Saturday, May 04, 2013

Digital Digest: More Eight is Enough on DVD; Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season DVD Review

Welcome to Digital Digest! This weekend, we've got a review of Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season, along with all of your other regular features. Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

It took years for the classic series Eight is Enough to appear on DVD, but once it finally did come, it seems that it started to fall into a rather steady release pattern. And that pattern holds again, as Warner Archive released Eight is Enough - The Complete Third Season on Tuesday. Although it is divided into two "volumes," the DVDs are only available to be purchased together at a $49.95 MSRP. We hope to have a review of this set very soon.

It was discovered this week by TVShowsOnDVD.com that a pre-order listing recently popped up on amazon.com for Perry Mason - Season 9, Volume 2. While no release date has been given yet, this set will mark the end (the 18th release, to be precise) of the long running series on DVD. We anticipate, though, that the release shouldn't be too far off.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (May 7) is a busier than usual day for releases. These begin with the end of two series, with Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season and 30 Rock - Season 7. The Dick Van Dyke Show continues on Blu-ray with The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season Two (Blu-ray). Finally, from eOne, we have Rookie Blue - The Complete Third Season.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season (ABC, $39.99)
by Pavan

From the creators of Grey's Anatomy comes the sixth and final season of ABC's emotional, sexy medical drama, Private Practice. Addison and the practice are faced with challenges, joys, and heartaches when loved ones are lost and new life begins. The team at Seaside Health and Wellness have gathered together for the final round of laughter, tears, and unexpected moments in the most no holds barred season yet. Relive all the excitement, tragedies, and triumphs in this 3-disc collection featuring all 13 episodes!

The sixth season stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Neonatal Surgery/Obstetrics & Gynecology), Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman (Pediatrics), KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King (Urology & Sexology, Chief of Staff at the nearby hospital), Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd (Neurosurgery), Brian Benben as Dr. Sheldon Wallace (Psychiatry), Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett (Internal Medicine/Cardiothoracic Surgery), with Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner (Psychiatry) and Benjamin Bratt as Dr. Jake Reilly (Obstetrics and Gynecology/Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
Among the recurring stars are Griffin Gluck as Mason Warner, Matt Long as James Petersen, and Justina Machado as Stephanie. Among the special guests this year are Alfre Woodard, Alex Rocco, Mackenzie Astin, Marisol Nichols, Diane Farr, and Audra McDonald.

The sixth season is unique and different from what we expect from this series. There are a lot of different style episodes this season, but I'm not sure if fans like that or not. The season was still very well written once again. Anyway, as for season six, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "Aftershock," where Addison's choice is revealed to be Jake, while Sam has started a new relationship with a nurse, and Violet believes that Pete has skipped out on bail until she gets a phone call from Pete's phone, from a man, telling her that Pete had a fatal heart attack while he was on his run. In "Good Grief," Addison continues to grieve over Mark's death, and doesn't know if she should talk to Jake about it or not, but eventually decides to tell him everything about her past; this prompts Sam to tell everything to his new girlfriend so that he can't start of everything new. In "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone," Charlotte hires a new ER attending, Dr. James Peterson to replace Pete, promising him a quiet ER only to have a rainy night in LA, while Addison has to deal with a pregnant woman having her fourth child, and her husband who seems to always have the same symptoms as her only to find out the husband has an infection in his spinal cord, so Amelia and the new ER doctor race to save the man's life. In "The Next Episode," after Sam is asked to be shot in a reality show pilot for revolving around his life, he is followed around for days to see what his life is really about, as Sam's mom comes into town, and sees Addison with an awkward encounter as she knows everything, with her boss and his husband when he needs heart surgery, after giving him the bad news, Sam finds out that his mother and her boss have been having an affair for forty years.

In "I'm Fine," after Sheldon tells his ex-wife about his cancer and she decides to leave him, he begins going to chemotherapy and therapy to help him through the rough time, while he's going to chemo and going to therapy the search for the missing little girl is continuing and Sheldon believes that his patient has taken her and is fighting to get him to confess. In "Georgia on My Mind," after Charlotte is put on bed rest, she hopes to go two days without having any contractions so that she can get out of the Trendelenburg position, while Cooper continues to stay in the NICU to make sure that no one misses anything with the new born baby girl. In "Full Release," as Charlotte goes into labor with the other two babies everyone begins to pick out baby names that they think should be the babies names, until Charlotte comes out saying that only Mason and Cooper are picking them with her. In the series finale, "In Which We Say Goodbye," Naomi returns to stand by Addison's side on her wedding day, while Cooper struggles with the hardships of being a stay-at-home father, and Violet begins a new project close to her heart.

The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. View the episode runtimes:

Disc 1:
1. "Aftershock" (42:59)
2. "Mourning Sickness" (43:01)
3. "Good Grief" (43:01)
4. "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone" (42:59)
5. "The Next Episode" (43:00)

Disc 2:
6. "Apron Strings" (43:01)
7. "The World According to Jake" (43:00)
8. "Life Support" (43:00)
9. "I'm Fine" (43:01)
10. "Georgia on My Mind" (43:00)

Disc 3:
11. "Good Fries Are Hard to Come By" (43:00)
12. "Full Release" (43:01)
13. "In Which We Say Goodbye" (43:00)

Like the last few seasons, packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the keep case inside. For seasons one and two, we had a digipak, but ABC Studios changed it to a keep case starting with season three. Both the outer box and keep case have the same cover, a cast photo of them at the beach, with everyone standing but Addison and Jake. The show logo is on the top in white wording in a blue background. The back of the box and keep case has that blue background with information on the set and has head shots that feature all eight of our stars plus Mason (Griffin Gluck). There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also. This is very similar to the previous release. Opening the case, on the left and right panels itself we have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode titles and bonus features and nice episodic photos. We have a little plastic holder, that we can flip like a page on a book. The holder holds disc one in the front and disc two in the back. Disc three is on the right panel itself. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that blue background and the discs have nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Sam, Addison & Jake. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Violet, Charlotte & Cooper. Disc three has episodes 11-13 plus bonus features and has artwork of Amelia & Sheldon.

The menu screen has clips playing in the background with the closing music from the series playing audio wise, similar to previous sets. It's a nice sunny style menu. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three), and Sneak Peeks (disc three). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks: Once Upon a Time Season 2 and the classic The Muppet Movie on Blu-ray. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has the same previews as the ones popping up before disc one's menu. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese or Thai and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option is only on disc three and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music once again. Consistent with its previous releases, but that is good!

The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! It is just as good as the previous releases, if not better. The audio is also great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the just completed 2012-13 season, so it had better be good and it is. Crystal clear. The series is over and will be missed.

Moving on the bonus features. All of the extras are on the final disc again, this season that is disc three. However, we don't have much this time. Only Deleted Scenes and Bloopers. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 21 deleted scenes, up nine from the previous DVD! There are five episodes that have deleted scenes. "Mourning Sickness" (1:35, 0:45, and 1:20), "Good Grief" (0:59 and 0:38), "The Next Episode" (0:38, 1:13, 0:52, 0:52, and 0:46), "Full Release" (0:25, 1:09, 1:06 and 1:18) and "In Which We Say Goodbye" (0:56, 1:10, 0:49, 1:18, 1:20, 1:16 and 0:31). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (3:00)...yes, always great to see bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! The timing is down less than a minute from the last set, but that's fine. Wish we had more extra, but this is better than nothing at all.

And the show is now over. It's a good set with less bonus material and episodes, but everything else is similar to previous sets. There was supposed to be a featurette on this set, but not sure what happened? It's certainly not on here. The packaging is good and consistent to some of the previous sets. This season was unique and different, where we had a lot of character centric episodes. Shonda Rhimes always likes to freshen things up and usually it always works. All fans should definitely buy this set. I mean if you have the previous five sets, why wouldn't you get this one? See how the show ends and continue your collection with the last piece of the puzzle!

(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Private Practice on TV.com


FOLLOW ME 


Who to Follow: Tichina Arnold (Twitter), "It's nice 2 B IMPORTANT but it's more important 2 B NICE! Live your life 2 the fullest. I do!"
Claim to Fame: Tichina Arnold is one of those people who could be described as a "queen of sitcoms." Although her earliest "regular role" was in the soap opera Ryan's Hope, she has since had major roles in sitcoms such as Martin, Everybody Hates Chris, and most recently Happily Divorced.
Why You Should Follow Her: We love sitcom stars, and even more, we love those who appear in multiple sitcoms. Tichina Arnold has, at this point in her life, established herself as an actress that we will see in sitcoms for years to come. What I like most about her, though, is that it seems that she hasn't been typecast as any particular sort of character, and has played characters that have a wide range of personalities. She maintains a very active presence on Twitter (and Instagram, while we're at it), and seems to have a very positive outlook on life and her family... although she does get a bit worked up at times about issues important to her personally.
Pick of the Tweets: "2day is last tape day of season on #HappilyDivorced @tvland Its been a gr8 run! Thnx 4all ur support. Now Pray 4a 3rd season! Lol!" (January 25, 2013)

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


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, January 22

Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.

Abbott Elementary - "Strike" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Wednesday, January 22

  • Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Watch Lucy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts/White Famous), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Utkarsh, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Andrew, Nick and Lin-Manuel Miranda are chatting with Drew about their Broadway show All In: Comedy About Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also talking to Drew about parenting advice, how they were raised and how comedy brings people together.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

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)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

01/21 - Fox Renews Murder in a Small Town; O.J. Simpson Netflix Docuseries
01/20 - Rewind TV February 2025 Schedule; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Score Big for Premieres
01/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 20, 2025)
01/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Canceled at Paramount+; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Coming to MeTV Toons
01/17 - Remembering Bob Uecker of Mr. Belvedere, Punky Brewster Creator David W. Duclon, and Others We Recently Lost
01/16 - Apple TV+ Prime Target Trailer; Apple Cider Vinegar Premieres in February on Netflix
01/15 - My Three Sons to Join FETV Lineup Starting February 3; St. Denis Medical Renewed for Season 2
01/14 - Game Show Network Acquires The Wall; NBC's The Hunting Party to Premiere After NFL Divisional Playoff Game
01/13 - Antenna TV February 2025 Schedule; SNL First Two 2025 Episodes Before 50th Anniversary Event
01/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 13, 2025)
01/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Hosts Announced; The West Wing Returns to Max After Brief Disappearance
01/10 - The Jeffersons 50th Anniversary Marathon on Antenna TV; FETV to Air Uncut Episodes of Most Series
01/09 - Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Mythic Quest; Upcoming Season of Harlem Is Final Season
01/08 - Roy Wood Jr. Comedy Special on Hulu; The Late Show Gets Post AFC Championship Game Airing
01/07 - HGTV's Celebrity IOU New Season; Joey King and Cooper Koch to Announce 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
01/06 - 82nd Golden Globe Winners; Shoresy Returns in February on Hulu
01/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 6, 2025)
01/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: HBO Cancels The Franchise; Alice Actress Linda Lavin Dies
01/03 - Antenna TV Pays Tribute to Linda Lavin with Alice Marathon; Catchy Comedy Recreates Classic CBS Saturday Night Lineup from the 1970s
01/02 - Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover Event; The Night Agent Returns January 23 on Netflix
01/01 - Happy New Year; Antenna TV's New Year's Day Fresh Start Marathon; ABC's Shifting Gears Official Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2024
12/30 - Remembering Linda Lavin of Alice; Hulu Releases Chad Powers Teaser
12/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 30, 2024)
12/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Cable Networks No Longer a Priority for Paramount; Paramount+ Removes Vintage Nickelodeon Series
12/27 - Max Renews Creature Commandos for Season 2; Fox's Denis Leary Comedy Gets First Look
12/26 - Cobra Kai Final Episodes in February on Netflix; HBO Slates 13th Bill Maher Comedy Special
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Coming to DVD in February
12/24 - 2024 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Christmas Con Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary; Deli Boys Premieres in March on Hulu
12/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 23, 2024)
12/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Creative Team Put in Place for Big Bang Theory Spinoff; Girls5eva Canceled at Netflix