Blog DVD Review: JAG - The Complete 7th Season (Nov. 4)

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Blog DVD Review: JAG - The Complete 7th Season (Nov. 4)

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for our weekly Blog DVD Review! Today we take a look at CBS DVD's Seventh Season of JAG. JAG was a huge hit for CBS. If you are a fan of Navy NCIS, you know that NCIS is a spin-off of JAG. See Seth Thrasher's blog DVD review of JAG - The Complete Fifth Season:

JAG - The Complete Seventh Season (CBS, $55.98) ) is coming to DVD for the first time on November 4 - Election Day! This long running Donald Bellisario classic series continues onto its seventh season to be released onto DVD. I have to be honest, as I feel I'm failing you otherwise if I'm not – in the series original run I'd lost the majority of my interest in the series by this point, preferring other ways to spent my evenings. By 2001-02, the television season in which the seventh season aired, I was watching other programs on other networks. This isn't to say that the 7th season was poor in any way; I simply had moved on. The resolution to the season-ending cliffhanger leads off season seven, with a resolution that would have ramifications on down the line. The season follows a fairly straightforward pattern, and there are no real stinker episodes. To be perfectly honest, I'm much more enthusiastic about the hopeful release of the EIGHTH season, as it contains the two-part pilot for NCIS - one of my absolute favorite series on TV. The seventh season features a few guest stars – Ian Ziering, of the original Beverly Hills 90210, appears in the episode Ambush. Corbin Bernsen (LA Law) appears in the episode Tribunal. Country singer Trisha Yearwood appears in the episode "In Country."
Moving to the technical side, packaging is, still VERY thankfully, the traditional outer box and slim cases; they haven't gotten around to tinkering with this one yet. Many CBS DVD titles are moving to those horrible translucent plastic cases with the fragile disc holders. Luckily, the slimcases-in-box setup is the ideal arrangement for sets with, say, 5+ discs - so hour-long dramas such as JAG stand the best chance of continuing to use this preferred packaging type. Video is presented nice and clear in anamorphic widescreen. The video, being from this decade, was filmed in HD and has no defects that I can detect. Obviously there's a little loss in the transition from HD masters to the somewhat limited DVD standard, but it's so extremely difficult to notice that it's largely irrelevant. Audio is great - and may I just state once more for the record that I feel JAG has one of THE best theme songs – it's simple, but so very effective and really captures the style of the show. The CBS DVD boilerplate disclaimer about edits does appear on the back of the box, indicating possible edits, but if there are any I can’t find them. The episodes generally run in the ballpark of 43:30 to 44:30, but the first episode of the season, "Adrift (Part 2)" runs a mere 40:38 – something there is CLEARLY not kosher - that's three minutes shorter than neighboring episodes!
The shortness of the "Adrift" two-parter finale clearly troubles me, but I don't have an original broadcast copy for comparison. Still, I strongly urge you to purchase this TV series if only for my own selfish reason - I really want the eighth season on DVD and low sales numbers won't accomplish this. If edits are a deal-breaker for you, you may be in for a disappointment here, but if you're a fan of NCIS and want that pilot two-parter in a few months, you need to buy this.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher

(3.5/5 stars)

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

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, November 24

Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal and featuring cast members Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton, Monica Horan, Madylin Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten, this new entertainment special celebrates the legacy of the hit comedy with one of television's most beloved families.

DMV - "There Is No I in DMV" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Barb takes the team on a field trip to the rival North Hollywood branch to learn the secrets of their success. She begins to doubt herself after meeting their charismatic manager, Beau (Randall Park). Meanwhile, Gregg and Vic get in Colette’s head that Noa prefers risk-takers.

St. Denis Medical - "A Strong Cup of Coffee" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex is eager to impress her old charge nurse, Pam, who comes back to St. Denis; Serena and Matt try to solve a patient's mystery illness.

The Paper - "Buddy and the Dude" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ned tags along on Mare's consumer sting story after Esmeralda tells him a bunch of things that get in his head; Oscar has to stick his neck out in a budget meeting; Detrick and Nicole play two truths and a lie until it blows up.

TV We Love - "Cheers" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A look back at the Boston bar "where everybody knows your name," with cast and creators of "Cheers" sharing the spark that made it one of TV's greatest comedies.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 24)

Monday, November 24

Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Watch Jim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. Tamron Hall has A DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Jim, a superstar who has taken everyday life and turned it into something unforgettable, so check your local listings. He joins the Tam Fam to talk about his brand-new special Live from the Old Forester: The Bourbon Set, which was filmed live on Louisvilles Whiskey Row, as well as parenting his five kids and more.
Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Merrily We Roll Along on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) - Taran is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda sits down with ABC News’ Will Ganss on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke stops by to talk Disney's Zootopia 2 on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie drops by the studio to talk Little Bear Ridge Road on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - NBC's Today catches up with Hank in the 9am hour.
Lunell (Crutch/Lopez) - Luenell tells Sherri about her role on Tracy Morgan's new Paramount+ show Crutch on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Jake Lacy (High Fidelity/The Office/Better with You) - Jake talks about Peacock's All Her Fault on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.