SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

JANUARY 14 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

DIGITAL NEWS

An annual tradition for the past decade at the website Television Without Pity has been their Tubey Awards, where fans get to honor the best (and worst) of television. This week, the winners of the 2013 Tubey Awards have been announced. Among highlights in the sitcom world, Parks & Recreation won the award for Best Comedy (both among fans and the TWoP staff), New Girl won the award for Best Broadcast Network Series among fans, Two and a Half Men and Glee won for Worst Returning Series (and that isn't the only depressing award it earned), and Community won for Most Disappointing Season of a Previously Awesome Show. You can check out the complete list of winners (or losers, in some cases) in over 100 categories, including seeing what fans really think about Snooki, Jwoww, and Honey Boo Boo, by checking out the page for the Tubey Awards.

We've known that we would be seeing more of The Carol Burnett Show on DVD in the form of StarVista's upcoming release of The Carol Burnett Show - Christmas with Carol, but it appears that there will be a slight delay in the release. According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, the release will be coming on November 12. Of course, this release will be available on store shelves, and we hope to have a review of it once it is available.

We normally wouldn't cover a whole lot of dramas here, much less teen dramas, but sometimes exceptions have to be made, especially when it is an older one that many people remember and it hasn't been seen much at all in recent years. This week, we stumbled upon an interesting new addition to Hulu for those who grew up watching Nickelodeon (or perhaps YTV in Canada) in the early '90s. It appears that the series Fifteen (called Hillside in Canada) is now available to stream for free on the service. The series followed a group of high school students at the fictional Hillside High School as they dealt with very difficult issues in their lives. There were 65 episodes, and oddly enough, the first fifteen are available on Netflix, as part of their collection of series from the Peter Rodger Organization.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (September 24) is an incredibly busy day for DVD releases as studios scramble to get everything released in time for the new fall season. First up, Fox has Modern Family - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, Blu-ray). We also get to see the debut of Neighbors on DVD with Neighbors - The Complete First Season. CBS sitcom staples are also on the horizon with 2 Broke Girls - The Complete Second Season and Two and a Half Men - The Complete Tenth Season. Finally, there are plenty of animated comedies, with South Park - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD, Blu-ray), Family Guy - Volume Eleven, and American Dad! - Volume 8.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



DVD Review: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Thirteenth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $69.99)
by Todd

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - a four-time People's Choice Award winner and recipient of multiple Emmy Awards continues reaching new heights as television's premiere procedural thriller. Under the leadership of D.B. Russell (Emmy winner Ted Danson), the Las Vegas Police Department's CSI night shift explores twisted crimes with their inquisitive minds and cutting-edge science. Unorthodox maverick Julie Finlay (Oscar nominee Elisabeth Shue) and seasoned investigators Nick Stokes (George Eads), Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) passionately follow the evidence. Wherever it leads, they can count on the forensics and detective work of the rest of the team (including Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, Elisabeth Harnois, David Berman and Jon Wellner). Fascinating, shocking, and always entertaining, CSI invites you to follow the clues.

The 6-disc set contains all 22 nerve-wrecking episodes from the thirteenth season (2012-13) season of the long-running crime drama. It also features the special CSI: NY crossover episode with Gary Sinise. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs. The audio options include English 5.1, English Stereo and Spanish Stereo. It has a total running time or approximately 15 hours, 49 minutes. The attractive packaging follows the style of the previous two seasons, with a thin outer cardboard box and clear plastic snapcase. Elisabeth Shue, Ted Danson and George Eads are featured on the front cover, with some Las Vegas buildings at the bottom. There is an embossed CSI: Crime Scene Investigation logo in the center of the box. The outer cardboard box and inner keepcase have the same design and photos. A clear plastic snapcase slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The thirteenth season cast (minus new series regular Jon Wellner) is featured in a montage of photos on the back of the box/case. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are provided. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator which lists the episodes and the special features on the inside cover. The discs are very plain looking, with just a silver background and the CSI logo on them. Episode titles and the special features are listed on the discs.

The menus are simple and easy to navigate. There are no previews on this release, so it jumps right to the main menus. The main menu opens with a montage of video clips from the show. There are a couple of nice instrumental cues playing in the background. The sequence loops after about a minute. Options for Episode Selection, Set Up and Special Features (on select discs) are available at the bottom of the screen. When you choose Episode Selection, there is a different transition sequence on each disc. The episode titles are listed vertically in blue boxes. You can play the deleted scenes for selected episodes from this menu. English 5.1, English Stereo or Español audio options are available on the Set Up menu that features Ted Danson. Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are available on the episodes. English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and Spanish subtitles are available on the special features, except for the audio commentaries.

As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. They do a lot of nighttime shooting and make the show look dark and like a theatrical film. There is no disclaimer on the back of the box about any of the episodes possibly being edited or any of the music being changed. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. The broadcast and production order was the same for this season. Running times are between 42-43 minutes in length. Hopefully we'll see some seasons released on Blu-Ray in the U.S. at some point.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 1301 "Karma to Burn" (43:03)
Episode 1302 "Code Blue Plate Special" (43:23)
Episode 1303 "Wild Flowers" (43:43)
Episode 1304 "It Was a Very Good Year" (43:43)

Disc 2
Episode 1305 "Play Dead" (42:33)
Episode 1306 "Pick and Roll" (43:43)
Episode 1307 "Fallen Angels" (43:43)
Episode 1308 "CSI on Fire" (43:13)

Disc 3
Episode 1309 "Strip Mail" (43:43)
Episode 1310 "Risky Business Class" (42:23)
Episode 1311 "Dead Air" (43:43)
Episode 1312 "Double Fault" (43:23)

Disc 4
Episode 1313 "In Vino Veritas" (43:23)
Episode 915 "Seth and Apep" (CSI: NY Crossover Episode) (41:57)
Episode 1314 "Exile" (42:53)
Episode 1315 "Forget Me Not" (43:13)

Disc 5
Episode 1316 "Last Man Standing" (43:33)
Episode 1317 "Dead of the Class" (43:33)
Episode 1318 "Sheltered" (42:43)
Episode 1319 "Backfire" (43:43)

Disc 6
Episode 1320 "Fearless" (43:33)
Episode 1321 "Ghosts of the Past" (43:13)
Episode 1322 "Skin in the Game" (43:13)

There is the usual nice amount and variety of special features spread out over the six discs. There are three audio commentaries on this release, up one from the other recent seasons. There are deleted scenes for six episodes, which is again up from the previous season. The bulk of the featurettes and interviews can be found on Disc 6. Here is the breakdown by disc:

Disc 1
Audio Commentary on "Wild Flowers" by Director Brad Tanenbaum and Elisabeth Harnois

Deleted Scene for "Wild Flowers" (2:03) - Greg tries to cut a bullet out of a tank. Julie comes in and tries some other methods to open it. They analyze the bullet in the lab.

Disc 3
Tennis, Anyone? (5:57) - Go behind-the-scenes and meet the real-life tennis pros Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport and Justin Gimelstob who make their debut in the episode Double Fault. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, Elisabeth Shue, Co-Producer/Director Bran Tanenbaum, Robert David Hall, Justin Gimelstob, Lindsay Davenport, Co-Executive Producer Treena Hancock, Co-Executive Producer Melissa R. Byer, Chris Evert and David Berman. They talk about how they wanted to do a tennis episode, how Elisabeth Shue is an accomplished tennis player, and how they shot the tennis match in the opening scene.

Disc 4
Deleted Scenes (2) for "Forget Me Not" (2:39) - A flashback scene with Sara and Ronald. Sara visits her mother at the hospital.

A Tale of Two CSI's (12:12) - Follow stars Gary Sinise to CSI and Ted Danson to CSI: NY to as they recount their experience shooting the crossover episode In Vino Veritas. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, Co-Executive Producer Rick Eid, Gary Sinise, Ted Danson, Elisabeth Shue, Wallace Langham, Supervising Producer of CSI: NY Bryan Wynbrandt, Supervising Producer of CSI: NY Steven Lilien, Director of "Seth and Apep" Eric Laneuville, Sela Ward and Eddie Cahill. They talk about ideas for the crossover episode, the logistics of shooting and writing the episode, the twist of the episode, the story of Seth and Apep, and the CSI: NY cast working with Ted Danson.

Disc 5
Deleted Scene for "Last Man Standing" (:39) - Nick tries to rescue Jimmy.

Audio Commentary on "Dead of the Class" by David Berman, Writer Tom Mularz and Director Alec Smight

Deleted Scenes (3) for "Sheltered" (3:06) - A night vision type scene around a camp fire. Henry examines some evidence. Hodges talks to Henry. Sara and Julie talk.

Disc 6
Audio Commentary on "Fearless" by Wallace Langham and Catrinel Marlon (Elisabeta) (43:33)

Deleted Scenes (4) for "Ghosts of the Past" (2:55) - Nick talks to Hodges while they watch some videos. Greg and Morgan walk and talk. Sara receives and opens an envelope. Nick and Julie walk and talk.

Deleted Scenes (2) for "Skin in the Game" (1:38) - Brass and Morgan talk. He shows her a picture of Ellie. Brass talks on the phone and receives something from Nancy.

Chapter 13 (25:57) - Executive Producer Don McGill and the cast of CSI discuss the character arcs and storylines that made season 13 one to remember. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, Ted Danson, David Berman, Elisabeth Shue, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Elisabeth Harnois, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda, Wallace Langham, Robert David Hall and Jon Wellner. This is the longest featurette on the set and provides a good general overview of the season. They talk about many topics: Russell's story arc, Finlay's story arc, Nick's struggles, Sara and Grissom's relationship, Brass and his daughter Ellie, Greg's interest in Vegas history, Morgan's relationship with her father, the relationship between Morgan and Hodges, Hodges and his fiancée, Dr. Robbins' highlights, David Phillips attending his high school reunion, and the comedy of Henry and Hodges.

The Extended Family (10:32) - Meet the CSI family members you don’t get to see on a weekly basis, but who keep the home fires burning while the investigators are out solving crimes in Las Vegas. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, Ted Danson, Peri Gilpin, Brooke Nevin, Brandon Jones, Elisabeth Shue, Jorja Fox, David Berman, Marcy Rylan and Co-Producer Tom Mularz. They talk about D.B.'s family life, Finlay's life in Seattle and her ex-husband, Sara's mother, and David Phillips' wife and his fatherhood.

Drawing Blood (6:49) - Meet the experts behind the bloody crime scenes and learn what it takes to create the realistic blood evidence seen on television. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, David Berman, Wallace Langham, Consulting Producer Elizabeth Devine, Elisabeth Shue, Property Master Michael Lindsay, Paint 1st Lead Scott "Scotty Blood" Williston and Eric Szmanda. They talk about how Finlay is a blood splatter expert, how the scenes were shot, how they do the analysis, and how they make the blood.

Providing Food and Shelter (10:07) - Join Executive Producer and Director Louis Milito and Production Designer Daniel Novotny on a tour of the sets of Cold Blue Plate Special and Sheltered, and watch Stage 22 transform from a diner into an underground bunker. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Ted Danson, Elisabeth Shue, Executive Producer/Director Louis Shaw Milito, George Eads and Production Designer Daniel Novotny. They talk about how they created the underground bunker and how they created and shot on the Frank's diner set. It's amazing how they are able to transform and build these sets in about a week.

Observing the Sabbath (3:50) - Meet legendary rockers Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath in Las Vegas as they make their special guest appearance on the season finale Skin in the Game. Interviews include Executive Producer Don McGill, Producer Phil Conserva, Bassist Geezer Butler, Guitarist Tony Iommi and Singer Ozzy Osbourne. They talk about the idea of the episode, how Black Sabbath wanted to debut a song on the series, and Black Sabbath's thoughts on working in the episode. I like how they included subtitles for what Ozzy said.

Black Sabbath - End of the Beginning (Music Video) (8:17) - Watch the extended/uncut version of the Black Sabbath performance of End of the Beginning from the finale Skin in the Game.

Anatomy of a TV Hit: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (19:33) - Hear from show creator Anthony E. Zuiker, CBS executives Leslie Moonves and Nina Tassler, as well as Executive Producers Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue about the beginnings of the CSI franchise, and how the show has forever changed the landscape of network television. Interviews include Creator/Executive Producer Anthony E. Zuiker, Executive Producer Jonathan Littman, Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, President CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler, President & CEO CBS Corporation Les Moonves, William Petersen, Executive Producer Cynthia Chvatal, Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Director Danny Cannon and Marg Helgenberger. This featurette doesn't really focus on any of the thirteenth season, but it does provide a good overview of the origins of the series. It looks like something that could have been put together before the start of thirteenth season.

This was a very stable season of the show. There were no new characters and no characters leaving the series. They just delved more into the character's personal lives and story arcs this season. While I miss the original cast members, Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue have done an admirable job. They have fit in well with the rest of the team and breathed some new life into the series. The show has lost some viewers the last two seasons, but they are still a top 25 hit. Only the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation remains from the CSI franchise. There hasn't been any kind of announcement of the show ending, so hopefully they have a few more seasons left in them. It would nice to see to get to at least a fifteenth season.

Memorable episodes this season included Cold Blue Plate Special, Wild Flowers, It Was a Very Good Year, Play Dead, Fallen Angels, Dead Air, and the CSI/CSI NY crossover episodes In Vino Veritas and Seth and Apep. Notable recurring and guest stars included Peri Gilpin, Enrique Murciano, Arye Gross, Michael Gross, Pamela Reed, Mark Moses, Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport, Justin Gimelstob, Kay Lenz, David Cassidy, Eric Roberts, Tim Matheson and the members of Black Sabbath. Overall, this is a very solid release with the usual number of excellent special features. I always find the "making of" featurettes the most interesting. They do some amazing work on a weekly basis. It was also nice to see them include a third audio commentary and a few more deleted scenes for this release.

Season 14 premieres on CBS on Wednesday, September 25 at 10pm ET/PT.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller

(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV.com Page


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Lisa Whelchel (Twitter), "Actress, Author, Speaker, Mom"
Claim to Fame: Most people may not realize it, but Whelchel actually got her start on The New Mickey Mouse Club in the late '70s. However, she truly came to fame in the '80s with the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, where she played the somewhat snobbish (but loveable) Blair Warner. Since the series ended, she hasn't done a whole lot on TV (aside from appearing in Survivor: Philippines), but she has been living life as a motivational speaker and author, as well as raising three children... and is very much satisfied with where she is in life, even if there have been a few hiccups along the way.
Pick of the Tweets: "One of my all-time favorite memories! Dick Clark & Ed McMahon punked me on "Bloopers & Practical Jokes." #theygotme! http://tinyurl.com/ox9pzko" (September 19, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

DIGITAL NEWS

It has been a bit bittersweet lately as we've been seeing a lot of older TV shows completing their run on DVD, and this week, we've found two more that are in the works (thanks to studios who respond to their fans on Facebook), albeit with no firm release date just yet. First, Shout! Factory has brought us seasons 2-4 of Hazel, leaving only the fifth and final season to be released. The pace between seasons 2-4 was rather steady, but it has been a year since we saw season 4. A glimmer of hope was given on Facebook a few weeks ago when a fan asked about the fifth season, and was given the following response:

"It's coming, no release date set."

Of course, we'd love to see a release date set, but just this statement offers solid hope that we are going to actually see it in light of some other recent postings from Shout! Factory that have left some fans upset, including their decision to cancel (with no plans to back out on that) a few other releases of series like V.R. Troopers, as well as a response that no further seasons of Fantasy Island are planned at this time (though to be clear, there is no intention to imply that it will never be continued). We'll definitely keep an eye on this, and hope that we find out more at a later date.

Meanwhile, heading back over to another Facebook page, the folks at Warner Archive have given fans of The Courtship of Eddie's Father news that actually does seem more solid. Of course, Warner Archive has released the first two seasons of the series, leaving only the third and final season to be released, and when a fan asked about this series, the following response was given:

Remastering is about to begin shortly on S3. It will appear next year.

Clearly, this is a much more promising statement, as the studio has indicated that it is in fact being worked on, and that it will in fact appear next year. We're confident in Warner Archive's statement here, and we'll let you know more when a release gets a bit closer.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (September 17) has no sitcom releases, but it does have CSI: Crime Scene Investigator - The Thirteenth Season as well as Nashville - The Complete First Season.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



Blog DVD Review: Nashville - The Complete First Season (ABC, $45.99)
by Pavan

It's sexy, sassy and smart say many critics, and we are in agreement with that! Behind the music of Nashville lies a web of betrayal, heartbreak, and rivalry second to none. Experience the tantalizing first season of ABC's Nashville and surrender to a seductive mix of music, intrigue, and passion that's "Pure Gold." Rayna James (Connie Britton), is the Queen of Country, but there's a new "royal" on the rise. Meet Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), a hot, young diva poised to knock Rayna off her throne - both on the charts and in the heart of Rayna's lead guitarist and former lover, Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten). Meanwhile, another sultry love triangle heats up when Deacon's niece Scarlett (Clare Bowen), a budding singer/songwriter, is torn between her boyfriend Avery and her writing partner Gunnar. Adding more fuel to the fire is Rayna's rich, scheming father, whose political ambitions for Rayna's husband hid sinister ulterior motives. Relive all 21 riveting episodes of Nashville - The Complete First Season with this spectacular 5-disc set - including exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features. It's the ultimate guilty pleasure you'll enjoy over and over again!
The series will return to its Wednesday at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season following ABC's Wednesday comedies once again. The series stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor, Eric Close as Teddy Conrad, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Robert Wisdom as Coleman Carlisle, and Powers Boothe as Lamar Wyatt. Among the recurring stars are Chris Carmack as Will Lexington, Judith Hoag as Tandy Hampton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Margaret "Peggy" Kenter, Sylvia Jefferies as Jolene Barnes, Michiel Huisman as Liam McGuinni, J. D. Souther as Watty White, Jay Hernandez as Dante Rivas, Wyclef Jean as Dominic King, Susan Misner as Stacy, Chloe Bennet as Hailey, Tilky Montgomery Jones as Sean Butler, Todd Truley as Marshall Evans, Ed Amatrudo as Glenn Goodman, Lennon Stella as Maddie Conrad and Maisy Stella as Daphne Conrad.

This first season was so good and juicy. If you aren't even a country music fan, you'll like this. I'm not, and I still was sucked in by the great storylines and acting. It's the most critically acclaimed new drama from 2012-13. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere can even sing well, who knew? As far as memorable episodes, we have the very first episode "Pilot," where we meet Rayna Jaymes, a famous country singer, whose tour is not selling as quickly as she had expected and in order to save money, her record company wants her to be an opening act for up-and-coming singer Juliette Barnes. In "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)," as Teddy's campaign continues, Rayna is faced with an investigation that reveals family secrets, while Juliette feels betrayed when she sees Deacon perform with Rayna and Scarlett must decide between her dream and her relationship with Avery. In "Move It On Over," Rayna thinks about moving on when Deacon sets boundaries in their relationship. In "Where He Leads Me," Teddy's secrecy about embezzling millions of dollars in the past, and the surfacing of suggestive photographs, leads Rayna to believe he is having an affair, while Scarlett gets an invitation to be a band's lead singer and the song she wrote with Gunnar gets an option contract, prompting a passionate kiss between the two and Gunnar to dump his girlfriend Hailey and profess his love to Scarlett.

In "Be Careful of Stones That You Throw," when Rayna suggests bringing her girls on tour, she learns Lamar is willing to blackmail her, while Juliette and Sean's elopement surprises everyone and Deacon reconnects with an ex as Avery follows a music producer's advice. In "I've Been Down That Road Before," Deacon plays his first show with Juliette, as Juliette wants to make her music more mature and after Rayna asks Deacon why he joined Juliette's band, he kisses her, while Gunnar moves in with Scarlett and Teddy shows up at Rayna's hotel room and says something that will change their relationship forever. In the powerful episode, "I Saw The Light," Juliette is jealous of Rayna when she sees her billboard in New York so she seeks out a sponsorship of her own, while on tour with her mom, Maddie decides that she wants to become a singer much to Rayna's disliking and Rayna meets Deacon's new girlfriend. In "A Picture from Life's Other Side," Dante threatens to release a sex tape of him and Juliette if she doesn't give him ten million dollars, but Juliette decides not to give in and let him sell it, while Maddie finds out that Teddy might not be her real father. In the amazing season finale "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," backstage at the CMA Awards, Deacon confronts Rayna and asks her if he is Maddie's biological father after Maddie tells him that he might be her father, as Juliette wins Female Vocalist of the Year and pays her final respects to her mother, while a marriage proposal happens to someone else.

The episodes run usually 42-43 minutes...unedited of course with all the great music intact even! See the runtimes below:

Disc 1
1. "Pilot" 42:21
2. "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" 43:05
3. "Someday You'll Call My Name" 43:05
4. "We Live in Two Different Worlds" 42:48
5. "Move It on Over" 42:22

Disc 2
6. "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" 42:55
7. "Lovesick Blues" 43:05
8. "Where He Leads Me" 43:05
9. "Be Careful of Stones That You Throw" 42:31
10. "I'm Sorry for You My Friend" 43:03

Disc 3
11. "You Win Again" 42:38
12. "I've Been Down That Road Before" 42:51
13. "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" 43:05
14. "Dear Brother" 42:35

Disc 4
15. "When You're Tired of Breaking Other Hearts" 43:04
16. "I Saw the Light" 43:04
17. "My Heart Would Know" 43:01
18. "Take These Chains from My Heart" 42:52

Disc 5
19. "Why Don’t You Love Me" 43:02
20. "A Picture from Life's Other Side" 43:04
21. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" 42:44

Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom to get to the case inside, similar to other recent ABC Studios series sets. Both the thin outer box and case have the same artwork for both the front and back. The cover has a nice shot of Rayna and Juliette, with Rayna sitting on a throne and Juliette lying on the floor with her guitar. The color scheme is gold and grey. The show logo is present in grey lettering towards the top. The credits for Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere are below the logo. The back has information on the set, three episodic photos from episodes and also a nice cast photo with nine main stars. There is also a grey box detailing the bonus features and there are technical specifications below the episodic images.
Opening the case, on the left side we see an insert which includes an ad for the upcoming new fall ABC TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The other side has an ad for the Music of Nashville CD's! Back to the case, on both the left and right panels we have many episodic photos and a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles below that. The discs are on plastic holders, that you can flip a page in a book. The first plastic holder holds disc one on the front side and disc two on the back side. The second plastic holds disc three on the front side and disc four on the back side. Disc five is on the right panel itself. Disc artwork is very nice and is shaped as a record and has a shot of Nashville character(s). Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Rayna. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Juliette. Disc three has episodes 11-14 and has artwork of Rayna & Juliette with Deacon. Disc four has episodes 15-18 and has artwork of Scarlett, Gunnar and Avery. And disc five has episodes 19-21 plus the bulk of the bonus features and has artwork of Teddy, Lamar, and Coleman. It is nicely designed.

The menu screen has clips playing in the background while background music from the series plays. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features, and Sneak Peeks. But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks: ABC TV on DVD, Castle Season 5, Revenge Season 2, and Once Upon a Time Season 2. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc five on the main menu and has an ABC Image promo and a trailer for Mary Poppins. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode title only, but it is nicely designed. Bonus Features option has all the extras listed and this is discs one and five only. All of the sub-menus have different background music from the show. All original music...so good!

The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good, as it should! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Both the audio and video are almost perfection. This is from 2012-2013, so it had better be good. There is nothing to complain at all here...it is perfect! There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. We get to hear the closing theme as well! Not much to report here, but that is a good thing since this part of the DVDs are always perfect for newer series. I wish we had a Blu-ray version of this show and that would be beyond perfection! Imagine watching the songs performed by Rayna and Juliette in HD!

Moving on the bonus features. For disc one, we have the featurette "Nashville Goes to Nashville" (6:06). We meet the city that's the vibrant home and heart of the country music industry, and the home to this series as well! Interviewed are Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Callie Khouri (creator), Hayden Panettiere, R.J. Cutler (director), Clare Bowen, Jeff Knipp (production designer), Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Robert Wisdom, and Steve Buchanan (executive producer). On to disc five, where the bulk of the extras are, we have more featurettes! First up is, "Stellas Go On 'Tour'" (8:40). We tag along for a tour of the set with the exuberant and talented young Stella sisters -- who really are sisters in real life! Lennon Stella and Maisy Stella show us the set and on the way they see Judith Hoag and Charles Esten! The final featurette is a series of "On The Record: B-Side." We discover some of the remarkable talent behind the show's music and learn the story of two of its heartfelt ballads. The first one "Consider Me" (5:02) has interviews with Ashley Monroe (songwriter), Brendan Benson (songwriter), Callie Khouri, and Buddy Miller (music producer). The second one is "If I Didn't" (5:44). Interviewed are R.J. Cutler, Callie Khouri, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio and Buddy Miller.

Then we have seven deleted scenes from seven different episodes. I wish we had more, but we'll take it. Some other ABC series have way, way, more, so it is sad to see only seven here. Here are the episodes and runtimes: #101 (0:37), #102 (1:00), #105 (1:01), #106 (1:16), #107 (0:42), #111 (1:06) and #112 (1:07). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (2:08)...yes all the hilarious flubs and outtakes! See all the goofs and play on the set, it is short but sweet

This is a great show and a great set. The series is off to a great start and we hope we have many more seasons to come. I recommend this series and set, as it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. It isn't as many as some other ABC sets, but quality wise, it's good. This DVD is awesome as we get of course all 21 great episodes to watch at our own leisure. The DVD is coming out on Sept. 17, just in time for the second season premiere on Sept. 25 on ABC. ABC will re-air the season finale this Wednesday (Sept. 18), if you need to get a refresh. And if you've never watched an episode, get this set ASAP and get addicted! Everyone needs to be watching this show because it's more than a drama set in Nashville. Don't let the title fool you. It's just a backdrop of the show. The season finale ended in great cliffhanger and we will see the conclusion on the season premiere. The electrifying chemistry between the main cast shows and you all need to buy the set by clicking below to see it for yourself! One of the many songs is titled "Wrong Song," but it's not wrong for you to order the DVD by clicking below!

(4/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Nashville on TV.com


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Seth Green (Twitter), "Hello Twitter. I promise not to say anything too stupid."
Claim to Fame: Seth Green, unlike a lot of celebrities, wasn't born into a well-known family. He was born in Philadelphia to a mother who was an artist and a father who was a math teacher. He had a few movie roles and TV roles in the '80s (including guest roles on The Facts of Life and Mr. Belvedere), but came to fame in the early '90s in the commercial for the regional fast food restaurant Rally's (check it out on YouTube). Since then, he has appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Family Guy, Robot Chicken (which he also created), and now he adds to his current duties a starring role in the upcoming Fox series Dads.
Why You Should Follow Him: I've always been intrigued by Seth Green, going back to the Rally's commercials (which I remember very well, as Rally's was a rather large thing where I live back then). But I never really got to find out more about Green until Family Guy premiered 15 years ago, and I've discovered rather quickly that he is a rather offbeat and humorous guy who seems to be just being himself in everything that he does. Of course, this naturally makes him the type of person that you want to follow on Twitter.
Pick of the Tweets: "On @TheTalk_CBS with my teenage BFF @THEsaragilbert talking about all the trouble we got into as kids. Spoiler alert…" (April 1, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!