Saturday, June 09, 2007

Mini DVD Review: Picket Fences - Season One (June 19); Solomon's Weekly Rant: TV Land

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Fox Home Entertainment's Picket Fences: Season 1. Picket Fences of course follows the lives of the residents of the small town of Rome, Wisconsin, where weird things happen, including cows giving birth to human babies, transgender teachers, and a spate of people turning up dead in freezers. The series stars Tom Skeritt and aired from 1992-06 on CBS. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Picket Fences: Season 1:

Picket Fences: Season One (Fox, $59.98) takes you to the quaint town of Rome, Wisconsin... a small town in a Midwestern state that is calm and serene at all times. Yeah right! Rome may just be one of the most screwed up small towns in all of America, as is seen in this series. In how many other small towns will you find a hand in a jar, a police chase involving an elephant and a dwarf, drunken cows, murderous nuns, transsexual elementary school teachers (that want to play the Virgin Mary in a school play on top of that!), and a man keeping a dead wife on life support in his home? And that isn't even half of what happens in the first season of this dysfunctional town!
For those unfamiliar with the series, it stars Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker as Jimmy and Jill Brock. Jimmy is the town sheriff and Jill is a doctor. They have two sons together, and Jimmy also has a daughter from a previous marriage. The unusual events that occur in Rome almost
never involve the Brock family directly, but in almost every case, they somehow manage to get involved in almost every case and often times on opposing sides. The series is mostly a drama, but that isn't to say that it isn't a comedy either--the series has many funny moments involving the nutty people of Rome, particularly with one of the attorneys in Rome, Douglas Wambaugh (played by Fyvush Finkel, who later played Harvey Lipschultz on Boston Public). The series was created by David E. Kelley, and those that are familiar with his television work (which includes many popular television series, including the current series Boston Legal) know that to him, a drama always has comedic moments.
The presentation of the episodes is generally pretty good, with all episodes appearing to be unedited and having great audio and video quality, but the set becomes really disappointing on the special features front. Basically, there is a featurette called "All Roads Lead to Rome," which sounds promising as it is advertised to be an all-new featurette featuring interviews from the cast and crew members. And the best part is that they DID get many of the living cast and crew members to participate in this featurette. But the featurette is only 10 minutes long and didn't get into too many specifics! It would have been better if the DVD producers had just skipped this featurette and done commentaries, as those probably would have provided more insight into the series. Still, this is a great show, and for those that may have been so unfortunate as to miss this when it aired on CBS or in syndication, you'll definitely want to consider this set, particularly if you are a fan of David E. Kelley's unique style of comedic drama.
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4.5/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, June 9, 2007
"TV Land Taking the 'C' Out of Classic TV"
By Solomon Davis

This week I want to rant about the once great cable channel, TV Land, which has in the past five years turned into the Diverse TV Network since we are given all types of TV programs. First, this channel made viewers appreciate classic television. Now..."DTVN" is adding anything but classic TV to their programming schedule. Instead we are given wonderful Friday Night Movies that makes me want to run home from work every week and be home by 9PM. Doesn't DTVN know that we can turn to channels like HBO or Cinemax if we are in a movie watching mood? I have never seen Cinemax air I Love Lucy and do you know why? Because it's a MOVIE CHANNEL not a network figuring out its identity in the cable world. So is DTVN thinking of competing with Cinemax for the best movies on Friday nights? Which makes me wonder if there was another network that aired classic TV would DTVN compete with that network by adding more Classic TV shows? Guess we will never know.
DTVN has also made another groundbreaking decision for its viewers by picking up Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which will air Tuesdays at 11PM starting in August and now we can watch someone's house be made over and over until our eyeballs fall out of our head. I think this network needs an 'Extreme Makeover: The Cable Edition.' And expect more surprises in the upcoming months which will disappoint 80% of the viewing public since DTVN loves taking the C out of Classic TV. In 2008 we probably will be treated to Sunday Night Game Shows like Deal or No Deal or Saturday Morning Cartoons like Pokemon, why should this network stop now? Just give all kinds of programming and make us forget classic TV ever existed. It makes me so giddy to wait for DTVN's
next big programming decision because I know whatever it is, it will make me almost break down my front door so DTVN can be the first channel I turn to as soon as I get in from work!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, September 17

The Conners - "Young Love, Old Love and Take This Job and Shove It" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene worries about Mark making friends at his new school; Mark turns to Ben for personal advice; Becky finds herself thriving in college and starts thinking about her future plans.

The Conners - "Let's All Push Our Hands Together for the Stew Train and the Conners' Furniture" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jackie devises an offbeat plan of how to serve the customers at the diner, it's anything but smooth service; Dan begins to sell some furniture to make room for his new bride and her things.

The Conners - "Yard Sale, Phone Fail and a College Betrayal" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
As Louise starts to move into the Conner's home, Dan decides to sell the furniture set he bought for Roseanne when they were first married; but finds it harder than he thought it would be.

The Conners - "Three Exes, Role Playing and a Waterbed" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene brings Nick to the hardware store, where they run into Ben, who invites Nick to join him at The Lunch Box to watch a Bears game; Dan tries to spruce up the bedroom while Louise is out on the road; Jackie meets Logan's mom.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "The Chicken or the Egg" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Curtis searches for reasonably priced eggs in the middle of a city-wide egg shortage; Lisa attempts to gain professional work experience by going to work with the Paynes.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Dying for Love" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Cora has been contacted by an old crush from high school who shows up, and to her surprise, he proposes; Leah gets concerned when Jeremy starts coming home later than usual and spending time with single friends she's never met.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 16)

Tuesday, September 17

  • George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - Catch George on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/The Mick) - Kaitlin appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) - Lily is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Brian appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11pm on Bravo.
  • Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - E! News has an interview with Halle at 11pm on E!.
  • Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - NBC's Today has Hispanic Heritage Month: Eva Longoria Shining a Light on Latina Small Businesses some time between 7-9am.
  • Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh talks about his new children's book PictureFace Lizzy on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your listings) and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer talks about An American Story: Everyone's Invited on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael talks about Transformers One on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
  • Ashley Park (Emily in Paris/Only Murders in the Building/Girls5eva/Nightcap - Ashley talks about Emily in Paris ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Eve (Eve) - Eve opens up in her new memoir, Who's That Girl?, on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon talks about his Wild Child comedy tour on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel talks about Fox's Crime Scene Kitchen on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel discusses his new game show Flip Side on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series Check It Out! - The Complete Series Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series

04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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