The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Seventh Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

More than thirty years after the final episode of the iconic series aired, 20th Century Fox delivers the last season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on DVD. Season seven hit the shelves on October 5th, and though the presentation leaves quite a bit to be desired, there is still enough energy left in the cast to make many of these episodes worth owning.

Though aired often over the years, the final episode of the series may be worth the purchase of the final season. Well written and executed, like the entire series, the final episode is simple but brilliant. No extended-length episode, just a simple farewell to those who worked in the WJM newsroom and those who loved them.

Another gem to be found in season seven is Episode 23 (The second to the last) titled “Lou Dates Mary” where our two stars do indeed date, and even kiss, in one of the more memorable moments of the entire series.

Yes, season seven includes classic moments and some notable guest-star performances by Eric Braeden, David Ogden Stiers, Helen Hunt, Vincent Gardenia and others, but it is clear nonetheless that the series was ready to retire. With Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman long since gone off to their own shows, the private life of Mary Richards has faded into the background with the series revolving around her life at WJM. This did allow the characters of Sue Ann Niven (Betty White) and Georgette Baxter (Georgia Engel) to step in to the forefront, but the added energy was not substantial enough to fill the void left by the afore mentioned talented ladies.

Episodes such as “What’s Wrong with Swimming,” in which Mary hires a former Olympic swimmer (Caren Kaye) to do sports on the news broadcast, are tired and trite and not worthy of the show as a whole. The episodes revolving around Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) and his family also seem desperate, and only serve to give us less of Mary, Lou (Ed Asner) and Murray (Gavin MacLeod).

Ultimately this is an amazing series, and one that certainly deserved better treatment than provided by 20th Century Fox in this release. The packaging looks cheap, there is no bonus material, and though the rarely seen curtain call after the final episode is touted on the packaging as being included, it is not. Research shows that if you call the 800 number on the back of the DVD case, you can have a replacement disk sent to you that does include the curtain call.

Recommendation: Tough call. The series is great and the final episode is a must have for the true fan, but the presentation is bad. Yes, the show does look and sound good here, but one can only hope that a better release of the entire series will be forthcoming.

Article first published as DVD Review: The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Seventh Season on Blogcritics.

Modern Family - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Written by Pirata Hermosa

A new comedy on ABC that looks into the lives of today’s typical modern family. Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) is the patriarch of the family and has two adult children. He lives with his new and much younger Columbian wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and her son Manny (Rico Rodriguez) who considers himself a modern-day Casanova

His son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) lives with his boyfriend Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and the two have adopted a little Vietnamese girl named Lily. Mitchell feels that he is a disappointment to his father and is always trying to prove his manliness in order to impress him.

His daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) lives with her not-so-bright husband Phil (Ty Burrell) and their three children. Claire is always in a competition with her brother Mitchell since she is daddy’s favorite.

While the main theme is about having a blended family filled with all kinds of different people, it also breaks itself down into the three smaller familial groups. And even though they are all distinct with different personalities, each of those three subsets has one character that tends to be the center of the smaller group.

Manny is the catalyst for Jay and Gloria, with Manny sometimes being more of the adult than they are. In Mitchell’s group, Cameron seems to dominate with his ability to be the Jack-of-all-trades. One minute he is sensitive, the next he’s threatening to beat up a guy harassing Mitchell, another he’s Fizbo the clown or playing drums in a rock band. In the final group it’s Phil who draws all the attention. He thinks he’s the cool, hip, understanding parent as he bumbles and stumbles around looking more the fool than anything, but fortunately, he has a big heart which makes him very likeable.

Most of the time the show is shot from a perspective much like you are watching a documentary as opposed to a fixed camera angle prevalent in many sitcoms. It also breaks through the fourth wall as each of the family members does “Couch Confessionals” and speaks directly to the audience.

Each 50 GB Dual Layer Blu-ray disc comes with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and is shown woth a 1.78:1 Widescreen ratio. The biggest issue that I had was with disc three in the set. While the others were very clear and bright, disc three seemed to run a little darker than the others. Along with the slower loading speed from the formatting that all of the discs had, disc three took even longer and had to be reinserted for it to work.

Each disc has Deleted, Extended and Alternate scenes. These extras are so good that it would have been nice to see them actually inserted into the episodes on the Blu-ray to give it a little more context instead of having to watch them in a special features section.

There are also several more features that include the typical Gag Reel, discussions with the cast on what they were doing before, and the making of two specific episodes, “Family Portrait” and “Hawaii”.

For being a new show, there are quite a few celebrities in the first season. Shelly Long, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Norton, and Minnie Driver are just a few to make guest appearances. The show recently won several Emmy awards for a comedy series, and rightfully deserves every one of them as each episode has a number of laugh-out-loud moments. It is certainly a must-see event every Wednesday night.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)

Written by Pirata Hermosa

Season three of the highly popular show featuring four nerds and one beautiful girl next door has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. This season picks up a few months after season two’s finale with the four men returning from a three-month expedition to the North Pole, their normally clean cut looks being overridden by their now mountain-man attire and unruly facial hair.

While the first two seasons introduced you to Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and their unique interactions, season three goes much further than just the immediate characterization and begins to fill in the reason behind their personalities by introducing the outside influences that make them who they are.

We are finally introduced to Sheldon’s mother, Mary (Laurie Metcalf), a devout Christian who is the antithesis of her son. Comparatively, Leonard’s overly analytical mother, Beverly (Christine Baranski) is also the opposite of her son. In a strange twist of fate, the two friends have the mother that the other one really needed.

Not only does the audience meet new family members, but they also get to meet Sheldon’s arch nemesis, Wil Wheaton. Yes, it is the same Wil Wheaton from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Not only is he playing himself, but he’s playing an evil version of himself. He shows up during two episodes, one in a card tournament with Sheldon and another in a bowling tournament. And both times he sinks to new lows by lying and tricking his way to victory, even at the cost of breaking up Penny and Leonard’s relationship.

Even though the guest stars are incredibly amazing in the show and fit in perfectly with the cast, they aren’t the only thing that makes the season work. There are also many wonderful storylines like how Sheldon and Leonard first met, Penny hurting herself in the shower and having only Sheldon to call for help, why the elevator doesn’t work, what happens when the gang comes across a Lord of the Rings replica of the One Ring, and can a computer find the perfect woman for Sheldon.

There are only three extra features on the two Blu-ray discs, and they aren’t particularly interesting. “Take-out with the Cast” is the best feature as the group sits around the set eating Chinese food and answering question from their fortune cookies. “Set Tour with Simon and Kunal” is self-explantory. The "Gag Reel” is a very typical one where they flub their lines or giggle for no apparent reason.

The Blu-ray is formatted in 1080p High Definition at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and the audio is available in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sharpness of the picture is impressive, particularly when Howard shows up wearing his extremely absurd and colorful outfits. As with most sitcoms, the audio tracks aren’t used to their fullest, but more than once it sounded like Sheldon was knocking on my front door looking for Penny.

Every season of this show just keeps getting better and better. The cast is superb and every week there seems to be a new surprise. If you’re expecting to get anything more than just the season episodes you’ll be disappointed, but the show is good enough that it doesn’t matter that there are no decent additional features.

Gary Unmarried - The Complete First Season

Written by Pirata Hermosa

Gary Brooks (Jay Mohr) is an average working guy with two kids. He has just recently divorced his wife, Allison (Paula Marshall). It doesn’t take Gary long to bounce back, and being that he is somewhat of a playboy, he immediately has a new girlfriend, Vanessa (Jaime King).

Even though the two are divorced, Gary finds himself having to hide his new girlfriend because he promised to follow the advice of their former marriage counselor, Dr. Krandall (Ed Begley Jr.). And that advice is to not get involved right away in any new relationships as it could adversely affect the children. But Gary’s charade doesn’t last long when he finds out that Allison is not only dating, but her new boyfriend is Dr. Krandall.

While this appears to be just another typical sitcom it actually has its own spin on the genre. Gary and Allison have a fairly amicable divorce and as the season plays out you can see that the reason that the two have separated isn’t because they don’t love one another, but more because of Gary’s inability to mature causing them to grow apart. This also is a downfall of the characters as their new partners will find it difficult to accept such attachment to a former spouse.

The chemistry between the two exes is very strong and the main reason the show works. Even when they are in a heated argument, which is usually based on something stupid Gary does, the love/hate aspect pulls it all together.

There’s also a lot of play on boundaries, and what they are after having once been married to someone. How are in-laws supposed to react towards their former daughter/son-in-law? Is it possible for ex-wife and new girlfriend to be friends? And what about dating your counselor?

The casting of the characters is also very good. While Mohr is best known as a smartass comedian, he does an excellent job of playing the lovable goof. Begley Jr. is also another great casting choice as his quirkiness and strange mannerisms make him fun to watch no matter what he is doing.

There are four Special Features on the DVD.

"The Chemistry of Comedy" -The cast and crew discuss the basic idea of the show, how it works, the chemistry between Gary and Allison, and the writing process of the episodes.

"Planet Begley" - is a look into Ed Begley Jr.’s world of “Green Living.” His fellow cast members comment on his unique living style and the film crew takes a look at his eco-friendly home powered by solar electricity.

"Tuesday on the Set with Jay" - The star takes the fans through a behind-the-scenes tour of the entire set, interspersed with live shooting and clips from the show. The clips are a little distracting as they appear to be missing frames, giving it a choppy appearance.

"Gary Unhinged Bloopers from Season One" - A typical blooper reel that shows Mohr has a hard time remembering the names of his ex-wife and girlfriend. Once again, the clips used are choppy.

In 2009 the show won the People’s Choice Award for Best New Comedy, which is an impressive feat on its own, because it doesn't seem to receive nearly the amount of advertisement as most of the others. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, then I’d suggest getting the first season of Gary Unmarried. You won’t be sorry.

Small Wonder: The Complete First Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

Take an established premise, add in some solid setup/punch writing, family values, a few stories with a message, and put all in the hands of executive producer Howard Leeds, and its no Small Wonder that this show lasted for 96 episodes.

Leeds name, as writer and/or producer, can be found on many classic television shows from the '60s and '70s including The Facts of Life, Diff’rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, The Brady Bunch, and Bewitched. The premise for Small Wonder is not unlike Bewitched, in that someone is living in a house with a family, they are not as they appear, and there are nosey neighbors constantly causing problems. In Small Wonder it is a robot instead of a witch, and Vicki (Tiffany Brissette), whose name comes from Voice Input Child Identicant, is a little girl. The family atmosphere and relationship between the parents has a strong Brady Bunch feel to it, obviously influenced by Leeds who produced 34 episodes of that classic show.

Families flocked to this syndicated show in September of 1985 when United Robotronics engineer Ted Lawson (Dick Christie) first brought Vicki, his secret project, home to his wife Joan (Marla Pennington) and wise-cracking son Jamie (Jerry Supiran). Ted wanted to work out the kinks while she acclimated to a normal environment. As Vicki took things literally, repeated phrases like a parrot, and mugged to the camera, the laugh tracks rolled.

Small Wonder gleaned its success from doing one thing right from top to bottom: they kept it simple. Simplicity in premise, stories, special effects, sets, etc. It even has a catchy theme song. The writing for the show is comedy writing at it’s most basic. Every fifth to seventh line of dialog is a punch line, and in many cases it appears that the story was written around the jokes. Nonetheless, there were enough jokes and sight gags to keep children laughing, and enough story to keep parents interested or at least distracted.

The performances work well because it is clear that the cast knows exactly what it is doing and is not taking it too seriously. Brissette does a wonderful job with her role, and considering the challenges and restrictions, excels in her performance. The rest of the cast does well, especially Supiran who displays solid comic timing for someone so young. Emily Schulman is adequately annoying as Harriet the little girl next door, but the writers don’t make her inquisitive enough in season one, and thus she is not antagonistic. Edie McClurg makes a few appearances as Harriet’s mom, and it is hard to go wrong anytime the veteran character actress hits the screen.

Shout Factory sends all 24 episodes of the first season to the shelves in a well-packaged four-disc set. Bonus material includes Original Episode Promos, Fan Art Gallery that appears to be pictures fans sent in, and commentary on certain episodes from Leeds and the cast. The commentary is entertaining, but would have been more enjoyable in a cast reunion than on a track under the episode dialog.

Recommendation: Small Wonder is for the young. If you enjoyed it in 1985, you may like an episode or two, but it will probably be too simple for you in 2010. If you have never seen the show, parents could find far worse programming to share with their children. No Emmy awards here, just simple television for the certain families.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season

Written by Pirata Hermosa

The second season of the critically acclaimed comedy created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady about four nerdy geniuses and the beautiful girl next door has been released to DVD just days before season three premieres.

From the very first episode you can see that this season contains a lot more character development and interaction as Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) go out on their very first and last date. During the first season, a lot of emphasis was put on the possible romance between them, so it was a little strange that they threw the two together so quickly just to rip them apart in the very next episode. Even stranger is that the show is much better off with them separated but continues to have awkward moments when they make references about the time they were dating yet it was only one date.

While Johnny and Penny were the main two characters during season one, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) completely steals the show. The more you get to know about his idiosyncrasies and phobias the more the show begins to revolve around him. In order for the rest of his friends to function, Sheldon must first be appeased. In many shows this could make for an annoying character, but while he may be annoying to his friends, the audience finds him incredibly likeable and entertaining. He approaches everything with such sincere innocence and with complete honesty that you can’t help but like him.

More time is also spent on the characters of Howard (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar). We meet their parents and see that they actually have homes and don’t just sit around Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment all day. Rajesh finally gets some recognition by People magazine and we get to see how much he can talk and hit on women when he’s drunk. Even Howard becomes a little less sleazy (for a moment) and can actually have his feelings hurt, which was an unknown possibility up until now.

Every episode is filled with some of the best comedy writing currently on television, so choosing the best ones out of the season is pretty tough. Three episodes that particularly standout are:

“The Barbarian Sublimation”: Penny is feeling depressed after a bad breakup. Her life isn’t what she thought it would be, so she channels all her energy into The Age of Conan, an MMORPG that takes over her life. A kind of role reversal, as the four guys have to talk her out of doing something that they usually do.

“The Lizard-Spock Expansion”: Sheldon comes up with a new way to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" by adding two more possibilities, lizard and Spock. But the fun and games are halted when Howard calls for help. It seems that he has managed to get the Mars rover stuck in a ditch.

“The Terminator Coupling”: While on the way to a symposium by train, the four men find that actress Summer Glau is aboard. Three of them compete for her affections, while Sheldon tries to get Penny to find a flash drive with a research paper that he forgot back at the apartment so he can present it to Dr. George Smoot who is a Nobel Laureate for his work on the actual Big Bang Theory.

The DVD contains three special features.

The Big Bang Theory: Physicist to the Stars – UCLA Professor David Saltzberg, who is the creative consultant on the show, explains how he got involved and what he does to add real physics into the storyline. The cast and creators also weigh in on his contributions.

Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in Relation to the Big Bang Theory – This is really well done and gives you not only an overview of the characters and how they have grown, but also gives a nice recap of the season.

Gag Reel - The gag reel is a little longer than on most DVDs. It starts off fairly bland and is pretty much the same thing that’s been done before, but about halfway through it starts to pick up the pace and by the end will have you laughing out loud.

Night Court - The Complete Second Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

In the early 1980s the landscape of television situation comedies began to change from the trite stories that served to move from one punch line to the next that spotted the television horizon of the late ‘70s, to stories of depth that found humor in well-developed characters. Many series did not survive the transition. Night Court which began in January of 1984 managed to evolve and subsequently become a hit, breaking into the Neilson top-30 (#11) in 1985 and the top-10 (#7) from ‘86 to ‘88. Yes, the show certainly benefited from being a part of NBC’s stellar Thursday night lineup, but Night Court benefited more from growing along with the taste of the audience.

In the first few seasons, Night Court was more like a series from the ‘70s, driven by obvious “set up and punch” humor. As it matured, the characters were developed, an ensemble was formed and utilized, and the stories were allowed to drive the comedy rather than the other way around.

Warner Brothers Home Video has released the complete second season on DVD. Though this well packaged three-disc set is enjoyable, at this point in the show’s evolution, it is more reminiscent of a ‘70s sit-com than that of the time period in which it was aired, and thus has a more nostalgic feel to it than one might expect.

Following the goings-on at a New York Manhattan night court presided over by youthful Judge Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson) who had a penchant for magic, jokes, and Mel Torme, Night Court not only featured a colorful cast of characters, but was consistently visited by some of the best comedic character actors in the business.

Anderson had made a name for himself in a few appearances on Cheers as con man “Harry the Hat,” and would anchor Night Court for its entire eight-year run. Also along for the entire run was John Larroquette, as assistant D.A. Reinhold “Dan” Fielding, who would manage to turn one of television’s most lecherous characters into a beloved comedic icon worthy of four Emmys, and Richard Moll as gentle giant bailiff Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon. The second season would also include Selma Diamond as wisecracking bailiff Selma Hacker, Charlie Robinson as court clerk Mac Robinson who was the calming influence in the room, and representing the accused was Billie Young played energetically by Ellen Foley.

This cast was good, but had yet to find its working chemistry this season. With respects to Ellen Foley who added much to the ensemble, the cast really came together with the addition of Markie Post as Christine Sullivan who appeared in one episode in season two and would become a regular the following season.

In season two much humor was generated by the constant flow of unusual characters through the courtroom on a nightly basis. These roles in season two included such stars as Michael Richards, Lou Ferrigno, John Astin, Stella Stevens, and many more.
The new release is packaged nicely and looks great, but includes no bonus material.

Recommendation: Though the series would get much better in future seasons and the constant set-up punch formula grows tiring, there is some fun here. It’s a nice addition to the collection of a true fan, or just someone who wants to hear what Dan or Selma our going to say next.

My Three Sons: Season 1, Volume 2

Written by Hombre Divertido

CBS/Paramount has released the second installment of the first season of the classic television show My Three Sons which ran on CBS from 1960 to 1972. This release, which completes the first season, comes roughly four months after the release of volume one.

The series chronicles the life of consulting aviation engineer Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) who was raising his three sons with the help of his father-in-law “Bub” played by William Frawley, who had previously co-starred on I Love Lucy. Steve’s wife passed away before the series started, and now, Steve would handle the challenges generated by college-bound Mike (Tim Considine), young teen Robbie (Don Grady) and rambunctious seven-year-old Chip (Stanley Livingston), with a lit pipe and a calm that one could only hope for in a parent.

Running for twelve years, the show set records in its day. The family would shrink, as Mike would marry and move away never to be mentioned again, and the family would grow through adoption and marriage. In the first season it was simply our five men, six if you count the family dog Tramp (Canine), struggling to cohabitate and survive.

It’s interesting that the packaging of this three-disc release touts the episodes as smart, funny, and extremely well written. This will seem very generous as you delve into the eighteen episodes in this collection. The scripts seem to fall into three categories: “Misunderstandings,” that would later be a staple of “Threes Company”, where someone gets the wrong impression due to something they saw or heard and then jocularity insures as in “The Delinquent;” “Disney,” where the story is cute, has a lot of physical antics, and is not very realistic as in “Deadline” which features a young Beau Bridges and Mark Slade, who would go on to star in High Chaparral; or “Nothing,” where there simply does not seem to be enough story to fill the time as in “The Croaker” where far too much time is spent watching Bub play with a frog.

The “Disney” dynamic could be easily explained simply due to the actor’s roots. MacMurray and Considine both had individual Disney projects and had appeared together in the hit Disney Movie The Shaggy Dog, and Grady had been a Mouseketeer. The “Nothing” stories may simply have been due to the extensive editing process associated with what was termed the MacMurray method. The actor agreed to do the show only if the time associated with his participation was limited. Thus many scripts were written, and several scenes from different episodes, such as those taking place in the kitchen, would be shot all at once, and then pieced together in postproduction. There are scenes in many episodes, such as “The Croaker,” that seem to go on far too long, as if they are simply trying to fill time. This may be a result of the previously mentioned editing process. As for the “Misunderstanding” episodes, though ahead of their time, are simply too staged and far-fetched to be anything but trite.

What does make this series work are the performances and chemistry between the actors. Though Grady has yet to fit into his character and often seems just a bit off, generally these characters are believable as a family and enjoyable to watch. There is an overall energy generated by the young actors that is complimented by the subtle humor generated by the endearing MacMurray, and the classic comedic timing of Frawley.

Recommendation: There is simply not enough here to recommend this endeavor. Without any bonus material, and not even the first episode of the series included since this is volume two, this is a very tough sell. There does not appear to be a logical reason to have split the first season of this iconic series into two volumes other than to glean more profit. CBS/Paramount has released other series with as many first season episodes in a single volume, so there is little explanation for this dual release. Also unacceptable are the changes made to the music from this classic series denoted in ever so small print on the backside of the packaging.

My Three Sons - Season 1, Volume 2 is only for the true fan who already has the first volume and can’t wait for the full series to be packaged together.

HAPPY DAYS: The Fourth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

In 1980 ABC launched the Saturday-morning animated show Fonz and the Happy Days Gang. Unfortunately, the television show Happy Days had become a cartoon five years earlier.

As was common in the seventies and eighties, a series was created, and once a breakout star was established, said star was exploited, even to the detriment of the series. The show from whence the term “Jump the Shark” originated actually did so before that notorious act was carried out. In season three Happy Days became The Fonzie Show, and the innocence of high-school kids in the fifties portrayed so well in the first two seasons was gone. So was the integrity of the show.

One certainly can’t argue with the decision to focus the show on Fonzie (Henry Winkler), as season four was the highest rated in the show’s history. Paramount has now released all twenty-three episodes in a four-disc set.

From the start of season four, it was obvious that the only important thing was to give Fonzie as much airtime as possible, no matter how ridiculous the writing. The season opens with a three-part (or two-part depending how technical you want to get) episode entitled “Fonzie Loves Pinkie” featuring Roz Kelly as his love interest. These three episodes have all the elements of a cartoon and a major-fromage factor. The rest of the season follows suit with contrived episodes that, for the most part, sadly pushes the rest of the cast to supporting roles.

The episode where Fonzie gets baptized certainly takes a religious turn for a show of that era, and does have a surprising level of poignancy. There are also some brief instances of the other actors getting a chance to display their comedy chops, for instance: Ron Howard in “A Place of His Own” and Anson Williams in “Fonzie Hero” to name a few. Nonetheless, the show hits a new low in “Spunky Come Home” which revolves around Fonzie losing his dog.

Winkler was and is a talented performer who portrayed Fonzie with true commitment, but he didn’t deserve to be required to carry the whole show.

The season does include some pleasant guest appearances but most of the following talent is wasted: Marc McClure, Charlene Tilton, Diana Hyland, Nancy Walker, Dick Van Patten, Linda Kaye Henning, Eddie Mekka, and Conrad Janis.

The only listed “Special Feature” in this set is certainly generously titled. Since the third anniversary episode is the standard flashback episode, which was poorly constructed and executed, and was broadcast as part of the season, it seems a bit unethical to call it a bonus feature.

Recommendation: This is trite television that wastes the talents of Ron Howard, Tom Bosely, Marion Ross, Donnie Most, Anson Williams, and others. Happy Days was better when it was an ensemble show. This is only for the true fan.

Petticoat Junction: The Official First Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

In 1963 Paul Henning was basking in the glow of one of the most successful situation comedies of all-time, The Beverly Hillbillies, which he had created. He took the simple fish-out-of-water premise of a country family striking it rich and moving to Beverly Hills and turned it into a rating smash. In 1965 Henning would reverse the premise, and send an affluent lawyer and his ditsy wife from Park Avenue, New York to live in the country, and would strike ratings gold again with Green Acres.

In between these two juggernauts, Henning also launched Petticoat Junction. A simple show based on the childhood memories of Henning’s wife. Petticoat Junction starred Bea Benadaret as Kate Bradley, the mother of three beautiful girls, Billie Joe (Jeannine Riley), Bobbie Joe (Pat Woodell), and Betty Joe (Linda Kaye Henning) who ran the Shady Rest Hotel along with Kate’s Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan). The Shady Rest was located just outside of Hooterville, and could be accessed by a ride on the Cannonball, which was part of the C&FW Railroad.

Despite a shaky premise for a series, substantial cast turnover, and a first season full of episodes with thin plots, America embraced this show depicting a simple life, and it lasted for seven years. On December 16th 2008, CBS will release all thirty-eight episodes of the first season.

The cast is solid in this kindhearted series, but the characters are not quite fleshed out yet, and the writing in the first season lacks depth, and often makes little sense. What this new release may lack in comedy writing, it certainly makes up for in bonus material.

Whereas CBS has made a habit of releasing series from the sixties with no bonus material, there is some fun and informative extras here. Each episode includes an optional introduction by original cast members Pat Woodell, and Linda Kaye Henning (daughter of show creator Paul Henning). Their brief introductions, which occasionally include memories of the filming, are as charming as the show itself. Other extras include in-depth interviews with Ms. Woodell and Ms. Henning, an interview with Paul Henning, original sponsor spots featuring cast members, and a photo gallery. Ms. Woodell and Ms. Henning provide introductions to all the extras and for all intents and purposes serve as hosts and guides for this trip down memory lane. You can applaud CBS for making the viewing of previews for its other releases optional when loading the discs.

Some of the episodes are fun, especially “The Ladybugs” in which Uncle Joe attempts to capitalize on Beatlemania by forming a rock group with his nieces. It’s fun to watch the girls don wigs, and rock out, but like many other episodes in this first season, it is the performances that make this episode enjoyable, as the plot and details are extremely weak.

Along with the talented cast, the first season also includes some fun guest appearances by a pre-Batman Adam West, Ken Osmond from Leave it to Beaver, and a young Dennis Hopper.

Recommendation: Petticoat Junction has always had a strong and loyal following, and though the first season was certainly not the best of the series, the insightful bonus material makes this new release well worth owning.

[Editor's Note] While CBS DVD has a habit offering television series edited in some manner, the packaging states that “some episodes may be edited from their original network versions,” and actress Linda Kaye Henning claims in the introduction to “Bobbie Jo and the Beatnik” that her character appears in the episode played by her stand-in even though it doesn't, DVD Co-Producer Jim Pierson assures fans “all 38 episodes from Season 1 appear on the Official First Season DVD in complete form as originally aired on CBS-TV in 1963-64, with nothing missing and no music changed.”

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Final Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

Whether it was because CBS was canceling all its rural comedies, or because the simple fish-out-of-water premise that served as the basis for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. had run its course, the fifth season was the last for this classic series. All 30 episodes of the final season, which ran until September 1970, are available on a four-disc set. Though the episodes look and sound great, and the chemistry between Gomer (Jim Nabors) and Sgt.Vince Carter (Frank Sutton) still plays well, some of the stories are tired and appear to be retreads of previous efforts.

There are some wonderful guest appearances by Carol Burnett, Rob Reiner, and Ellen Corby in this season, but considering that our stars took a trip to Hollywood, which was a very common practice for sit-coms of that era, we certainly should have expected some cameos. Unfortunately there is little star-power in the four-part trip to Hollywood. It’s fun to spot a young Jamie Farr and Barry Williams, and the legendary George Fenneman and Sheldon Leonard, but considering that our Marines were in Hollywood to shoot a movie and most of the four episodes took place at a movie studio, one would certainly be justified in asking where all the stars were.

The fifth season also marks the return of Ronnie Schell as Duke Slater. Duke, who had formerly been a member of the platoon and a good friend of Gomer’s, returns as the company’s new corporal. Though the return of Schell certainly added energy to the show, the lack of growth in our characters was showing by the fifth season and it ended with little fanfare. A thirty-minute episode with a few flashbacks, serves as the ending of the series, but more importantly shows us the Sergeant Carter does indeed care about Gomer, as he arranges to keep him right where he is. Though heartfelt, the writers might have been better suited to promote Gomer long before the end of the series, than to leave him where he was. There were no longer any regulars amongst the platoon for Gomer to play off of as there had been in pervious years, and thus the stories had to rest solely on the shoulders of our two stars. As talented as they were, some growth would have helped.

Allan Melvin made regular appearances as Sergeant Hacker, and though his character will always be appreciated, it forced the stories to be more about his competition with Sergeant Carter, and how Gomer was the pawn, rather than Gomer being at the forefront of the stories.

Sure, this was a show with a simple premise, but five seasons and 150 episodes is an accomplishment for any show. Casting was the key to the success here. Though the loss of Gomer to The Andy Griffith Show was certainly felt, both faired well after the departure.

Recommendation: Perhaps not the best season of the series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Final Season is certainly still worth owning. Nabors and Sutton continue to give a lesson in comedic teaming and timing that makes the show worth watching for comedy fans of all ages. Some bonus material certainly would have made this set more attractive, but it remains a solid addition to any collection.

The Odd Couple: The Final Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

On Thursday September 24th, 1970, a television comedy about two divorced men trying to share an apartment without driving each other crazy debuted on ABC. Could a show based on a play and subsequent movie with such a simple premise, that would go through eight time-slot and day changes, and never crack the top twenty-five in the Nielsen ratings, actually last for five seasons and 114 episodes?

Yes, yes it could, by embracing two fundamental keys to success: keep it simple, and cast actors with chemistry. Jack Klugman as slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison and Tony Randall as fastidious photographer Felix Unger embraced and embodied their characters and played off each other in simply wonderful stories for five glorious seasons. This is character-driven comedy at its best, and Paramount/CBS DVD release all twenty-two episodes of the final season in a three-disc set on November 18th.

Some shows might have lost steam after four seasons, but The Odd Couple is still going strong here, and leaves you wanting more. In fact there are some story lines that were ripe for additional episodes. In “The Hollywood Story,” the boys are off to Hollywood, which was common for sitcoms of that era. What wasn't common was that it would be left to only one episode. Said episode is full of great scenes, a wonderful monologue by Felix, and a nice cameo by Bob Hope, but having the guys spend a few more episodes in Hollywood would have been fun.

Bob Hope is not the only great guest-star in this season. We get some great music from Paul Williams and Roy Clark, some wonderful visits from Richard Dawson and Howard Cosell, some fun performances from Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall, and much more. Keep your eyes peeled for a young Leif Garret as the son of Felix, and a few visits from legendary producer and director Garry Marshall. Klugman's son even portrays the young Madison in one episode.

There are some interesting casting choices of some of the lesser known character actors in this final season in that if you watch closely, you will see the same actor playing different characters in multiple episodes. Though distracting, it does give the show an ensemble feel.

The series ends on a nice, if not trite note, with a final episode that sends Felix back to his wife, and leaves Oscar back in his bachelor pad. Most series don't get the chance to wrap things up so nicely. Those that do tend to make it into a huge event. Not so here. They kept it simple and classy to the end.

Recommendation: Though some bonus material would have been a nice addition to this collection, it's still classic television at it's best. Randall and Klugman give an acting lesson in comedic timing and are surrounded by talented character actors in each and every episode. Don't worry about any let down in the quality of the show in the final season. It's as funny and fresh as when they started.

Samantha Who?: The Complete First Season

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

The list of great female comedians that can carry a TV sitcom is short and almost dead today. But their success is usually spectacular or at least notable. The genre brings to mind the brilliance of I Love Lucy or The Mary Tyler Moore Show of the TVLand distant past. Or maybe there's still a Nick-At-Nite memory of the fun that both Roseanne and The Ellen Show brought to our screens in the Nineties. What each of these shows had in common was the lack of a gimmick. Each had a home or work setting in a "normal" (usually Midwest) location and played the comedy off the everyday situations of friends and family.

But it's now 2008 and every show needs a hook - something that's easy to tease and will draw viewers to a sitcom genre that's already in shambles. Samantha Who? starts the "Pilot" episode with a premise that can be encapsulated before the first commercial break. Samantha from Chicago has been hit by a car, spent eight days in a coma, and has retrograde amnesia, forgetting everyone including her mom, dad, best friend and boyfriend. Obviously, the comedy will generally stem from storylines featuring her lack of memory.

It's great to see Christina Applegate starring on network TV again. It's easy to forget how easily she played Kelly Bundy on Married With Children with some really crappy scripts the last few years of their ten-year run. But what really showed her chops as a comedic actress was the often forgotten Jesse. This show starred Applegate and ran in the after-Friends spot on NBC from 1998 to 2000. Despite great reviews the show couldn't bring in the kind of ratings that NBC needed in that Thursday spot and was cancelled. It was only a matter of time before she found the right material to get back into comedic television.

The show quickly reminds you of at least two other contemporary shows which could be an issue as the series continues into its Second Season. The first two episodes - "Pilot" and "The Job" run parallel to the set up of My Name Is Earl. Like Earl, Samantha is a bad person - evil to her co-workers, greedy and selfish. Once she is hit by a car (same as Earl) she becomes a new person (hence the name Samantha Newly). Instead of karma, Samantha has amnesia, but like Earl, her quest is to undo the bad things that Evil Sam did in her past life. In Earl, some of the best scenes are the flashbacks to "Evil Earl." In Samantha Who?, almost every episode during the First Season features a flashback as a storytelling device where Samantha "remembers" something that is usually related to the main story. It's a nice device when used right - like in "Hypnotherapist" when Samantha is convinced that she's adopted, the flashback memory is timed perfectly. When it's used in almost every episode, it becomes predictable like her conflict with the bride in "The Wedding." Samantha's narration throughout the series very closely fills the same role as Earl's voiceover in his show.

The show is dominated by Samantha and her two friends - Andrea (Jennifer Esposito who I recognized from Spin City) and Dena (Melissa McCarthy from The Gilmore Girls). Andrea is the bad influence, co-worker, and bar friend who loves the Evil Sam. Dena is the childhood friend who only comes back into Samantha's life after the accident. Each plays their role well and it's like Sam having the little Angel and the little Devil on each shoulder. But when you put the three together the series often steers itself straight down the Sex In The City alley. It's too easy and a little lazy for the show to try to fill this relationship-based show genre. And too often it tries to with too little commitment. "The Hockey Date" shows how this just doesn't work. In this episode, Sam is getting back into dating after realizing that her old boyfriend is not going to take her back. The episode has a funny concept of her new boyfriend taking her to a hockey game without realizing that Evil Sam's been banned from the stadium for impersonating a handicapped person to get better seats. By concentrating on the problems that causes to the relationship, you lose the comedy gold of her trying to get into a stadium that she's been banned from.

The basic issue with the premise is rules. In My Name Is Earl, the rules are made very clear from the start on how Earl is going to cross someone off his list. In Samantha Who?, the rules of her amnesia aren't clear and often used however is convenient to the story. Sometimes it's funny - like when Sam doesn't remember she's afraid of elevators or when she doesn't remember that she was having an affair with her boss. Other times it's just confusing like when she doesn't remember not to put foil in a microwave. The further the series evolves, I forsee the amnesia becoming less an influence on the storylines.

The best episode of the season had little to do with her amnesia. In "The Restraining Order", Sam encounters a man that runs away from her screaming. It turns out that Evil Sam was cruel to him and he had to have a restraining order on her. The more that Good Sam tries to convince him that she's a changed person, the more trouble she gets into. There's a clever use of "We Got The Beat" by The Go-Gos and the lesson learned helps her refocus on getting back with her boyfriend.

The supporting cast is solid. Sam's old boyfriend, Todd (Barry Watson) is a fresh character that doesn't just fall back in love with Sam. They've done a great job of playing his character as equal parts friend and boyfriend so that they can go either way with him in the future seasons. Regina and Howard (Jean Smart and Kevin Dunn) are fun as Sam's parents but their roles have been relatively stereotypical through the First Season.

It's hard to tell where this series will go in the future. It's Monday night scheduling will make it tough to last if ABC isn't truly committed. Ratings were much better until it was moved back 30 minutes where it goes up against Two and a Half Men (the highest rated sitcom on TV the past few seasons). With Heroes and Monday Night Football as competition on the other networks, it has the advantage on paper of being the only show aimed at females on at this time. I think that Applegate can easily carry this show but it has to find a better core. Let Samantha exist in her Chicago world with a quirky family and odd set of friends. It doesn't have to be about relationships and it doesn't always have to be about the differences between Evil Sam and Good Sam. But that takes a level of trust in the viewers that networks don't typically show. The show about an identity crisis ultimately suffers from an identity crisis.

The DVD set comes with the expected Bonus features - a blooper reel, a couple deleted scenes and commentary on only one episode. I'd like to have heard a little more from the creators and Christina on their vision for the show. If this doesn't end up being the "one" for Miss Applegate, I'm not worried she's going to have another shot down the road.

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Best of Ricky and Dave

Written by Hombre Divertido

Sometimes when someone does something so well, and makes it look simple, the accomplishment is not given its due.

Ozzie Nelson was a brilliant man who took a successful radio show and brought it to television where it became one of the longest-running series in the history of the medium. Ozzie produced and directed the show and also contributed to the scripts while the mode of communication was in its infancy. He was not only one of the forefathers of the family sit-com, but of reality television as well.

Yes this was a television show, but one that chronicled the lives of the Nelson family as well. Ozzie bought his entire family to television, allowed them to play themselves, in stories based on actual family events, told on a set that was fashioned after their own home. The family chemistry was real, the stories were simple, and are as enjoyable to watch today as they were when they ran on ABC from 1952 to 1966.

Shout Factory has released a four-disk set which includes twenty-four episodes of the groundbreaking series. Entitled Best of Ricky and Dave, these episodes focus on the two sons of Ozzie and Harriet, who grew up over the fourteen-year run of the show for all America to see. The stories posses a charisma, the laughs are solid, and the production value was far ahead of its time. The fact that these shows still stand-up today are a testament to the brilliance of the senior Nelson.

It continues to be amazing as to how Ozzie was able to allow the show to develop as his family did. When the boys married the real life wives were added to the cast, and proved to be talented actresses. Along with the performances of the talented cast, there are plenty of guest stars to look for including Tuesday Weld, Stanley and Barry Livingston in pre-My Three Sons performances, and Richard Correll who would later to go on to appear on Leave it to Beaver, to name a few.

Why the series is not being released in the customary season-by-season format is a legitimate question, but does not take away from the quality of this set. The bonus material is both entertaining and educational. Not only are there a dozen singing performances by Ricky Nelson, but also classic episodes form the radio show. The trivia game is overly simplistic, but having a bonus radio episode as the prize for a perfect score is a novel idea.

Though more episodes with the boys from the first two seasons where Ricky displays comic timing beyond his years would have made this set more enjoyable, and the dropping of such episodes as “The Tangled Web” which only featured a brief appearance by Dave and Rick certainly would have allowed for more title-appropriate material to be included in the set, there is certainly enough quality material to make this set worth owning.

The storylines in these shows may have a familiarity to them, as they served as the basis for many similar plot lines in family comedies for years to come.

Recommendation: This is classic television as its best, and makes for good family entertainment today. This is a talented family that deserves far more recognition when the innovators of the industry are discussed. An entertaining and educational set that should be included in all classic television collections.

Mork & Mindy: The Third Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

One cannot ignore the talent of Robin Williams, and after introducing the character of Mork on an episode of Happy Days, it was quite evident why ABC rushed to create a show for him. Most comedians cannot carry a show on their own, but we all know that Robin Williams is far from “most comedians.” Unfortunately, even he was not enough to carry this show through its entire run, and it clearly started to show in the third season.

Some of the episodes are cute, but there is simply no supporting cast around Mork. Mindy (Pam Dawber) plays an attractive straight man to the comedic team, but it was clear that the writers did not know how to write anything other than “Robin makes this funny.” To have Tom Poston (as neighbor Mr. Bickley) on the cast list and not be able to incorporate his talents into comedic scripts is simply tragic. Also listed in the cast but rarely seen were Jay Thomas and Gina Hecht as brother and sister owners of a local restaurant, Jim Staahl as Mindy’s cousin, and of course Conrad Janis as Mindy’s father who served as the voice of reason in most episodes.

In season four, Jonathan Winters would be added to the cast as Mearth, the son of Mork and Mindy, and though he clearly brought more comedic genius to the show, it was too late, and the show ended in 1982 after four seasons and ninety-five episodes.

When viewing the third season, though Williams is still funny, he appears to be struggling to make comedy out of the weak plots. Fundamentally the season is highlighted by episodes featuring strong supporting performances by guests. In “Mork in Never Never Land” Mork meets his pen pal who lives in an asylum and thinks he is Peter Pan. The lighthearted performance of David Spielberg makes this an enjoyable outing. In “Mork the Prankster” we are introduced to Todd Norman Taylor (TNT) portrayed by Bill Kirchenbauer who made such a lasting impression, that he is brought back in future episodes.

Any appearance by semi-regular Robert Donner as the local town nut job Exidor is fun, and there is also a pre-Mearth appearance by Jonathan Winters as Mindy’s uncle in “Mork and the Family Reunion”. You can also see a young Corey Feldman appearing in several episodes.

No extras in this set which is disappointing.

Recommendation: There are a few fun episodes, and it is enjoyable looking for stars of that era such as Foster Brooks, Ross Martin, and Lyle Waggoner, but the show just looks tired by the third season. Perhaps some insightful extras would have made this collection worth recommending, but without any bonus material, the first season is a far better reflection of the true comedic nature of this venture.

The Sarah Silverman Program: Season One

Written by Fumo Verde

Get ready to laugh your ass off because Season One of The Sarah Silverman Program has hit DVD. Some call her humor offensive, tasteless, and abrasive, but this what the world needs right now. Silverman takes on racism, bigotry, and other social issues with a clever wit by bringing out the irony and mindless stupidity of such “wedge issue” positions. Accompanied by her older sister Laura and a fantastic cast and crew, The Sarah Silverman Program is a must-see for those who can stomach such an outrageous comedian.

All six episodes are on this DVD and the hilarity ranges from Silverman getting drunk on cough syrup to her going down to the local clinic to get an AIDS test because she has the blahs and needs something to cheer her up. Before her test is done, Silverman is on crusade to rid the world of either AIDS or those who have it. It isn’t as much about AIDS as it about SARAH. When Silverman finally learns that she doesn’t have AIDS, all her crusading comes to an immediate stop. And why not, she doesn’t have the blahs anymore.

My favorite is the “Not Without My Daughter” episode where Silverman quasi-adopts a young girl so she can enter her in the Little Miss Rainbow Contest. When the eight-year-old is about to quit, Silverman sees the crown in her grasp and gives her a pep talk by using abortion as the underlying theme. “Do you want to be a quitter, or do you want to go out there and have the abortion of your dreams.”

Besides the sidesplitting laughs being thrown around by Silverman and her “daughter,” played by Laura Marano who does a superb job, Silverman’s gay neighbors, Steve and Brian, are tracked down by the FBI for a phone conversation they had. With the bomb squad ready, they prepare to open the cop car Steve laid a bomb in. At the same time, Marano starts to sing “Amazing Grace” for her final song, and everything goes into slow motion. By the end of her song, the bomb squad cop opens the car door only to shout out in silence, “It’s a fart!” My eyes are still tearing up over that whole scene.

Call her what you want, but I see Silverman as the female Lenny Bruce of today. She pushes the limits of what is being said about these issues on TV, or to better put it, what is not being said. She reverses the bigotry and hatred and pulls it off beautifully. Besides being intelligent, funny, and quick, Sarah is smoking hot too. All that and a potty mouth, what more can a boy ask for? There are some extras on here too, a little karaoke, intro sequences, and commentary with Steve and Brian.

By playing on the edge, Silverman has created a show that has a humble “American pie” look with a shit-eating grin. This show is one of the most intelligent comedies out there and though abrasive humor can even make Fumo Verde blush, don’t discard what is being said. The Sarah Silverman Program: Season One is out now, so pick it up as soon as you can.

Wings: The Fifth Season

Written by Senora Bicho

I have never been much of a television sitcom fan. There are a handful of shows over my lifetime I have regularly watched and Wings was one of them. I was introduced to and fell in love with Tim Daly as the responsible brother, Joe Hackett, and longed to be as beautiful as his on-again off-again love interest Helen Chappel (Crystal Bernard). Wings is a quirky and fun show that still provides laughs.

The series aired on NBC from 1990 to 1997. It was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee. This highly successful television trio also wrote for and produced Cheers and was responsible for creating the critically acclaimed and multiple Emmy Award-winning series Fraiser. The comedy of Wings is in the same vein of these other more well-known shows and characters from Cheers even appeared in the early seasons. I actually prefer Wings to these other two programs. The characters are more likeable and I could relate to them much more.

Wings is a comedy based around the people working in a small airport on the island of Nantucket. Joe owns and operates Sandpiper Air. Brian Hackett (Steven Weber) is Joe’s reckless, carefree womanizing brother. Helen runs the lunch counter while dreaming of being a famous cellist. In addition to the three main characters, there is Lowell Mather (Thomas Haden Church) a lovable but dimwitted handyman, Fay Evelyn Schlob Dumbly DeVay Cochran (Rebecca Schull) an ex-stewardess with three dead husbands that works for Joe at the ticket counter and provides lots of motherly advice, Roy Biggins (David Schramm) the obnoxious owner of Sandpiper’s rival airline who drives everyone crazy with his high jinx and insults and Antonio Scarpacci (Tony Shaloub), the sweet Italian immigrant who provides taxi service to and from the airport.

The foundation of the series is the relationship between Joe and Brian. It began with the death of Joe and Brian’s father whose last request was the reuniting of his sons. Six years earlier, Brian ran off with Joe’s fiancé Carol. After Carol leaves him, Brian comes back to the island and Joe eventually forgives him with a job and a place to live.

Season Five provides several key storylines. Farrah Forke (Alex Lambert) joined the cast in Season Four as Brian’s potential love interest and in this season they get serious and move in together. Not surprisingly, they break up before the season is over. Joe has a mental breakdown and in an attempt to have more of a work/life balance makes Brian an equal partner in the airline. Helen gets a rich new love interest who ends up proposing in the season finale, which could be enough to finally get Joe back in the picture.

Several members of this stellar cast have gone on to other things. Shaloub is now best known for his three-time Emmy-winning performance in the USA series Monk. Church left the series after its sixth season to star in Ned and Stacey and became an Oscar winner for his supporting performance in Sideways. Daly has been in several television shows and can now be seen in the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice. Weber has been in many TV shows most recently Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and films including a great performance in the film Sour Grapes that was written and directed by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. This is a hysterical film and is worth renting if you haven’t seen it. Bernard has been in numerous TV movies mostly shown on the USA network. If you have enjoyed any of these actors in other performances, you should definitely see them shine in Wings.

The DVD set offers no extras, only the 24 original episodes from Season Five. A great cast and excellent writing is what makes Wings such a delight, so get on board and prepare to takeoff for some laughs.

My Name is Earl: Season Two

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

One of the most important things for a sitcom is that the premise is simply explained in the credits. In the case of Two And A Half Men, it's all summed up in the show title. In classics like Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch we meet all the characters in the opening credits and know the central backstory through the theme song. The same applies to My Name Is Earl. We see Earl scratching a winning lottery ticket and then getting hit by a car. The narration tells us that he was a bad guy and now he's making up for his bad karma by crossing items off his list of things he's done wrong.

The first season of Earl followed a pretty predictable pattern. Some event caused Earl to decide to fix a particular item on his list. The easier the task sounded, the harder it was to solve. Sometimes, solving one problem, lead to having to solve two or three others before the first was righted. Each of the episodes introduced us to fun new characters of Camden County. And we got to know more about main characters Earl Hickey (Jason Lee), Randy Hickey (Ehtan Suplee), Joy Turner (Jaime Pressly) and Darnell Turner aka Crabman (Eddie Steeples). But at the end of each episode, we were usually back where we started.

Season Two starts what will become a much different tact. In "Very Bad Things", Earl wants to fix #183 - "Never Took Joy's Side." Joy wants to get a "disappearing TV" like she saw on the Britney & Kevin TV show. When it won't fit in her trailer, she's unable to return it to the store because she got Fruit Stripe gum on the receipt. This innocuous moment is the catalyst for the next 23 episodes of the 2nd Season. While we'll still follow Earl and his list, this brilliant move creates a new energy that most sitcoms can't come up with in their second seasons. From a writer's point-of-view, you have a built in B-Story for every episode. But it's not that simple.

In "Jump For Joy," Joy's problem returning the TV has turned into her being arrested for stealing a delivery truck. This is her "Third Strike" and she's facing years in prison. This episode's A-Story is all about raising money to bail Joy out of jail. But the offshoot of this will be to start the other ongoing storyline of Catalina (the maid at the motel where Randy and Earl live). Catalina's story will weave in and out of the storylines, while Joy's will be a constant background through the season. This episode clearly defines the relationship between Catalina and Joy with Catalina's quote, "Joy's a butt bag. A bag of butts."

When not featured, Joy's story will be a solid B-Story, like meeting her lawyer (Marlee Matlin) in "Sticks & Stones." Or as a catalyst for Earl's list. Like when he's helping Joy volunteer at a nursing home and he meets #50 - "Kicked The Lead Singer Out Of My Band." As the season progresses, Catalina will go back to Mexico and eventually return to Camden. Joy will get pregnant, further complicating her upcoming trial. The looming trial and pregnancy put this season squarely on her character and give us viewers the feeling of forward progress that wasn't present in the first season.

The show makes great use of guest stars. They are written into the stories very naturally and don't feel forced. This season features fun appearances of Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm MacDonald, Jenny McCarthy, Marlee Matlin's recurring lawyer character, Amy Sedaris, and a memorable performance by Christian Slater as a stoner named Woody.

The two best episodes of the season show how this fresh approach has improved the show. In "Sticks & Stones," Earl sets out to fix #91 - "Made Fun Of Maggie Lester." Maggie is now a bearded lady living in an apartment building with other carnival folks. Earl is reminded of a time that he wouldn't go swimming as a youngster because of his hairy nipples. And he's never jumped off the high dive since then. The B-Story has Joy meeting her lawyer and initially dropping her because she doesn't want a deaf lawyer. In the end, everyone learns not to run away from their problems and it's set to the Cat Stevens' song "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out."

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out/ And if you want to be free, be free/ 'Cause there's a million things to be/ You know that there are

Earl, Maggie and her carnival friends, and Joy all learn to face their fears.

In, "Buried Treasure," the usual plot threads are dropped in order to spin a fun tale. This Rashomon-type story is divided into "My Name Is Earl," "My Name Is Joy," "My Name Is Darnell," and "My Name Is Randy" as each fills in part of the story of the "Buried Treasure" from different points of view (even including Dotty the librarian). This self-referential parody gives us insight into the characters through narration that we're not used to and is a fun break from the structured plots of the first half of the season.

The ongoing story arcs make this a very enjoyable season. The DVD has a nice collection of deleted scenes and commentary tracks, giving it extra value for those that have seen the episodes in their original airings. The only complaint here is the replacement of some of the music with some very generic sounding background music. The show's feel is fresh and new still. Like Randy tells Catalina about the list, "Sometimes you're doing one thing and Bam! It's something else." And that "something else" is exactly what makes you want to keep tuning in for the next episode.

Two and a Half Men - The Complete First Season

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

First, let's tap the brakes a little on what makes a successful comedy. Two and a Half Men is currently celebrating the start of its Fifth Season and the start of what will be a very profitable syndication run. But let's not confuse this with Seinfeld or M*A*S*H. Two and a Half Men is not a failure, it can rightly say that it's been the top-rated comedy the past couple years. Arrested Development could never come close to the numbers that this show draws. A typical summer repeat of the show draws almost 11 million viewers, making it a Top-Ten show in repeats! What draws everyone?

This isn't the type of show that needs to be deconstructed or have the subtleties pointed out. Like many succesful sit-coms, the premise is easily summed up. In most cases (Three's Company or Gilligan's Island for example) the premise can be summarized in the theme song or opening credits. The outline for this show is so simple they don't even bother because it's summed up in the title. Heavy-drinking, sexually active, jingle-writing musician, Charlie (Charlie Sheen) lives in his beach house in Malibu. His exactly opposite brother, Alan (Jon Cryer) is thrown out by his wife and comes to live with Charlie, bringing his 10-year-old son, Jake (Angus T. Jones) with him.

In the first few minutes of the "Pilot", we're already reminded of a slew of other sit-coms. The Odd Couple with an additional kid comes to mind first. Second, I couldn't help but notice that the apartment appears to be a slightly updated version of Laverne & Shirley's apartment from when they moved to California. And the laugh track. The laugh track is overwhelming. I guess the traditional sit-com has become the non-traditional with shows like Scrubs, The Office and 30 Rock gaining popularity. The laugh track here is painful and really takes away from most of the funny sarcasm.

The cast is filled out with Rose (Melanie Lynskey - Heavenly Creatures) as Charlie's stalker neighbor. Her role is like that of other wacky neighbors including Lenny & Squiggy and Kramer that make comedically timed entrances. Judith (Marin Hinkle) is Alan's ex-wife that may or may not be a lesbian, leading to the potential of gay humor every time she's in a scene (Will & Grace). Evelyn Harper (Holland Taylor) is the boy's mother and Jake's grandmother. These are the show's ingredients: ultra male, feminine male, cute-but-troublemaker boy, stalker/funny neighbor, gay/not gay ex-wife, and domineering mother. These ingredients can be mixed and matched into clever combinations.

The concept is simple and yet the amount of plots that can be developed from these basics is impressive. Take the "If I Can't Write" episode. It plays up the relationship of Charlie and Alan as a "couple" with Alan's feminine attention to house cleaning to comedic ends. When it's left up to Charlie to "clean up" Jake, the tables are turned and he learns to appreciate the hard work that Alan does. I believe I saw that episode of The Brady Bunch also. In "The Last Thing You Want" Charlie learns "responsibility" by going to Jake's soccer game. Both Alan and Charlie end up on "dates" with their opposites: Charlie gets the "good" girl and Alan gets the MILFs. With the roles reversed, both learn to see the world from the other's point of view. But like the rules of a sitcom, everything is returned to the way it started by the end of the episode.

I actually found it fun to follow the different combinations of characters. But this is the First Season; I'm not sure how you keep that going without inserting more characters in future seasons. The pedigree is impressive. You've got actors who've been in successful films, not TV retreads. And yet, it's rarely funny or satisfying. Starting with the second episode, the episode titles were quotes from that episode. Like an appearance of Hitchcock in one of his films, I was often distracted (maybe even entertained) waiting to hear the quote instead of following the plot.

The best parts of the First Season are when the two lead actors step out of their "world". In "Go East On Sunset" there's a clever "Taxicab Confessions" nod and in "Twenty-Five Little Pre-Pubers" there's a great skit with Jake's class combining Charlie's jingles with Jake's class play on the Industrial Revolution.

This isn't one of those discs with an overwhelming amount of extras like Lost, Heroes or The Office. There's a solid "Featurette" on the show and a Gag Reel with Outtakes.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

I've always kept the FX Network at arms-length. It seems that every time I committed to them, they went and changed their hairstyle, clothing, and accent so that I could barely recognize them. I first fell in love with the upstart fX (attracted by their clever smaller-case "f"), which promised me "TV Made Fresh Daily" through the mid-‘90s with their live shows centered around an apartment somewhere in New York City. I spent mornings with their unique news show that “Robin & Co.” is still copying today. Towards the end of the ‘90s, they changed their name to FX, cancelled all the quirky live shows that had attracted me in the first place, and quickly became a dumping ground for recent and then current Fox shows.

I adapted and found it sweet that they were the only channel airing M*A*S*H and X-Files repeats. When Major League Baseball playoff games overlapped, FX was there to help out. This move, later copied by MTV/Viacom when they turned The Nashville Network to The National Network and then to Spike, proved initially popular with young men. But as that initial attraction was dying, FX hit on the ideal mix when they took a chance on a graphic original program, The Shield in 2002. I found this little number by accident and fell in love with the network all over again. I was addicted and would forgive them hours of Married With Children repeats for an hour of this brilliance.

FX followed this lightning in a bottle with two other successes in 2003, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me. Neither made my Tivo, but I respect the quality of these offerings. In June of 2005, they ventured into the world of documentary series (a leap considering the formula for their previous successes in original programming) with the brilliant 30 Days from Morgan Spurlock.

In August of 2005, they would take another leap and try original comedy, calling their two shows "The Dark Side Of Comedy." Both Starved and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia debuted on August 4, 2005. My Tivo was so full that I felt I could only add one of the two. I bet on red (Starved) and the wheel came up black (Philadelphia). Starved wasn't "The Dark Side;" it was just plain offensive, three men and a woman with eating disorders, and even worse, it wasn't funny. The other show was "Dark," and it also starred three men and a woman, but it had the advantage of being funny. Philadelphia played out for seven episodes that fall of 2005, and was renewed for ten episodes in the summer of 2006. As the third season gets underway, the first two seasons have been released on a three-disc set.

The premise of the series is simple. Mac (Rob McElhenney, creator of the show), his roommate Dennis (Glenn Howerton), and his childhood friend Charlie (Charlie Day) are co-owners of a Philadelphia bar called Paddy's Irish Pub. Their bartender is Mac's twin sister, Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson). By the start of the second season, Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) joins the cast as the father of Dennis and Dee and as Charlie's roomate (and maybe Charlie's biological dad?). The formula of multiple men and a woman has worked on plenty of comedies, M*A*S*H and Cheers being older examples. But the bar in Philadelphia isn't the same filter that it served in Cheers. Here, the bar serves merely as a plot device in most episodes for our characters to come into contact with new people or as a catalyst, creating a problem that needs to be solved or explored. The writers have chosen a much more current template for their comedy.

In the post-Seinfeld era, more current comedies have tried to copy the Friends model to a much lesser success. Philadelphia has taken the irreverent aspects of Seinfeld to the next two levels. It's not an accident that our lead characters fulfill the base roles that we're comfortable with. Sweet Dee is Elaine with an exaggerated amount of romantic failures. Dennis is the ultra-confident, successful with women, but never effected by the break-ups exaggerated Jerry. Mac is a slightly less ethical version of Kramer that feels a need to compete, and usually lose to, with Dennis for women. Charlie is George taken to a naive extreme. In a Seinfeld-esque moment during Season 1, Charlie lies about having cancer in order to date the waitress at the coffee shop that wears a Lance Armstrong cancer bracelet.

Each episode stands alone. I like the way we usually get little to no back-story before the plot of each episode kicks off. We start with a title card of a time (e.g. "3:15 p.m.) and a day (e.g. "On a Tuesday") as if telling us that we've just turned on the camera because something interesting is going to happen. Like most good comedies, the episodes rarely go down the path that you expect. For example, the first episode, "The Gang Gets Racist" starts out as a story on racism about Dee's new boyfriend but 10 minutes in, it has completely turned into a story about becoming a "Gay Bar." The "Charlie Wants An Abortion" episode, starts with Charlie finding out that he has a child from 10 years ago to one of the funnier moments of the show as Dennis and Mac try to decide which side of an abortion rally is likely to provide them the best dates.

The episodes are consistent. The gang (including DeVito who just blends in from the beginning as if he was always a member of the cast) is always arguing with each other, they are naive (their takes on the War On Terrorism in "The Gang Goes Jihad" is hilarious), they will throw each other under the bus given a chance, they lie about everything, and in great comedic fashion, they never win. Balance is maintained in the world.

The long-term problem for this show may be the same thing that has made the first two seasons so superb. In small doses, this is the perfect summer show. It's about nothing and it's about no one. We don't really like or root for any of the characters to succeed. In fact, we revel in their downfall, because it's so funny (in "Dennis & Dee Go On Welfare", we don't want them to pursue their dreams while on Welfare, we want to see them fail miserably). The episodes, while funny, don't tend to leave me wanting more, like Arrested Development or even Curb Your Enthusiasm. Summer shows don't have to do that; they rest on my Tivo until I need a mindless break. I expect more of a fall show. You're competing against The Office, 30 Rock and even Family Guy. I fear that a show about no one won't last past the key Third Season when it's not so Sunny outside.

Bonus Features. A "Making Of" featurette, outtakes, and two episode commentaries are hardly worth influencing your decision to buy this set. It's a funny show with a good cast that doesn't come with the baggage of having been in other shows or movies, except for DeVito. Other network offerings have set the bar high, with commentaries on most episodes and enough bonus features to fill and extra disc. I like that this set lets the original episodes speak for themselves.

Is this the new FX? No fancy make-up, short sensible hair, smells like strawberries, and just a bit of a "dark" side? If so, I'm in love again.