Dear TV Land,

I'm very excited about the 'TV Land Awards' that will air on April 25 at 9PM. I'm a big fan of retro television (and Retro Television), and I like seeing a lot of stars both old and new get all dressed up and come together for a night of fun, craziness, and award-giving. Tim Allen as host? Great! You're going to honor Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari from 'Bosom Buddies?' Fantastic! A salute to 'Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks?' Outstanding!

I'm particularly excited about this year's show because from the promos I've seen, it looks like you're going to re-animate the dead.

Bill Cosby received most of the accolades, including an Emmy Award, for his groundbreaking work on the action/espionage series 'I Spy.' However, it was co-star Robert Culp, who played Kelly Robinson opposite Cosby's Alexander Scott, who was the series' true MVP. Not only did Culp hold his own in the comedic banter that helped make 'I Spy' a hit that ran for three seasons, he also wrote several episodes that rank among the series' finest shows.

The dashing Culp, who also appeared in classic episodes of 'The Outer Limits' and 'Columbo,' and costarred in 'Greatest American Hero,' died yesterday at the age of 79. For those wishing to remember him in his signature role, here are three 'I Spy' episodes, also scripted by Culp, to get you started.

One half of the 'I Spy' team is gone: Robert Culp has died near his home in Hollywood at the age of 79. What's even more troubling is the way he died. Culp apparently fell and hit his head while out for a walk and was found by a jogger. He later died at a hospital.

Although Culp is probably best known for his work with Bill Cosby on 'I Spy,' he could be equally well-known to modern audiences for his work on two other classic shows. He played Agent Bill Maxwell on 'The Greatest American Hero' and also played Debra's dad on 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'

He made appearances in tons of other TV shows too: 'Columbo' (he was the murderer four times), 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'Matlock,' 'Robot Chicken,' 'The Outer Limits,' 'Police Story,' 'Dr. Kildare,' 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E., 'Combat,' 'Disneyland,' 'The Rifleman,' 'Bonanza,' 'Golden Girls,' 'Wings,' and many more shows and movies.

Oh, 'I Spy' was a fantastic show. It was shot on location around the world, which is rather rare for a TV show. It's on tonight at 9 on Retro TV. After the jump, the opening (you can also watch the show for free at SlashControl).

'I Spy' star Robert Culp, 79, died Wednesday after hitting his head during a fall, the LA Times has confirmed.

The incident occurred while the Emmy-winning star was taking a walk outside his Hollywood home. He was found by a jogger, who then called 911. Culp was pronounced dead after arriving at LA's Queen of Angels hospital.

Culp played Kelly Robinson for three seasons on 'I Spy' and received four Emmy nominations, including one for writing.

His other television credits include 'Trackdown,' 'Greatest American Hero' and the recent CBS comedy 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' in which he played Debra's (Patricia Heaton) father, Warren, in 11 episodes.

For more on the death of Robert Culp, visit PopEater.

If you've never seen the '60s intrigue drama I Spy, and haven't had the displeasure of having your brain cells infected by the abysmal big screen adaptation from a few years ago that starred Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, you're in for a treat: the entire series is now on DVD.

Oh, it was on DVD before, but there are two differences with this release. One, the entire series has been remastered, and two, the series is in order by season. The other releases featured individual DVDs that had random episodes on them. The entire series had been released (I think, anyway), but since they weren't in season order, it was rather odd.

Luckily, the new sets take care of that error. And those aren't the only two surprises on this set.

Add to the list of television series headed to the big screen: The Greatest American Hero. They are are casting the two main male roles of Ralph Hinkley and FBI Agent Bill Maxwell (played in the series by William Katt and Robert Culp, respectively). The film is set to be directed by Stephen Herek, whose directing credits include Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Mighty Ducks and the big-screen version of Dead Like Me.

I liked The Greatest American Hero as a kid. I've always like the superhero genre and to me this character's origin was a mix of Superman and Green Lantern. More interestingly, I realized as I got older that the three main characters of Ralph, Bill and Ralph's girlfriend Pam represents three different personality types. Ralph was the dreamer, Pam was the pragmatist and Bill was the pessimist.

Since Ralph was the dreamer, he was the one with the ability to change the world. Or, this could just be me talking nonsense and looking at a quaint '80s series with rose-colored glasses. What do you think a modern take on this show would be like?

Word is coming out that October 3 will see the release of a special 13 disc DVD set for The Greatest American Hero, the 80s superhero spoof that starred William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Besides all 43 episodes, the set will include a cape (!), instructions on how to use the suit (with lights), and an iron on.

13 discs for only 43 episodes? What kind of extras are going to be on the set?