Saturday, May 25, 2013
Digital Digest: Growing Pains and Inspector Gadget on DVD; Rookie Blue - The Complete Third Season DVD Review
DIGITAL NEWS
Warner Archive always brings us big surprises every few weeks, and they had a big one for us this week as they released Growing Pains - The Complete Third Season. The first two seasons, of course, were released by Warner Home Video, and the series always seemed to have difficulty getting a go of it on DVD... but hopefully we'll see a steady stream of releases of this series now, and "the best is ready to begin!"
TVShowsOnDVD.com discovered some preorder listings that fans of a classic '80s animated series are sure to love, as Inspector Gadget not only comes to DVD again, but it appears that fans will get the entire series on DVD now! They'll all be released on the same day, but it'll be in separate releases, as they bring fans three volumes of season 1 (volume 1, volume 2, and volume 3) and season 2.
There are eight million stores in the Naked City, and not all of them have been on DVD... that is, not yet... but they're coming! A preorder listing appeared on amazon.com this week for Naked City - The Complete Series. No release date has been given for this series so far.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (May 28) has no sitcom releases, but there are several other releases TV related releases of interest, including Covert Affairs - Season Three, Beetlejuice - The Complete Series, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Season Two, Volume Two.
Of course, one of the "biggest" things coming next week is not a DVD at all... instead, it is the debut of the new (and final... maybe) episodes of Arrested Development on Netflix. All 15 new episodes will debut on Sunday morning at 3:00 AM ET!
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Rookie Blue - The Complete Third Season (Entertainment One, $39.98)
by Pavan
The hit ABC summer primetime cop show Rookie Blue returns for its third season on DVD, but this time there is no Blu-ray release for some reason. That's not a big deal to us because we reviewed the DVD releases for the previous two seasons. Be careful what you wish for...with two years under their belt, the rookies of 15 Division are well on their way to becoming seasoned cops, but experience isn't everything...and the boundary between job and personal life is no longer as black and white as it one seemed. The drama is produced in Canada and is a Canadian production and also airs on Global in Canada.
We have all 13 episodes from the third season on a nice four-disc set from eOne! The series stars Missy Peregrym as Andy McNally, Enuka Okuma as Traci Nash, Gregory Smith as Dov Epstein, Travis Milne as Chris Diaz, Charlotte Sullivan as Gail Peck, Peter Mooney as Nick Collins, Matt Gordon as Oliver Shaw, Melanie Nicholls-King as Noelle Williams, Lyriq Bent as Sergeant Frank Best, and Ben Bass as Sam Swarek. Noam Jenkins as Jerry Barber and Eric Johnson as Luke Callaghan recur. Guest stars include William Shatner!
The third season has 13 episodes just like the first two seasons. Among the memorable episodes is the season premiere "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," where after her three-month suspension, McNally faces an official hearing which will decide if she should be reinstated back onto the force, however upon returning, she and Swarek are accidentally involved in a missing child case when a drunk driver (William Shatner) collides with a van and finds a teenage girl in the back, while Peck gets a shock when a new rookie, ex-soldier Nick Collins (Peter Mooney), arrives for his first day at 15 Division. In "A Good Shoot," Dov's world explodes into chaos when he walks in on a convenience store robbery in progress and shoots a young black teenager, who may or may not have been armed and the tight-knit community erupts in outrage, as the ensuing investigation calls into question whether Dov used excessive force or acted too quickly. In the first of a two-part episode, "The Girlfriend Experience," a grad student's disappearance leads Andy and Nick to discover the woman's double life as a high-end escort, but when a pattern of missing women emerges, Gail, who is physically similar to the victims, is sent in on an undercover sting operation. In the conclusion, "Out of Time," the same night the officers of 15 Division are forced to release a suspected predator for lack of evidence, Andy and Gail are violently assaulted in Andy's loft -- and Gail is abducted, as Detective Luke Callaghan is brought in to oversee the case that very well may be the work of a serial murderer. In "Cold Comforts," the officers of 15 Division struggle to come to terms with their fallen colleague and get back to work patrolling the streets and when they discover that a police laptop containing sensitive information has been stolen they set off on a hunt to recover the computer and prevent any dangerous fallout. On the season finale, "I Never," when a violent child abductor escapes from an emergency hospital visit, the officers of 15 Division try to track him down before he takes another young victim, while Chris' family obligations have him contemplating a transfer, and Traci and Gail each face monumental decisions regarding their respective careers. We get all 13 unedited episodes on this DVD. Runtimes for each episode follow:
Disc One
1. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (43:00)
2. Class Dismissed (42:50)
3. A Good Shoot (42:59)
4. Girls' Night Out (42:12)
Disc Two
5. Messy Houses (43:02)
6. Coming Home (42:44)
7. Leap of Faith (43:02)
8. The Girlfriend Experience (42:46)
Disc Three
9. Out of Time (42:56)
10. Cold Comforts (42:59)
11. The Rules (41:55)
12. Every Man (43:00)
Disc Four
13. I Never (43:00)
Moving on to the packaging, the set this time doesn't have an outer thin box holding the case. We just have the case itself. The cover of the case in blue (fitting!) and has the series logo towards the bottom following a nice cast photo of the five original rookies and the complete second third mention is above them. The back of the case has info on the set and series, with a nice quote from the L.A. Times. We have a nice cast photo of the rookies with Swarek as well, along with five episodic images (one includes William Shatner!). There is a little box showcasing the bonus features as well. Inside the case we have nice artwork of a Metropolitan Police car on the left panel and McNally and Swarek on the right panel itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown on the left panel listing episode episode title per disc and bonus features. The discs themselves are on two little plastic holders that you can flip like a page in a book, similar to the previous sets. Each disc is in the blue design with the series logo and the Metropolitan Police badge in the background and the disc number on top. Disc one holds episodes 1-4, disc two holds episodes 5-8, disc three holds episodes 9-12 and disc four has episode 13 and all the bonus features. We don't get an Entertainment One booklet showcasing other DVDs this time. Most of this section is very similar to the first two seasons, though.
The menu design is great again and has moving video clips playing in the background while we listen to the closing music from the show. The series logo is also placed on the main menu. We have an Episodes menu this time, as previously we just had the numbers/titles listed right on the main menu itself below the video clips that were playing. The main menu options are Play All, Episode and Set-Up. In Episodes, it's simple...we have the episode number and title and you can choose from that. In Set-up, we can choose either English 5.1 Digital Dolby audio or 2.0 Stereo. English SDH subtitles can also be turned on. Special Features option is on disc four only. There are no auto trailers on disc one before the main menu this time.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding once again on this DVD. There is no Blu-ray version this time, so this is the way to go. This set is superb. You can turn on the 5.1 surround sound and watch the series in great audio quality as well. Each episode has 8 chapter stops (up from the 7 from the previous set), so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular like McNally in a dress or her in bed with Swarek. This is a hot cast!
There are some special features on this set as well! They are all on disc four again and are decently produced again. First up, we have "Season 3: Be Careful What You Wish For" (1:58) where we look at the relationships from this season. Interviewed are Travis Milne, Missy Peregrym, Ben Bass, Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, and Charlotte Sullivan. Next we have, "Crash Course: Inside the Season Premiere" (8:05) where we are on location for the season premiere and have interviews on the spot from Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, William Shatner, Missy Peregrym, and Ben Bass, along with some behind the scenes shots. Then we have "The New Rookie" (2:15) where we look at Nick Collins the new rookie, with interviews with Matt Gordon, Peter Rooney, Charlotte Sullivan, Missy Peregrym, and Ben Bass. The next featurette is "New Detective" (1:35), which talks about Traci being promoted and has interviews with Enuka Okuma, Missy Peregrym, and Charlotte Sullivan. Then we go "behind the Camera" (2:05) which is about Gregory Smith directing episode #311 and has interviews with Travis Milne, Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, Missy Peregrym, Peter Mooney, and Ben Bass. Then we have "Travis Tours" (3:15), which is Travis Milne giving us a set tour of the set. Moving on, we have "Mooney Moments" (2:03), as we get the fun side of Mooney with Missy, Charlotte and Travis. We also have "On-Set Camera Interviews," as this looks like a Global production. We have Travis Milne and Gregory Smith (4:18), Enuka Okuma (3:51), and Ben Bass (4:07). Finally we have "Split Screen Behind-the-Scenes Footage" for the episodes Messy Houses (3:52) and Every Man (3:14). This is actually showing us the way it looks on the set compared to what we really see in the finished product. Wow, that finished product looks really good compared to what it actually looks. That was a very unique special feature and we got a taste of it on the season 2 set!
Once again, I think Entertainment One did a good job with this set. It's another great season for this great show and the episodes just get better and better. As usual, the finale is a must-see and we have a nice two-part episode. The menus, packaging and bonus features are all good as well. I think the special features quantity went up from season two, so that is good news, too. Not sure why we don't have a Blu-ray release this season, but maybe it will come later? This is a summer series, so we only have 13 episodes each season. Wish it was more, but quality over quantity, right? Missy Peregrym is just stunning and is great as the lead. ABC/Global will air 13 more episodes this summer, as the fourth season premiere was this past Thursday at 10|9 central. Watch every Thursday at 10|9c all summer-long! But if you need to catch-up, start, or just to have this in your DVD collection, then click the order link below! Don't screw up! And finally, catch Missy Peregrym on Good Morning America this Tuesday promoting the season!
(4/5 stars)
To purchase Rookie Blue - The Complete Third Season on DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Rookie Blue on TV.com
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That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, December 22
Bob's Burgers - "The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the power goes out two days before Christmas, The Belchers must spend the holiday at Mr. Fischoeder's family's old hunting lodge.
Krapopolis - "Krapocalypse" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tyrannis is stuck in a time loop trying to save the city.
The Simpsons - "The Man Who Flew Too Much" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The new and improved Pin Pals travel to Capital City for their first ever state bowling championship.
Universal Basic Guys - "The Devil You Know" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark insists on teaching his son Darren how to throw a handmade boomerang that was gifted to Darren by his father; the two soon find themselves on a trek deep into the Jersey woods; David is the recipient of a sex doll that he swears he didn't order.
The Great North - "The Lies Aquatic Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While Beef is away, the Tobin fishing boat goes missing; the Tobin siblings wildly speculate on what could have happened.
Krapopolis - "National Lampoon's The Odyssey!" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family takes a vacation to Storgos for Shlub's mother's birthday.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Full-Frontal Dottie" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Excited by her physical therapy progress, Dottie insists she is ready to return to MaxDot, much to Bob, Douglas and Christina's dismay.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)
Friday, December 20
- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/HouseBroken/Catastrophe) - Sharon is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Colton Dunn (Superstore) and Diona Reasonover (Clipped) - Colton and Diona are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - NBC's Today catches up with Zachary in the 9am hour.
- Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy talks about Mufasa: The Lion King on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
- Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about The Six Triple Eight on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- James Marsden (30 Rock) and Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - James and Ben talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about Max's Fast Friends on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit has the best of Henry and Kit Hoover, so check your local listings.
- Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - The Talk celebrates 15 seasons with a special finale episode; friend of the show Howie Mandel makes his 21st appearance on the show when he stops by one last time with a surprise for the hosts on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
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)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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