The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)TV series

As famous as “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” is, and as prolific as my television viewership has been for going on 50 years now, until I received a review screener of the just-released DVD collection of series’ debut season, I had never seen even one episode of one of the most durable and beloved television series ever made.

What makes this even odder is that “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is right in my wheelhouse. Action and adventure shows from the stylish sixties (“Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek,” and especially “The Wild Wild West”) are about as good as escapist television gets. Of course, a number of shows that enthralled us as children have aged horribly.

I bring good news: Fans of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin have nothing...