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Classic TV on DVD More Classic TV on Classic TV Shows
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Fans of late-eighties / early-nineties sitcoms have reason to rejoice. In the last couple of weeks, Warner Home Video has released a number of seminal shows from that era along with a special bonus I'll tell you about.
Murphy was brash and abrasive, changing what the audience would accept as a central character in a sitcom. The show earned eleven Emmy nominations for this first brilliant season alone, which was quite a bit tamer than what the show eventually evolved into - so you can look forward to the even better future seasons. There are insightful commentaries over two key episodes - the pilot is narrated by Candice Bergen and another episode is covered by creator/executive producer Diane English. A retrospective documentary with Diane English, Candice Bergen, the writers and other cast members is also included. And the price? $21 dollars if you order now. This is the biggest bargain out there!
Night Court, from the producer of Barney Miller, succeeded because of its strong ensemble cast - John Larroquette, Markie Post, Marsha Warfield, Harry Anderson and the others; this was one of the last sitcoms with that 1970's character-driven sensibility that was still successful in the 1990s. The highlight of this collection is the marvelous Selma Diamond as the court bailiff. Diamond (My Favorite Year) was one of early TV's legendary comedy writers who later became one of the medium's most memorable characters. She died shortly after this first season. Extras include a retrospective documentary and running commentary over the pilot episode by the Executive Producer Reinhold Weege. These commentaries offer a rare glimpse into the minds of the top people behind your favorite TV shows, if you're contemplating a career in television (ie; you're crazy) these narratives are essential viewing.
Fresh off of his stint on In Living Color (can you believe he was Wanda on that show?) this future Oscar winner shows his silly side here, a rare opportunity to see a great talent budding as he transcends the conventional small screen material. Speaking of In Living Color, The Wayans Brothers Season One (13 half-hour episodes) starring comedians Shawn and Marlon Wayans is also in release.
This wholesome 2-disc DVD contains all 22 episodes of the first season with extras that include the original unaired pilot episode with John Posey in place of Bob Saget (!) and episode commentaries by creator Jeff Franklin. Now here's the kicker... Warner Home Video is celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and for a limited time, the above collections come with a 'Commemorative DVD' - two pilot episodes of an obscure Warner's show not yet available on DVD (some may never be). Volume One (which comes with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) has the first episodes of Family Matters and Head of the Class. Volume Two (comes with Murphy Brown) contains an episode of My Sister Sam and Room For Two with Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Linda Lavin (Alice). Volume Three (with Night Court) contains Perfect Strangers matched with Who's Line Is It Anyway. Volume Four (with Full House) features Growing Pains and Step by Step. Volume Five (with The Jamie Foxx Show) is paired with Living Single and (again) Who's Line Is It Anyway. Volume 6 (comes with The Wayans Brothers) contains an episode of Hanging With Mr. Cooper and The Redd Foxx Show. (This Redd Foxx Show is the 1980's sitcom that limped through a couple of seasons with Redd cast as - gasp - a nice guy who runs a newsstand. A real nice rarity to enjoy.) All great fun and a real bonus when you consider the low price of the Murphy Brown set, for example. On top of that, Warners is also offering a $50 rebate when you buy six of these specially marked collections - that's almost like getting two for free. Collect them all!
Classic TV on DVD More Classic TV on Classic TV Shows
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