Roosevelt Grier) seems to be purposefully setting himself up as a target for a hired killer, and doesn't want the police to interfere.

Kojak puts the pressure on a known member of an organized crime syndicate when a dead undercover cop is found murdered. With Diana Hyland and Daniel J. Travanti.

Kojak finds himself under investigation by Internal Affairs when a thief he arrested without sufficient evidence claims he paid Kojak a bribe.

A father (Tige Andrews) pushes his son to go to any lengths to continue the coverup of a frame he arranged to get revenge for an accident that paralyzed another son.

Note: Kevin Dobson does not appear in this episode.

A multi-millionaire construction tycoon (Michael Ansara) remains calm in the face of Kojak's investigation of a murder he helped cover up with concrete 18 years before. With Gail Strickland.

Note: Kevin Dobson does not appear in this episode.

A private detective with a world-wide reputation for getting results competes with Kojak to find priceless Rembrandt drawings which disappeared from a gallery, even though the thieves were caught at the crime site. With Susan Sullivan

Kojak works against time to locate desperate criminals who have kidnapped his niece to force him to release one of their accomplices. With Richard Gere.

A mysterious bomber kills innocent victims by tossing a molotov cocktail through the window af a Manhattan restaurant.

Kojak and Crocker have difficulty in the courts when a new trial for a convicted murderer threatens to set him free. With Sharon Gless and Martin Kove (both of whom would co-star a few years later in another CBS police drama, Cagney & Lacey).

Kojak and his men arrest a psychotic killer who has been terrorizing Manhattan with a series of seemingly indiscriminate murders, but his confession takes a bizarre turn.

A child molester is arrested, but Kojak is ordered to release him because he works for a foreign embassy and has diplomatic immunity. Featuring Héctor Elizondo and Al Freeman, Jr.

Two patrol cops are caught in the backlash of an angry neighborhood when one of the cops is forced to kill a Hispanic youth during a struggle. Guest star David Selby.

A heroin addict tries to kick her habit with the aid of her boyfriend, Lt. Giddings, whose status is jeopardized after he accidentally kills another cop. With Lynn Redgrave and Morgan Fairchild.

Kojak's investigation into the killing of several dock workers is complicated by the workers' code of silence and efforts to clean up their own house. With Sally Kirkland.

A wealthy, power-wielding New York State County Chairman (Geraldine Page) uses her influence to protect her grandson, with help from a corrupt cop (Kenneth McMillan). Kojak confronts a politically influential woman while trying to save a young woman (Mary Beth Hurt).

A Yugoslavian princess hunts for priceless family jewels stolen at the end of World War II and now hidden somewhere in New York City. With Maria Schell.

Salathiel Harms (Roosevelt Grier) returns as a bounty hunter who is after a desperate man who jumped bail in San Francisco.

A hot-tempered Indian accidentally kills a construction boss and finds a fortune in stolen diamonds. With Blair Brown and Stephen Macht.

Kojak links the threats against a young girl's life and a bomber's extortion demands. With Simon Oakland and Brooke Adams.

Kojak's 17-year-old godson, who hasn't seen Theo for more than 10 years, is in for a lot of trouble with criminals and the law. With Brian Dennehy and Rosalind Cash.

After he discovers his unfaithful wife murdered, a prizefighter goes berserk and holds innocent victims hostage in a church. With Dorian Harewood and Ken Foree. Guest: Roscoe Orman as Lt. Connons.

A wealthy ecologist's wife plans to do away with her husband and frame a non-existent call girl for the murder. With Eric Braeden, Susan Sullivan and Joe Turkel.

Kojak tries to head off a barrio gang war when he investigates a street murder.

An unidentified corpse in a stolen Rolls-Royce is found the same morning a wife kills her husband and abandons her child, leaving a trail that could lead to her suicide. With Maud Adams, William Hurt, Ken Kercheval, Louise Sorel, and Michael Tolan.

More facts come to light regarding the body stuffed in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce.

A member of the police force falls prey to a powerful crime figure. With Albert Paulsen and Judith Light.

Alerted to a fur robbery in a double-cross by one of the thieves, Crocker inadvertently shoots a young woman, crippling her for life. With Carol Lynley and Christopher Walken.

Kojak is not happy when a lady cop is assigned to his division, and neither is she, but they find they have to work together as cops whether they like it or not. With George Maharis, Joan Van Ark, and Louis Zorich.

A nun seeks revenge against a man responsible for the death of her sister. With Season Hubley, Murray Hamilton, and Gloria Grahame.

A gypsy queen plays both ends against the middle in attempting to locate a man she thinks is responsible for killing gypsies. NOTE: This episode marks the final time the second arrangement of the first Kojak main title theme is used. The theme was composed by Billy Goldenberg.

The girlfriend of a gangster who hates Kojak is the only witness to a cop's murder. With Paula Kelly. NOTE: First use of the second Kojak main title theme used for the show's final season. Composed by John Cacavas.

A psychotic murderer thinks a radio talk show host is encouraging him to murder people she criticizes. With Lee Bryant.

A laid-off officer with two jobs and a sick wife takes a bribe under pressure from a loan shark.

A teenager accidentally kills a gangster's bag man while robbing him, only to have a rival gangster hire him to take out the competition. With Carmine Caridi.

A singer (Andrea Marcovicci) is out to prove her wrongfully imprisoned father innocent after he spends 14 years in prison.

A woman (Candice Azzara) is Kojak's only link to finding $6 million, but her boyfriend (Armand Assante) has other plans.

Anonymous messages begin turning up informing a model that someone close to her is in danger. With Cristina Raines.

Crocker falls for a woman (Jennifer Warren) while investigating the death of her mobster husband. With Sam Jaffe.

A man is released from prison, and a woman who rides with him to New York is found murdered in his abandoned car (with the MO of a dead serial killer). Rosalind Chao guest stars.

After Kojak is placed on suspension, he continues to review the 8-year old case while a serial killer (Stephen McHattie) strikes again.

Kojak poses as a murdered private investigator to find out why he was murdered. With Angel Tompkins.

A detective believes that his wife's crooked divorce lawyer (David Ladd) hired an arsonist to destroy his boat.

While Kojak is contemplating leaving the police department to become a law firm's investigator, a series of recent drug-related deaths begin to overshadow his decision.

Kojak encounters a case where a highly respected surgeon may be doing unnecessary surgeries in order to use the money to pay off gambling debts.

Kojak is suspended after reacting to an incompetent district attorney who failed to convict a known killer.

Kojak tries to protect Captain McNeil's widowed sister-in-law (Shelley Winters) from gamblers.

Kojak is assigned to help a resentful police officer search for a professional hit man.

Kojak and the detectives go undercover in a local hospital in order to investigate a string of murders that have been occurring while the victims were on duty. With Meeno Peluce.

A 40-year veteran officer is shot attempting to prevent the theft of a race horse that he illegally housed in the NYPD stables. With Jeff Conaway, Steve Franken, and Roz Kelly.

A paparazzi photographer (Tige Andrews) becomes the prime suspect in a jewel theft and phony kidnapping of a former actress (Antoinette Bower) he has pursued for years. With Arte Johnson and Andrew Robinson.

Crocker is taken hostage while trying to transport a prisoner from Vegas to New York. With Priscilla Barnes, Gianni Russo, Liberace.

After being rejected for a promotion, a disgruntled inspector (Danny Thomas) sees a current case as a way to boost his career.

Note: This is the series finale.

The murders of several elderly Russian men lead Kojak to a group of Nazi war criminals who are living in America with the full knowledge and approval of the U.S. Government. (Last appearances of Dan Frazer as Frank McNeil, George Savalas as Stavros, Mark Russell as Saperstein, and Vince Conti as Rizzo.)

When the bodies of two young boys are discovered in a Harlem river, their mother is the obvious suspect, particularly with her scandalous past. But Kojak believes that she is innocent.

During a stroll in an amusement park, Inspector Kojak finds a small Greek girl named Ariana. As she only speaks Greek, Kojak is the only man able to communicate with her and learn her name and hometown. There are no other leads and family is nowhere to be found. Kojak, with the aid of young detective Winston Blake, is about to find out that the case won't be all about the girl and that the key to solving it is in Kojak's past. With guest stars Hector Elizondo and Shari Headley. (First appearance of Andre Braugher as Detective Winston Blake.)

Popular book writer is murdered. Kojak finds out that shortly before his death he was working on a book about the mafia, so the mob is automatically his number one suspect. The case won't be that straightforward as new developments shift the investigation toward a young actor and a writer's wife who is a longtime friend of Kojak. Angie Dickinson, Richard Jenkins and Steven Weber are featured.

A fellow cop and Kojak's close friend is shot to death. Theo immediately starts an investigation, but to his dismay the case is taken away from him by the Internal Affairs Bureau, as his killed friend is suspected of bribery. Regardless of that, Kojak's continuing his own private research, as he believes in the detective's innocence. Cast includes Glynnis O'Connor and Ed Lauter.

Theo's former colleague and protégé, Bobby Crocker (Kevin Dobson), is now an assistant district attorney. Crocker prosecutes Kojak's current right-hand man, Winston Blake, for the murder of a call girl. Darren McGavin also stars. (Last appearance of Kevin Dobson as Bobby Crocker.)

Kojak investigates a tycoon (Rip Torn) and a mobster (Jerry Orbach) in connection with a plot involving money, women and murder. Marcia Gay Harden is an eyewitness to a crime, and Amanda Plummer, Terry Kinney and James Remar also have guest roles.