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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Mad
About You: The Complete First Season
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Television
comedy |
| Video: |
1.33:1
fullframe |
| Audio: |
English Dolby
Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital
2.0 |
| Language: |
English,
French, Spanish |
| Subtitle: |
English
|
| Length: |
Approx.
500 min |
| Rating: |
Not
Rated |
| Release
Date: |
10/29/2002
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| Studio: |
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Helen Hunt,
Paul Reiser |
| Screenplay
by: |
NA |
| Produced
by: |
NA |
| Directed
By: |
NA |
| Music: |
NA |
| The
Review: |
One
of the better television comedies to make its way into living
rooms across America in the last decade of the 20th century,
"Mad About You" became one of NBC's most charming shows through
its examinations of the daily life of recently-married couple
Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt). As with
the first season of any show, this one is no exception to the
rule of introductions: we get the general overview of their
lives, of what the show is all about, who the characters are,
and trinkets of what is to come in later seasons. Some of the
episodes are terrific, like "Pilot" and "Anniversary," which
have a humorous little tie-in to one another by way of a kitchen
table; others, such as that which features a guest performance
by the brilliant Jerry Lewis, just don't take off the way they
should. Even still, The show made it through its initial run,
and became a regular in NBC's television line-up, and as the
series matured, it prospered even more. Here is the complete
first season, where it all began; enjoy! |
| Image
and Sound |
For such a popular show, Columbia
TriStar hasn't put much effort into mastering the episodes
for DVD. Much like their first-season releases of "All in
the Family," "The Jeffersons," and "Sanford and Son," the
image and sound remain pretty much the same from the original
TV broadcasts. The 1.33:1 image is overall clear and free
of soft edges, but there are many problems. Colors can appear
oversaturated and murky in places, and fleshtones tend to
lean towards the red end of the palette. Blacks contain a
great deal of pixelization and noise, while the overall image
is riddled with grain and noise as well. It does tend to look
a bit clearer than the original broadcasts, but only marginally.
***
The sound is mastered in Dolby
Digital 2.0, but doesn't have much presence, nor does it need
it. The surrounds are only engaged for the opening theme and
inserted musical cues, while dialogue remains centered and
sounds surprisingly clean. Background noise is kept at a minimum,
and most of the show remains confined to the front channels.
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| The
Extras |
As
with their previous television show releases, Columbia TriStar
has chosen not to include any supplements on this set. Hopefully
they will shape up and start putting something, ANYTHING, with
these popular shows... otherwise, what's the point? |
| Commentary |
None
|
| Final
Words: |
For
fans of the show, just owning the seasons on DVD will likely
prove to be worth it, especially for the list price of $29.95.
Still, the lack of any features may begin to get a little old
as the following seasons come into release. |
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