M Squad: The Complete Series (2008)

An important rediscovery: M Squad, the late-'50s series starring Lee Marvin as a Chicago cop (the M stands for murder) constructed its episodes like half-hour film noirs. ''I'm not a nice guy,'' says the chain-smoking Marvin to a hood, and you believe him. Where the other signature cop show of this era, Dragnet, was intentionally dry, M Squad is jittery; Marvin looks eager 
to pop a perp in the kisser. Look for a young Leonard Nimoy and Burt Reynolds as 
guest stars. Plus, on 
its own disc, moody soundtrack music by jazz greats including Count Basie. B+