Saturday, October 28, 2006

Mini-DVD Reviews: Baywatch Syndicated Seasons 1 and 2; The Super Mario Bros. Super Show Volume 2 (October 31)

Welcome to another edition of the Saturday mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at First Look Home Entertainment's Baywatch: Syndicated Seasons 1 and 2 and Shout! Factory's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show: Volume 2. Both series were very popular in the late 80s/early '90s and are two totally different shows, so we hope the audience for today's blog will be of all ages. Baywatch was of course about lifeguards saving lives on the beach in Santa Monica while The Super Mario Bros. Super Show was both live-action and animation! See my mini-DVD reviews of both sets:

Baywatch: Syndicated Seasons 1 and 2 (First Look, $34.99 each) brings the first two seasons from the syndication years on DVD on two separate five-disc sets. If you are wondering what they will do about the real season one, which aired on network television on NBC, they will put all of those episodes on each syndicated season set. So, for syndicated season one we will get the Baywatch pilot movie and on the syndicated season two set we will get the next two episodes. So, eventually we will have all the NBC episodes. You just will have to buy the syndicated seasons to get them. Well, anyway, I will cover mainly syndicated season two set since that is when this show really took off with the additions of Pamela Anderson and Nicole Eggert joining David Hasselhoff and the gang. Each episode from syndicated season one and syndicated season two are on this set except the two-part season premieres for both seasons. That is not good, but First Look has said that they don't own the rights to these episodes, Lionsgate does. I find it fishy because in the original press release these episodes were listed, but in the press release that was sent to us with this packaged review copy set, they are removed. So, we get 20 hours on each set instead of 22 hours each, plus the bonus NBC episodes. Each syndicated episode on both sets run approx. 43:40, and has the "Tonight on Baywatch" episode preview for each episode. The content is unedited I believe, but the music is missing according to the box. And you don't need the box to tell you that the opening theme has been replaced. That is not good! A theme called "All My Life" or something like that is the theme instead. I'm not sure if that is a new song made just for the DVD or if it is an existing song, but it sounds more of a theme used on a teen show (like 90210). What is even more strange is that a month back First Look sent us a promotional disc that included the last two episodes of syndicated season two and the NBC pilot, the two syndicated season two episodes HAD the original theme intact! So, what happened? This must have been a last minute thing. I am not a fan of syndicated season one, but I will talk about the episodes on syndicated season two. Some good episodes include "Pier Pressure," "Showdown at Malibu Beach High," "Masquerade," "Vacation, Parts 1 and 2," "Shattered, Parts 1 and 2," and "Fatal Exchange." The menu screen for both sets has Episodes & Set Up, with the replacement theme song in the background. We are greeted with a wave before the main menu starts and also when we select an option a wave transition is in effect. Four chapters are on each episode, and there are also scene selections. The video and audio are both very good. The extras are decent and are on disc five on both sets. On syndicated season one we have a photo gallery, the NBC pilot (which runs 95 minutes), and a featurette with the creators running 16 minutes. I will go in more detail for the extras in syndicated season two. They have a Baywatch Through the Years photo gallery, two NBC network episodes: "In Deep" (45:40) & "Heatwave" (46:15), and a How it Began featurette in which the creators (Michael Berk, Doug Schwartz, and Greg Bonann) discuss everything in detail. I am not sure if I can recommend this set for diehards. Diehards will be upset about the music replacement, the two missing two-part episodes, and the wonderful original theme. If you are a new or casual fan, then I do highly recommend to pick up this set. Syndicated season three is coming in February, that is the last season I really like, so I will review that one, too.
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(3/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Syndicated Season 1:
Amazon.com
Syndicated Season 2:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Baywatch TV.com Page


Super Mario Bros. Super Show: Volume 2 (Shout!, $29.98) brings the next 24 half hours on DVD for the very first time. Volume one was such a big success that Shout! rushed and has brought us volume two. This set is a four-disc set that has six episodes on each, plus bonus features on each disc. The episodes all run just under 22 minutes and include the live-action segments with Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells as Mario & Luigi. In between the live action, there was a cartoon. The is the main feature of the show, but most probably remember the show for the live-action segments. The live action segments featured many guest stars. On this set we see Gary Schwartz, Sgt. Slaughter, Rob Stone, Donna Douglas, Brian Bonsell, Nedra Volz, Jim Lange, Fred Travalena, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Vanna White and even Patrick Dempsey. Though, Dempsey played a tree and was not seen really. The menu screen has Play All, Episodes, Special Features, with the theme song in the background and clips in the middle. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate. There are about 7 chapter stops for each episode. The video and audio are both very good, but the video is slightly grainy (especially on the animated portion). Each disc has extras. Each disc has a bonus animated episode that runs approx. 14 minutes. These do not have any live-action segments. Each disc also has a "The Worlds of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show - Art Gallery." This shows us sketches of the animated portion, with music playing in the background. Each on average is about 3-5 minutes each. Disc one also has sketches from the live-action studio, titled "Interactive Tour of the Mario Bros. Plumbing." Disc three has a cute featurette called "Fan Costume Gallery," that is a photo gallery of many fans dressed up as characters from the show. And finally disc four has a feature from one fan's perspective titled "Meeting Mario: A Fan Tale's Featurette." This runs 3 minutes and has this fan giving his story on the night (March 28, 2006) that he met Captain Lou Albano at the Jersey Gardens mall in Elizabeth, NJ. Albano was appearing there to promote the volume one DVD. I live very close to that mall; I should have went and helped that fan with directions, as he got lost and went to Newark airport, lol. I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. If you never saw the show, pick it up because it is very fun! Hurry today and order the DVD before the DVD sells out!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Super Mario Bros. Super Show TV.com Page


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, December 8

Norman Lear: A Life on Television

CBS announced the new entertainment special Norman Lear: A Life on Television, to air tonight - Friday, Dec. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs). Presented by Entertainment Tonight, this one-hour special features new interviews with stars of the long-running comedies Lear created, including Jimmie Walker from Good Times and Mackenzie Phillips from One Day at a Time, in addition to never-before-seen interviews from the ET vault. Also included with this new footage and interviews is an in-depth sit-down interview with Lear that ET host Kevin Frazier conducted when Lear celebrated his 100th birthday, in which he reflected on his lengthy, groundbreaking career.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)

Friday, December 8

  • Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building/High Fidelity/People of Earth/Selfie) - Da'Vine appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • John Caponera (The Good Life) - John is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Robert Smigel (Let's Be Real) - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog aka Robert Smigel chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Noah Galvin (The Real O'Neals) and Molly Gordon (Ramy) - Noah and Molly talk about Theater Camp on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Eric Stonestreet (The Santa Clauses/Modern Family) - Eric talks about The Santa Clauses on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan sits down with Sherri to talk about his new book, When I Was Your Age, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)

Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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