‘The Alaskans’: The Complete Series Blu-Ray Review – Snowy Roger Moore Western Is A Simple Pleasure

Set against the backdrop of the 1890s gold rush in the Yukon, Roger Moore, Jeff York and Dorothy Provine star in The Alaskans. This Warner Bros. Television series built on the growing popularity of the studio’s westerns which became a mainstay on ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Years before establishing himself as The Saint and later James Bond, Moore brought his unique stylish swagger to the series, adding distinctive class to the role of Silky Harris, an adventurer who teams up with his friend Reno McKeean (Jeff York). Joined in their ever-exciting activities by showgirl Rocky Shaw (Dorothy Provine), the trio stake their luck, love and lives on ice-coated gambles for riches and survival. The series also had the benefit of an impressive array of guest stars including James Coburn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Troy Donahue, Lee Van Cleef, Neil Hamilton, Alan Hale, Werner Klemperer, and Julie Adams to name but a few. Long unavailable for viewing in any media, the series has now been remastered in 1080p HD for this Warner Archive Blu-ray release, derived from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive presents the complete run of The Alaskans with a stellar 1080p transfer sourced from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negatives. This set provides all 36 episodes spread across nine discs which allows a good amount of room for this hour-long show to shine. This is a series that has been difficult to track down for some time, but the source seems to have been thoughtfully preserved. The quality of a Warner Archive release is typically top-shelf, and this release is no different. 

The show is clear of damage with no signs of wear and tear or dirt specks. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such anomalies are likewise sidestepped for a rich viewing experience. There are no stumbling blocks when it comes to this picture. The series features some sumptuous black-and-white photography which sparkles with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. Black levels are deep with absolute stability throughout, and the contrast holds tight with nothing appearing overly bright or blown out. The Alaskan landscapes provide a world of texture and clarity throughout the series. Warner Archive continues to impress with its classic television output. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that captures these stories with ideal fidelity. Dialogue and background activity are rendered with the utmost accuracy along with the noble score. Exchanges always come through without a hitch such as being clipped by parallel elements. The more exciting moments are handled admirably as they bring some texture to the track. The restoration has eliminated virtually all instances of distortion to the track such as popping, hissing, and dropouts. The age of this material means there are some weaker elements, but everything resonates with the expected clarity. Warner Archive has delivered a grand audio presentation. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the episodes. 

Special Features

There are no special features provided for this set. 

Final Thoughts

The Alaskans has a Western ethos even if the setting is not technically the Old West. The series delivers the simple pleasure of an “adventure of the week” format where characters we love get into different scrapes with fun guest stars and a favorable amount of thrills and intrigue. The show has been overlooked for decades due to being out of circulation, but now a new generation has the opportunity to discover it. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray set that features a fetching A/V presentation but no supplemental features. If you are a fan of Roger Moore or Western-esque outings, this is worth a spot in your collection. Recommended 

The Alaskans: The Complete Series can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.