Showing posts with label Hawaii Five-O. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii Five-O. Show all posts
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Digital Digest: New Region 2 (United Kingdom) DVDs of American Series; Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season DVD Review
Welcome to the very first Digital Digest for 2012! It has been a shortened holiday week, so we don't have a whole lot of news for you. However, we do have one upcoming release news item, a look ahead at the releases for next week, and a review of Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season. But since it is a slow news week, we've got a few interesting international TV-on-DVD news items for you this week! Let's get going!
Coming off of a holiday week, the news this week has been very slow, but we do have a few pieces of news this week. The first is the completion of the classic series Night Gallery. The series only aired for three seasons, but Universal has been releasing the seasons at a rate of one season every four years since 2004. With the first season released in 2004, second season in 2008, it would only make sense that 2012 would be the year for the third season, right? Right, indeed! Look for the Night Gallery - Season Three to hit store shelves from Universal on April 10.
We've talked about international DVDs on here several times around the time we started Digital Digest, but we haven't really covered them too much. Of course, that is mostly because most of our readers are based in the United States, and because it isn't very common that other countries get releases of DVDs that we don't get in the United States. But there are a few releases in the United Kingdom in the upcoming weeks that we felt were worth mentioning. First, to cover base with the sitcoms, Revelation Films is releasing Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season One on February 1. This series has been released in the United States by Anchor Bay, but it is now out of print. On March 5, the same studio has their release of Chicago Hope - Season One, which has never even been released in the United States. But what I think is the most interesting release is coming from Revelation Films on January 23, with L.A. Law - Season One. This series hasn't made it to DVD in the United States, and with a few exceptions (most recently on the network formerly known as ALN), doesn't seem to get a lot of airplay even.
It doesn't stop there, though. FremantleMedia is releasing The Practice - Complete First and Second Seasons in the United Kingdom on February 27. Oh, and as a side note, while we're still waiting for the sixth season of Dynasty in the United States, Dynasty - The Sixth Season can already be purchased in the UK, and you can even get it shipped for under $20 (converted to US currency)... less than the cost of half of a season in the United States! If THAT isn't enough, there is even MORE for you coming January 30, with Dynasty - The Seventh Season!
It is very important, though, that everybody understands what is involved in purchasing such DVDs. You can't just buy such DVDs and pop them in your player in the United States and enjoy the show. It'll require that you change the region code on your DVD player, which does come with risks if you aren't really sure what you are doing, or to purchase a DVD player that is region-free straight out of the box. You can find more information on this here.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 10) is another light day for releases, with only one sitcom release. From Shout! Factory, we get the fourth (and final) season of the classic series Dennis the Menace, with Dennis the Menace - The Final Season. The great folks at Shout! Factory were kind enough to send us a review copy of this set, and you can read our review here. Additionally, CBS DVD finishes off a classic crime drama that aired in parts of three decades with their release of Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season. CBS DVD has always been very consistent and generous in providing us with review copies of DVDs (we definitely appreciate that), and we have a review of it today in Digital Digest. Finally, Universal has Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection: 1994-2003. Unfortunately, review copies were not made available for this set.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season (CBS DVD, $49.99)
by skees53
All good things come to an end, and after twelve years of airing on CBS, so did the classic series Hawaii Five-O in the year 1980. Now, you can relive that final season of the classic series with the release of the season on DVD, finally bringing all (except for one "banned" second season episode) episodes of the series to DVD. Though the twelfth season brought some changes to the series that ultimately ended up causing the series to be canceled (rather than make a graceful departure on top), it is still a fascinating season that culminates in a showdown between Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) and his nemesis.
The season begins with the double length season premiere, "A Lion in the Streets," where an upcoming union may result in street warfare. In "Who Says Cops Don't Cry," a female officer's husband is murdered and she is determined to get justice, no matter what. An exclusive sporting club is hunting more than just animals in "Though the Heavens Fall." Kumu mobster Tony Alika sets out to frame and embarrass Five-O in "Good Help is Hard to Find." In "Image of Fear," a woman claims she is being stalked, except nobody believes her. Two surfers rob a shop using a gun responsible for a trail of death in "Use a Gun, Go to Hell." In "A Shallow Grave," a college student has visions that lead him to the site of an old bank robbery and murder.
A rich socialite is kidnapped in "Labyrinth," but her husband doesn't want the team involved in the case. In "For Old Times Sake," a counterfeiter attempts to donate money to charity, but the money just isn't real. The team is on the trail of a Nazi war criminal in "Clash of Shadows." In "A Bird in Hand...," McGarrett investigates why seemingly harmless bird watchers are the target of a vendetta. A man who was blackmailing a candidate for U.S. Senate is suddenly found murdered in "The Moroville Covenant." The series comes to an end with "Woe to Wo Fat," where McGarrett finds himself up against his arch-nemesis
The episodes on the set appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "A Lion in the Streets" (1:38:38)
Disc 1:
1. "A Lion in the Streets" (1:38:38)
2. "Who Says Cops Don't Cry" (49:57)
3. "Though the Heavens Fall" (49:51)
Disc 2:
4. "Sign of the Ram" (49:55)
Disc 2:
4. "Sign of the Ram" (49:55)
5. "Good Help is Hard to Find" (49:53)
6. "Image of Fear" (49:47)
7. "Use a Gun, Go to Hell" (49:53)
Disc 3:
8. "Voice of Terror" (49:54)
Disc 3:
8. "Voice of Terror" (49:54)
9. "A Shallow Grave" (49:52)
10. "The Kahuna" (49:53)
11. "Labyrinth" (49:51)
Disc 4:
12. "School for Assassins" (49:56)
13. "For Old Times Sake" (49:54)
14. "The Golden Noose" (49:48)
15. "The Flight of the Jewels" (49:55)
Disc 5:
16. "Clash of the Shadows" (49:55)
17. "A Bird in Hand..." (49:54)
18. "The Moroville Covenant" (49:50)
19. "Woe to Wo Fat" (49:55)
The packaging for this set is very similar to the previous releases. First, we have an outer cardboard sleeve with McGarrett and the other characters, with some episode snapshots on the back. Inside the cardboard sleeve, there is a Viva case, with the exact same artwork. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, by disc, along with episode descriptions and original airdates. The set contains five discs, all of which have the series logo on a gray background. Disc 1 contains three episodes (including the double-length season premiere), while all of the other discs contain four episodes each.
Nothing has truly changed about the packaging this time. We still have the Viva case inside of the cardboard sleeve (both of which have the exact same artwork). Once again, the cover features a large photograph of McGarrett, and smaller photos of other cast members, and we have a few episodes snapshots on the back, along with a brief description of the series in general. Inside the case, you'll find descriptions and original airdates for all of the episodes. The disc artwork is basically just the series logo on a gray background, like all other CBS Home Entertainment releases.
Disc 4:
12. "School for Assassins" (49:56)
13. "For Old Times Sake" (49:54)
14. "The Golden Noose" (49:48)
15. "The Flight of the Jewels" (49:55)
Disc 5:
16. "Clash of the Shadows" (49:55)
17. "A Bird in Hand..." (49:54)
18. "The Moroville Covenant" (49:50)
19. "Woe to Wo Fat" (49:55)
The packaging for this set is very similar to the previous releases. First, we have an outer cardboard sleeve with McGarrett and the other characters, with some episode snapshots on the back. Inside the cardboard sleeve, there is a Viva case, with the exact same artwork. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, by disc, along with episode descriptions and original airdates. The set contains five discs, all of which have the series logo on a gray background. Disc 1 contains three episodes (including the double-length season premiere), while all of the other discs contain four episodes each.
Nothing has truly changed about the packaging this time. We still have the Viva case inside of the cardboard sleeve (both of which have the exact same artwork). Once again, the cover features a large photograph of McGarrett, and smaller photos of other cast members, and we have a few episodes snapshots on the back, along with a brief description of the series in general. Inside the case, you'll find descriptions and original airdates for all of the episodes. The disc artwork is basically just the series logo on a gray background, like all other CBS Home Entertainment releases.
The menus for this series have pretty much stayed the same all throughout the series. The main menu has a large photo of Steve McGarrett, with a slideshow of videos playing in the background. Also, the theme song plays in the background. From the main menu, you have options of Episodes and Subtitles. Episodes just gives you a list of episodes (with no Play All option), and Subtitles lets you turn on the English subtitles. Chapters are placed throughout every episode.
I think that these episodes look and sound better than some of the previous sets have looked. Of course, considering that these episodes aired in the 1979-1980 season, as opposed to the 60s, has a lot to do with that. The episodes have also been very nicely digitally restored, as most of the rest of the series has been (although the digitally restored version of the tenth season didn't make it to the tenth season DVD set). The audio is a loud and clear mono track, and English subtitles are available.
There are two special features on this set, but one of them is very short and the other is, well, honestly hardly even worth calling a special feature. We'll talk about the worthy one first. The series promo (0:30) is just a short promo for the series from when it originally aired on CBS. The other special feature, "Crime Wave" (2:51) is nothing more than a promo to buy the seasons of the series on DVD. You get a rap song, some clips from the shows, and pictures of the season set boxes riding a surfboard. Honestly, I feel like I wasted three minutes of my life sitting through this feature.
It is great to see this series come to an end, even if the final season isn't quite as great as the seasons leading up to it. It is especially great considering that the series has typically been split into various packages in syndication, making it difficult to see many of the episodes since they originally aired. Of course, we still only have about 99.9% of the series, since the episode "Bored, She Hung Herself" is still not available on DVD or for broadcast on television, but considering that the episode only ever aired once, I doubt that many people are truly missing it. So, will a complete series release of this series be up next? It would be an awfully large set to take on, but it could be done. I'm not sure what they could offer to entice fans to purchase it, though. In the meantime, I think fans of the series will enjoy the twelve releases that we have been given.
(4/5 stars)
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Hawaii Five-O on TV.com
There are two special features on this set, but one of them is very short and the other is, well, honestly hardly even worth calling a special feature. We'll talk about the worthy one first. The series promo (0:30) is just a short promo for the series from when it originally aired on CBS. The other special feature, "Crime Wave" (2:51) is nothing more than a promo to buy the seasons of the series on DVD. You get a rap song, some clips from the shows, and pictures of the season set boxes riding a surfboard. Honestly, I feel like I wasted three minutes of my life sitting through this feature.
It is great to see this series come to an end, even if the final season isn't quite as great as the seasons leading up to it. It is especially great considering that the series has typically been split into various packages in syndication, making it difficult to see many of the episodes since they originally aired. Of course, we still only have about 99.9% of the series, since the episode "Bored, She Hung Herself" is still not available on DVD or for broadcast on television, but considering that the episode only ever aired once, I doubt that many people are truly missing it. So, will a complete series release of this series be up next? It would be an awfully large set to take on, but it could be done. I'm not sure what they could offer to entice fans to purchase it, though. In the meantime, I think fans of the series will enjoy the twelve releases that we have been given.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Hawaii Five-O on TV.com
CLICK OF THE WEEK
Brady World (www.bradyworld.com) - This website is, as the name suggests, about the story of a lovely lady, a man named Brady, and all six of their kids, but it really is just much more than just the basics about the classic 70s TV series. Brady World, while it is definitely one of our more low-tech and low-frills choices for Click of the Week, really is one of the best sources out there for all things Brady. Of course, you'll find a decent episode guide for the series, The Brady Bunch. But what about the many, many series related to the original series, such as The Brady Brides, The Brady Kids, and The Bradys? Well, you'll find episode guides for all of those too.
But we don't pick sites as Click of the Week just based upon episode guides, even though that IS an important qualifying factor. Among other content items that you'll find here are links to watch complete episodes of guest appearances of Brady stars in other series, fan stories (not fan fiction, but actual stories of fans meeting the cast members), history, memorabilia, and even up-to-date information on where you can see the series, as well as the stars of the series, in the upcoming weeks. So, not only should it be your Click of the Week for this week, but if you are a Brady fan, it should be your Click of the Week every week!
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Me-TV Network and Me-Too in Chicago Celebrate New Year's With Marathons/Stunts
The Me-TV Network and the local station in Chicago Me-Too (WMEU) will celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 with some marathons and stunts! The Me-TV Network will air a marathon of first episodes in a stunt called "Day of Firsts" on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011. The first episodes marathons begins at 11am ET with Perry Mason. Other first episodes include The Streets of San Francisco, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, Hogan's Heroes, Happy Days, Family Affair, The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gomer Pyle, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, M*A*S*H and Taxi. The 12-hour marathon concludes at 11pm ET. The Me-TV Network is available now nationally, but as of now is only in Chicago, Milwaukee and South Bend. We hope to bring you some affiliate news in 2011, so stay with us, as it isn't easy.
Moving on to local station Me-Too in Chicago, Three Stooges fans in Chicago can ring in the new year on Me-Too with a 12-hour "Stooge-A-Palooza" marathon on Friday, December 31, 2010 beginning at noon CT. The marathon will be hosted by Rich Koz, who will also host a midnight countdown from Chicago's original Stooge headquarters! Each title was selected by Rich, who wanted to air episodes that are fan favorites. Plus, watch throughout the marathon for special segments with Rich, featuring his wit and wisdom about the Stooges! Ring in 2011 with Rich and The Stooges! Meanwhile, turn to Me-Too on New Year's Day for The Andy Griffith-thon, beginning at 11 AM CT on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011 for timeless Mayberry classics! From Aunt Bee's pickles to Barney's single bullet, these are some of the most popular titles in the series. The 12-hour marathon will conclude at 11pm CT. The Andy Griffith Show is regularly scheduled weekdays at 12 & 12:30 PM CT and Stooge-A-Palooza is regularly scheduled Saturday evenings at 7:00 PM, both on Me-Too Chicago. Me-Too Chicago can be seen on WCIU-TV 26.4, Comcast Chicago 247/358, RCN 22, WOW 171 and U-verse 23.
Stay tuned tomorrow for our annual sitcom actor and other notable TV deaths in 2010, as we pay tribute to these stars/producers one more time.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Digital Digest: Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season DVD Review; C.S.I. Miami - The Eighth Season DVD Review
We're only one week until Christmas and it usually seems like news really slows down this time of the year. But not this time! We have a lot of great news to share with you this week, plus reviews of Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season and C.S.I. Miami - The Eighth Season. Let's get started!
DIGITAL NEWS
The "Screen Gems" of the golden age of television are really beginning to shine on DVD, and just last week, we brought you news of Dennis the Menace - Season One. Well, it hardly ends there! Earlier this week, Brian Ward announced on the Shout! Factory Community forum that Father Knows Best - Season Six is now in production. This is the final season of the series, and brings the series to an end. There is no word on exact details of the set yet, except that it will be a Shout! Select title. And speaking of Dennis the Menace, Stu Shostak, one of the producers of that set, has indicated that there will be some nice special features on that set, including newly recorded interviews. Dennis the Menace - Season One is now available to pre-order on Amazon.com
But that isn't all for the Screen Gems series! We've talked about The Donna Reed Show a few times before on here and developments with that series since Virgil Films and the estate of Donna Reed couldn't come to an agreement regarding releasing seasons 4 and beyond. We mentioned that Donna Reed's daughter, Mary Owen, was working on trying to get the fourth season on DVD, and it appears that is becoming a reality now. Mary Owen has announced on a Facebook page devoted to getting season 4 on DVD that the fourth season will in fact be on DVD in time for Mother's Day from MPI! And, additionally, the fifth season will follow at a later date. But there are still three more seasons after that, and what about those? We honestly have no idea. Sony apparently owns the rights to those episodes, so perhaps some studio could license those episodes from them. Only time will tell what will happen with those episodes, and if they ever make it to DVD.
The Screen Gem series, though, are hardly the only classic series worthy of coming to DVD, and of course, one of TV's biggest stars, Lucille Ball, worked through her own studio, and now, we have an official date for The Lucy Show - The Official Fourth Season! According to the CBS Home Entertainment Facebook page, the set will be released on April 26. No word on the content of the DVDs just yet, but hopefully it will be as good as the first three sets that were released.
After all of this talk about 50s and 60s TV, we forge into the 80s, with a follow up on Growing Pains! It has been four years since we saw Jason, Maggie, Mike, Carol, and Ben on DVD and fans had basically given up hope of seeing them again, until a few months ago when Warner announced in a chat that we would be seeing the second season sometime next year. Well, this week, it was announced that Warner Home Video will be releasing Growing Pains - The Complete Second Season on DVD on April 26! This news is even better because this will be a standard release--not a Warner Archive release. Hopefully, we won't have to wait four more years for the third season, and Warner will "show us that smile again" for seasons 3-7.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (December 21) is a light day for releases, with the highlight being CBS Home Entertainments release of The Andy Griffith Show - 50th Anniversary: The Best of Mayberry, which brings us 17 of the (truly) best episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, along with the movie Return to Mayberry. You can read our review of the set here. Also on Tuesday, we get the third installment of the Star Wars parodies from Family Guy with It's a Trap (also on Blu-ray), as well as the Laugh it Up Fuzzball Trilogy that contains all three parodies (Blu-ray only). Finally, we go into the future with Futurama - Volume 5 (also on Blu-ray). We have not received these titles for review yet. Of course, you can read our reviews of these DVDs and more at our main reviews page.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season
by skees53
Hawaii may seem like the perfect place for surfing and fun in the sun, but don't be fooled. Crime occurs all the time in the island state, and Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) and his team of crime fighters will go to any length to stop it in Hawaii Five-O. The popular crime series aired for 12 seasons on CBS, and made enough of an empire in popular culture to even inspire the current CBS crime drama, Hawaii Five-0. Here is our review of the tenth season of the classic series.
Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season (CBS Home Entertainment, $49.99) brings 24 more episodes of the 1977-1978 series about a team of detectives fighting crime in Hawaii. Headed by Detective Steve McGarrett, the team responds to only the most serious of crimes and will do anything to bring justice to those who have done wrong. And this team will stop at nothing to get their man, putting themselves at risk in each and every episode. This six disc set contains all of the tenth season episodes on DVD.
The season begins with "Up the Rebels," where an Irish terrorist poses as a priest in order to buy bombs in Hawaii to use in his own country. McGarrett is out looking for a missing child (deeply undercover) in "The Cop on the Cover." A rookie cop is framed for corruption in "The Friends of Joey Kalima." In "The Ninth Step," a recovering alcoholic ex-cop turns to McGarrett to make amends. A reporter investigating a sleazy real-estate developer turns up dead in "Shake Hands With the Man in the Moon." What better way to rob a bank in Hawaii than to create a fake tsunami warning? That is what happens in "Tsunami." McGarrett takes a job he'd rather not have in "Tread the King's Shadow."
It could be doctor on doctor murder in "The Big Aloha." It's a big case for the team in "A Short Walk on the Long Shore," but McGarrett may not be able to help due to family business. A philandering congressman is blackmailed in "The Silk Trap." Judging a surfing competition somehow turns into a murder investigation for Danno in "Tall on the Wave." In "When Does the War End?," a Japanese man seeks revenge over his father's treatment in a Japanese internment camp. A man's widow becomes a prime suspect for murder in "A Stranger in the Grave." The season ends with "A Death in the Family," where McGarrett seeks assistance from an organized-crime boss when one of the Five-O team is killed.
The episodes on the set appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Up the Rebels" (49:44)
2. "You Don't See Many Pirates These Days" (49:43)
3. "The Cop on the Cover" (49:40)
4. "The Friends of Joey Kalima" (49:22)
Disc 2:
5. "Descent of the Torches" (49:44)
6. "The Ninth Step" (49:44)
7. "Shake Hands with the Man in the Moon" (49:43)
8. "Deadly Doubles" (49:43)
Disc 3:
9. "Deep Cover" (49:45)
10. "Tsunami" (49:16)
11. "East Wind, Ill Wind" (49:48)
12. "Tread the King's Shadow" (49:44)
Disc 4:
13. "The Big Aloha" (49:28)
14. "A Short Walk On the Long Shore" (49:39)
15. "The Silk Trap" (49:44)
16. "Head to Head" (49:39)
Disc 5:
17. "Tall on the Wave" (49:41)
18. "Angel in Blue" (49:45)
19. "When Does a War End?" (49:44)
20. "Invitation to Murder" (49:40)
Disc 6:
21. "Frozen Assets" (49:43)
22. "My Friend, the Enemy" (49:41)
23. "A Stranger in His Grave" (49:42)
24. "A Death in the Family" (49:45)
The DVD is packaged in a Viva pack this time, but it does have a cardboard sleeve that the case pulls out from on the side. The artwork on both of these cases is the same, and most likely, only the initial pressings will have the cardboard sleeve. The cover art has a large photo of McGarrett along with smaller pictures of other members of the team. On the back, there are episode snapshots along with the basic information about the series. There is no disc artwork aside from the series logo on a gray background, like all other CBS Home Entertainment sets. Each disc (six in total) contains four episodes. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, along with original airdates and a brief synopsis.
The menus are very nicely done, but also very simple. The main menu has a video montage from the episodes with a large picture of McGarrett on it, and options of Episodes and Subtitles. The famous theme song plays in the background. Subtitles allows you to turn on the English subtitles, and selecting episodes takes you to an all text list of episodes on the disc. There is also a Play All option on this menu.
The episodes on the set have fairly decent video and audio quality, which is to be expected since the series was remastered not too long ago. It does show some aging, but it isn't that bad. The audio is presented in mono, which is surprising, since some other series of this era have been remixed in stereo. Still, it is more than adequate. The episodes contain English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
There are no special features on the set, not even the episode commercials that were included on some of the previous sets. It is too bad, because a series like this could really shine with a lot of new special features.
All in all, this is another great standard set of episodes for the series, although it would be nice to see some special features on future sets. I've gotten into this series quite a bit since purchasing some DVDs of it at Big Lots, so I'm still fairly new to the series, but I am impressed. It is much more interesting and thrilling than other similar crime dramas of the same era. Fans of the series (and there are many out there) are sure to be pleased with this set, but others may want to give the show a chance. It really is a great series, and on that note, I say to you... book 'em Danno!
(4/5 stars)
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Hawaii Five-O on TV.com
CSI: Miami - The Eighth Season
by Todd Fuller
CSI: Miami - The Eighth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $62.99) - The Miami team is taken back to its roots when the division's true origins are finally revealed in the memorable kickoff to this must-own season. And history is made again as the Miami, Las Vegas, and New York teams collaborate for the first time to crack open a crime syndicate. Featuring David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn, Jonathan Tigo and Eva La Rue, CSI: Miami's celebrated cast is now joined by Eddie Cibrian and Omar Benson Miller as the newest members of the Miami team. Grab the essential eighth season of this Emmy and People's Choice Award-winning series. Join the team as they defuse a hostage situation and a deadly bacterial outbreak, with new agents and old colleagues joining the fight. And learn just how dark the sun-drenched streets of Miami can get.
This 7-disc set contains all 24 episodes (plus 2 crossover CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY episodes) from the eighth (2009-10) season of the long-running crime drama. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo audo (Spanish Stereo is also available). It has a total running time of approximately 17 hours, 13 minutes. The attractive packaging has a photo of David Caruso on the cover driving a boat and wearing his trademark shades. There is an embossed CSI: Miami logo at the top of the box. After using Digipak packaging for previous seasons, they've switched to a cardboard box that holds a clear plastic snapcase. There is a large photo of David Caruso, smaller photos of Adam Rodriguez and Emily Procter, and even smaller photos of Rex Linn, Omar Miller, Eva La Rue, Jonathan Togo and Eddie Cibrian on the back of the box/snapcase. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are given. There is a clear plastic snapcase that slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The snapcase has the same cover art, photos and information as the cardboard box. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator in the front panel which lists the episodes and the special features on the inside cover. Discs 1-6 are held back-to-back in plastic trays, while Disc 7 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs are just silver, with the CSI: Miami logo on them. Unfortunately, they didn't include the Crime Scene: Do Not Cross tape around the packaging for this release.
The menus are stylish and easy to navigate. There is a series of previews (4:28) for some other CBS DVD/Paramount DVD releases and the CSI: Fatal Conspiracy game which you can play or skip. The main menu opens with some police helicopter views of Miami that lead to a montage of video clips from the show. An instrumental cue from the show plays in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Special Features (on select Discs) and Previews (only on Disc 1). You can choose either English 5.1 Surround or Español audio on the Set Up Menu. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes, but some of the special features are not rated and may not be closed captioned. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. This was the first season they used high definition cameras. Miami has the best scenery of the CSI franchise. There is no disclaimer on the back of the box about any of the episodes possibly being edited. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. Running times are between 41-43 minutes in length.
Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:
Disc 1
Episode 801 "Out of Time" (43:59)
Episode 802 "Hostile Takeover" (43:39)
Episode 803 "Bolt Action" (43:59)
Disc 2
Episode 804 "In Plane Sight" (43:39)
Episode 805 "Bad Seed" (43:29)
Episode 806 "Dude, Where's My Groom" (43:08)
Disc 3
Episode 807 "Bone Voyage" (43:51)
CSI: NY - Episode 607 "Hammer Down" (41:44)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Episode 1008 "The Lost Girls" (44:13)
Episode 808 "Point of Impact" (42:09)
Disc 4
Episode 809 "Kill Clause" (43:58)
Episode 810 "Count Me Out" (42:16)
Episode 811 "Delko for the Defense" (43:28)
Episode 812 "Show Stopper" (42:08)
Disc 5
Episode 813 "Die by the Sword" (42:26)
Episode 814 "In the Wind" (43:59)
Episode 815 "Miami, We Have a Problem" (41:09)
Episode 816 "L.A." (43:48)
Disc 6
Episode 817 "Getting Axed" (42:38)
Episode 818 "Dishonor" (43:06)
Episode 819 "Spring Breakdown" (42:18)
Episode 820 "Backfire" (42:37)
Disc 7
Episode 821 "Meltdown" (41:51)
Episode 822 "Mommie Deadest" (42:57)
Episode 823 "Time Bomb" (43:37)
Episode 824 "All Fall Down" (41:25)
A decent number of special features are spread out over the 7 discs. Once again, there are only 2 audio commentaries on this set like last season. They have really cut back on the number of them from previous seasons for all of the CSI franchise shows. No deleted scenes are included on this release. Notably absent from the special features is David Caruso. The 6 featurettes run about 76 minutes total in length. Here is the breakdown by disc:
Disc 1
Audio Commentary by Director Sam Hill, Visual Effects Supervisor Larry Detwiler, Editor James Wilcox and Location Manager Paul Codiga on "Out of Time"
It's Been Reel: Saying Goodbye to Film (8:21) - This featurette includes interviews with Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Director/Producer Sam Hill, Producer Don Tardino, Camera Operator Bill Gierhart, Director of Photography Ken Glassing, Digital Imaging Technician Ryan DeGrazzio, Department Head Make-Up Cheri Montesanto, Rex Linn, Jonathan Togo, Department Head Hair Scott Williams, and Omar Benson Miller. They talk about the switch this season to shooting with high definition cameras, how some shots are still shot on film, how the cameras are operated, how the make-up and hair changed with the high definition shooting, the lighting and colors, and the future of high definition.
Blast to the Past (13:00) - This featurette includes interviews with Writer Tamara Jaron, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Director/Producer Sam Hill, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn, Set Decorator Megan Malley Cannon, Director of Photography Ken Glassing, Producer Don Tardino, Visual Effects Supervisor (LOLA) Edson Williams, Department Head Make-Up Cheri Montesanto, and Department Head Hair Scott Williams. They talk about the origins of this flashback episode of how the team got together, the challenge of incorporating all of the characters, capturing the 1997 forensics and science, how the sets were changed with filing cabinets and more paperwork, how they made the actors look younger digitally and with make-up, and how Horatio got his sunglasses.
Disc 2
MDPD Files: Jesse Cardoza & Walter Simmons (12:04) - This featurette includes interviews with Jonathan Togo, Producer Don Tardino, Emily Procter, Eddie Cibrian, Writer Tamara Jaron, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Eva La Rue, Director/Visual Effects Supervisor Larry Detwiler, Omar Benson Miller, and Writer Melissa Scrivner. They talk about the new characters of Walter Simmons (Oman Benson Miller) and Jesse Cardoza (Eddie Cibrian), how the characters were introduced and their backgrounds, and the chemistry of the new characters.
Twist of Eight: Season in Review (16:11) - Jonathan Togo, Producer Don Tardino, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Eva La Rue, Adam Rodriguez, Emily Procter, Rex Linn, and Director Rob Zombie. They talk about keeping the show fresh, the emotional side of Horatio, the relationship between Delko and Calleigh, Natalia's hearing loss, how new characters were added, the groundbreaking episodes of the season, guest stars Pau Gasol, Cheryl Ladd, Anthony Michael Hall, and working with Director Rob Zombie.
Disc 3
Leaving Las Vegas: Langston Heads East (23:28) - This featurette was also available on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY releases. It details the triple crossover event. They started out in Miami, moved to New York and finished in Las Vegas. Inteviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fishburne, Co-Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Mark Dube, Director/Producer (CSI: Miami) Sam Hill, David Caruso, Omar Benson Miller, Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Barry O'Brien, Christian Clemenson, Emily Procter, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise.
Bear Necessities (3:17) - This featurette includes interviews with Director/Producer Sam Hill, Bear Trainer Scott Handley, Jonathan Togo, and Omar Benson Miller. They talk about working with the bear and how it cooperated in the episode.
Disc 6
Audio Commentary by Director/Producer Don Tardino, Script Supervisor Claudia Yarmy, Emily Procter and Adam Rodriguez on "Backfire"
Season eight was a season of change. A few characters were brought in that added more humor to the show. Adam Rodriguez missed a number of episode this season while working on other projects. They've tried to keep the show fresh and original. The season eight premiere, "Out of Time," was quite an interesting flashback episode to see how the team was brought together. Other memorable episodes this season included "Bone Voyage" as part of the CSI crossover event, "Show Stopper," "Mommie Deadest," "Time Bomb," and the season finale: "All Fall Down."
This is another very good release. If you've bought the other seasons, you know what to expect with the special features and how the episodes are presented. I'm a big fan of commentaries, so I always hope to see more of them included. This was the first season that was shot in high definition, so it's disappointing that there is no Blu-ray release to go along with the standard DVD. Despite some new characters and innovative episodes, season eight was the lowest rated season of the series. CBS has moved the show to Sunday nights at 10pm. After more than 200 episodes produced, this show is starting to show its age a bit. Viewership has continued to drop on Sunday nights, but I think they probably have at least a few more seasons left.
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4/5 stars)
To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Miami CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Miami TV.com Page
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday is Christmas, but we'll still be here for another edition of Digital Digest regardless. It'll probably be a light news week, but we'll have reviews of some animated DVD sets to bring out the kid in you on Christmas morning. So after you wake up and open your presents, check us out here for the next edition of Digital Digest. Until then, keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
The "Screen Gems" of the golden age of television are really beginning to shine on DVD, and just last week, we brought you news of Dennis the Menace - Season One. Well, it hardly ends there! Earlier this week, Brian Ward announced on the Shout! Factory Community forum that Father Knows Best - Season Six is now in production. This is the final season of the series, and brings the series to an end. There is no word on exact details of the set yet, except that it will be a Shout! Select title. And speaking of Dennis the Menace, Stu Shostak, one of the producers of that set, has indicated that there will be some nice special features on that set, including newly recorded interviews. Dennis the Menace - Season One is now available to pre-order on Amazon.com
But that isn't all for the Screen Gems series! We've talked about The Donna Reed Show a few times before on here and developments with that series since Virgil Films and the estate of Donna Reed couldn't come to an agreement regarding releasing seasons 4 and beyond. We mentioned that Donna Reed's daughter, Mary Owen, was working on trying to get the fourth season on DVD, and it appears that is becoming a reality now. Mary Owen has announced on a Facebook page devoted to getting season 4 on DVD that the fourth season will in fact be on DVD in time for Mother's Day from MPI! And, additionally, the fifth season will follow at a later date. But there are still three more seasons after that, and what about those? We honestly have no idea. Sony apparently owns the rights to those episodes, so perhaps some studio could license those episodes from them. Only time will tell what will happen with those episodes, and if they ever make it to DVD.
The Screen Gem series, though, are hardly the only classic series worthy of coming to DVD, and of course, one of TV's biggest stars, Lucille Ball, worked through her own studio, and now, we have an official date for The Lucy Show - The Official Fourth Season! According to the CBS Home Entertainment Facebook page, the set will be released on April 26. No word on the content of the DVDs just yet, but hopefully it will be as good as the first three sets that were released.
After all of this talk about 50s and 60s TV, we forge into the 80s, with a follow up on Growing Pains! It has been four years since we saw Jason, Maggie, Mike, Carol, and Ben on DVD and fans had basically given up hope of seeing them again, until a few months ago when Warner announced in a chat that we would be seeing the second season sometime next year. Well, this week, it was announced that Warner Home Video will be releasing Growing Pains - The Complete Second Season on DVD on April 26! This news is even better because this will be a standard release--not a Warner Archive release. Hopefully, we won't have to wait four more years for the third season, and Warner will "show us that smile again" for seasons 3-7.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (December 21) is a light day for releases, with the highlight being CBS Home Entertainments release of The Andy Griffith Show - 50th Anniversary: The Best of Mayberry, which brings us 17 of the (truly) best episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, along with the movie Return to Mayberry. You can read our review of the set here. Also on Tuesday, we get the third installment of the Star Wars parodies from Family Guy with It's a Trap (also on Blu-ray), as well as the Laugh it Up Fuzzball Trilogy that contains all three parodies (Blu-ray only). Finally, we go into the future with Futurama - Volume 5 (also on Blu-ray). We have not received these titles for review yet. Of course, you can read our reviews of these DVDs and more at our main reviews page.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season
by skees53
Hawaii may seem like the perfect place for surfing and fun in the sun, but don't be fooled. Crime occurs all the time in the island state, and Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) and his team of crime fighters will go to any length to stop it in Hawaii Five-O. The popular crime series aired for 12 seasons on CBS, and made enough of an empire in popular culture to even inspire the current CBS crime drama, Hawaii Five-0. Here is our review of the tenth season of the classic series.
Hawaii Five-O - The Tenth Season (CBS Home Entertainment, $49.99) brings 24 more episodes of the 1977-1978 series about a team of detectives fighting crime in Hawaii. Headed by Detective Steve McGarrett, the team responds to only the most serious of crimes and will do anything to bring justice to those who have done wrong. And this team will stop at nothing to get their man, putting themselves at risk in each and every episode. This six disc set contains all of the tenth season episodes on DVD.
The season begins with "Up the Rebels," where an Irish terrorist poses as a priest in order to buy bombs in Hawaii to use in his own country. McGarrett is out looking for a missing child (deeply undercover) in "The Cop on the Cover." A rookie cop is framed for corruption in "The Friends of Joey Kalima." In "The Ninth Step," a recovering alcoholic ex-cop turns to McGarrett to make amends. A reporter investigating a sleazy real-estate developer turns up dead in "Shake Hands With the Man in the Moon." What better way to rob a bank in Hawaii than to create a fake tsunami warning? That is what happens in "Tsunami." McGarrett takes a job he'd rather not have in "Tread the King's Shadow."
It could be doctor on doctor murder in "The Big Aloha." It's a big case for the team in "A Short Walk on the Long Shore," but McGarrett may not be able to help due to family business. A philandering congressman is blackmailed in "The Silk Trap." Judging a surfing competition somehow turns into a murder investigation for Danno in "Tall on the Wave." In "When Does the War End?," a Japanese man seeks revenge over his father's treatment in a Japanese internment camp. A man's widow becomes a prime suspect for murder in "A Stranger in the Grave." The season ends with "A Death in the Family," where McGarrett seeks assistance from an organized-crime boss when one of the Five-O team is killed.
The episodes on the set appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Up the Rebels" (49:44)
2. "You Don't See Many Pirates These Days" (49:43)
3. "The Cop on the Cover" (49:40)
4. "The Friends of Joey Kalima" (49:22)
Disc 2:
5. "Descent of the Torches" (49:44)
6. "The Ninth Step" (49:44)
7. "Shake Hands with the Man in the Moon" (49:43)
8. "Deadly Doubles" (49:43)
Disc 3:
9. "Deep Cover" (49:45)
10. "Tsunami" (49:16)
11. "East Wind, Ill Wind" (49:48)
12. "Tread the King's Shadow" (49:44)
Disc 4:
13. "The Big Aloha" (49:28)
14. "A Short Walk On the Long Shore" (49:39)
15. "The Silk Trap" (49:44)
16. "Head to Head" (49:39)
Disc 5:
17. "Tall on the Wave" (49:41)
18. "Angel in Blue" (49:45)
19. "When Does a War End?" (49:44)
20. "Invitation to Murder" (49:40)
Disc 6:
21. "Frozen Assets" (49:43)
22. "My Friend, the Enemy" (49:41)
23. "A Stranger in His Grave" (49:42)
24. "A Death in the Family" (49:45)
The DVD is packaged in a Viva pack this time, but it does have a cardboard sleeve that the case pulls out from on the side. The artwork on both of these cases is the same, and most likely, only the initial pressings will have the cardboard sleeve. The cover art has a large photo of McGarrett along with smaller pictures of other members of the team. On the back, there are episode snapshots along with the basic information about the series. There is no disc artwork aside from the series logo on a gray background, like all other CBS Home Entertainment sets. Each disc (six in total) contains four episodes. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, along with original airdates and a brief synopsis.
The menus are very nicely done, but also very simple. The main menu has a video montage from the episodes with a large picture of McGarrett on it, and options of Episodes and Subtitles. The famous theme song plays in the background. Subtitles allows you to turn on the English subtitles, and selecting episodes takes you to an all text list of episodes on the disc. There is also a Play All option on this menu.
The episodes on the set have fairly decent video and audio quality, which is to be expected since the series was remastered not too long ago. It does show some aging, but it isn't that bad. The audio is presented in mono, which is surprising, since some other series of this era have been remixed in stereo. Still, it is more than adequate. The episodes contain English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
There are no special features on the set, not even the episode commercials that were included on some of the previous sets. It is too bad, because a series like this could really shine with a lot of new special features.
All in all, this is another great standard set of episodes for the series, although it would be nice to see some special features on future sets. I've gotten into this series quite a bit since purchasing some DVDs of it at Big Lots, so I'm still fairly new to the series, but I am impressed. It is much more interesting and thrilling than other similar crime dramas of the same era. Fans of the series (and there are many out there) are sure to be pleased with this set, but others may want to give the show a chance. It really is a great series, and on that note, I say to you... book 'em Danno!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Hawaii Five-O on TV.com
CSI: Miami - The Eighth Season
by Todd Fuller
CSI: Miami - The Eighth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $62.99) - The Miami team is taken back to its roots when the division's true origins are finally revealed in the memorable kickoff to this must-own season. And history is made again as the Miami, Las Vegas, and New York teams collaborate for the first time to crack open a crime syndicate. Featuring David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn, Jonathan Tigo and Eva La Rue, CSI: Miami's celebrated cast is now joined by Eddie Cibrian and Omar Benson Miller as the newest members of the Miami team. Grab the essential eighth season of this Emmy and People's Choice Award-winning series. Join the team as they defuse a hostage situation and a deadly bacterial outbreak, with new agents and old colleagues joining the fight. And learn just how dark the sun-drenched streets of Miami can get.
This 7-disc set contains all 24 episodes (plus 2 crossover CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY episodes) from the eighth (2009-10) season of the long-running crime drama. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo audo (Spanish Stereo is also available). It has a total running time of approximately 17 hours, 13 minutes. The attractive packaging has a photo of David Caruso on the cover driving a boat and wearing his trademark shades. There is an embossed CSI: Miami logo at the top of the box. After using Digipak packaging for previous seasons, they've switched to a cardboard box that holds a clear plastic snapcase. There is a large photo of David Caruso, smaller photos of Adam Rodriguez and Emily Procter, and even smaller photos of Rex Linn, Omar Miller, Eva La Rue, Jonathan Togo and Eddie Cibrian on the back of the box/snapcase. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are given. There is a clear plastic snapcase that slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The snapcase has the same cover art, photos and information as the cardboard box. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator in the front panel which lists the episodes and the special features on the inside cover. Discs 1-6 are held back-to-back in plastic trays, while Disc 7 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs are just silver, with the CSI: Miami logo on them. Unfortunately, they didn't include the Crime Scene: Do Not Cross tape around the packaging for this release.
The menus are stylish and easy to navigate. There is a series of previews (4:28) for some other CBS DVD/Paramount DVD releases and the CSI: Fatal Conspiracy game which you can play or skip. The main menu opens with some police helicopter views of Miami that lead to a montage of video clips from the show. An instrumental cue from the show plays in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Special Features (on select Discs) and Previews (only on Disc 1). You can choose either English 5.1 Surround or Español audio on the Set Up Menu. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes, but some of the special features are not rated and may not be closed captioned. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. This was the first season they used high definition cameras. Miami has the best scenery of the CSI franchise. There is no disclaimer on the back of the box about any of the episodes possibly being edited. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. Running times are between 41-43 minutes in length.
Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:
Disc 1
Episode 801 "Out of Time" (43:59)
Episode 802 "Hostile Takeover" (43:39)
Episode 803 "Bolt Action" (43:59)
Disc 2
Episode 804 "In Plane Sight" (43:39)
Episode 805 "Bad Seed" (43:29)
Episode 806 "Dude, Where's My Groom" (43:08)
Disc 3
Episode 807 "Bone Voyage" (43:51)
CSI: NY - Episode 607 "Hammer Down" (41:44)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Episode 1008 "The Lost Girls" (44:13)
Episode 808 "Point of Impact" (42:09)
Disc 4
Episode 809 "Kill Clause" (43:58)
Episode 810 "Count Me Out" (42:16)
Episode 811 "Delko for the Defense" (43:28)
Episode 812 "Show Stopper" (42:08)
Disc 5
Episode 813 "Die by the Sword" (42:26)
Episode 814 "In the Wind" (43:59)
Episode 815 "Miami, We Have a Problem" (41:09)
Episode 816 "L.A." (43:48)
Disc 6
Episode 817 "Getting Axed" (42:38)
Episode 818 "Dishonor" (43:06)
Episode 819 "Spring Breakdown" (42:18)
Episode 820 "Backfire" (42:37)
Disc 7
Episode 821 "Meltdown" (41:51)
Episode 822 "Mommie Deadest" (42:57)
Episode 823 "Time Bomb" (43:37)
Episode 824 "All Fall Down" (41:25)
A decent number of special features are spread out over the 7 discs. Once again, there are only 2 audio commentaries on this set like last season. They have really cut back on the number of them from previous seasons for all of the CSI franchise shows. No deleted scenes are included on this release. Notably absent from the special features is David Caruso. The 6 featurettes run about 76 minutes total in length. Here is the breakdown by disc:
Disc 1
Audio Commentary by Director Sam Hill, Visual Effects Supervisor Larry Detwiler, Editor James Wilcox and Location Manager Paul Codiga on "Out of Time"
It's Been Reel: Saying Goodbye to Film (8:21) - This featurette includes interviews with Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Director/Producer Sam Hill, Producer Don Tardino, Camera Operator Bill Gierhart, Director of Photography Ken Glassing, Digital Imaging Technician Ryan DeGrazzio, Department Head Make-Up Cheri Montesanto, Rex Linn, Jonathan Togo, Department Head Hair Scott Williams, and Omar Benson Miller. They talk about the switch this season to shooting with high definition cameras, how some shots are still shot on film, how the cameras are operated, how the make-up and hair changed with the high definition shooting, the lighting and colors, and the future of high definition.
Blast to the Past (13:00) - This featurette includes interviews with Writer Tamara Jaron, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Director/Producer Sam Hill, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn, Set Decorator Megan Malley Cannon, Director of Photography Ken Glassing, Producer Don Tardino, Visual Effects Supervisor (LOLA) Edson Williams, Department Head Make-Up Cheri Montesanto, and Department Head Hair Scott Williams. They talk about the origins of this flashback episode of how the team got together, the challenge of incorporating all of the characters, capturing the 1997 forensics and science, how the sets were changed with filing cabinets and more paperwork, how they made the actors look younger digitally and with make-up, and how Horatio got his sunglasses.
Disc 2
MDPD Files: Jesse Cardoza & Walter Simmons (12:04) - This featurette includes interviews with Jonathan Togo, Producer Don Tardino, Emily Procter, Eddie Cibrian, Writer Tamara Jaron, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Eva La Rue, Director/Visual Effects Supervisor Larry Detwiler, Omar Benson Miller, and Writer Melissa Scrivner. They talk about the new characters of Walter Simmons (Oman Benson Miller) and Jesse Cardoza (Eddie Cibrian), how the characters were introduced and their backgrounds, and the chemistry of the new characters.
Twist of Eight: Season in Review (16:11) - Jonathan Togo, Producer Don Tardino, Co-Executive Producer Marc Dube, Co-Executive Producer Barry O'Brien, Eva La Rue, Adam Rodriguez, Emily Procter, Rex Linn, and Director Rob Zombie. They talk about keeping the show fresh, the emotional side of Horatio, the relationship between Delko and Calleigh, Natalia's hearing loss, how new characters were added, the groundbreaking episodes of the season, guest stars Pau Gasol, Cheryl Ladd, Anthony Michael Hall, and working with Director Rob Zombie.
Disc 3
Leaving Las Vegas: Langston Heads East (23:28) - This featurette was also available on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY releases. It details the triple crossover event. They started out in Miami, moved to New York and finished in Las Vegas. Inteviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fishburne, Co-Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Mark Dube, Director/Producer (CSI: Miami) Sam Hill, David Caruso, Omar Benson Miller, Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Barry O'Brien, Christian Clemenson, Emily Procter, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise.
Bear Necessities (3:17) - This featurette includes interviews with Director/Producer Sam Hill, Bear Trainer Scott Handley, Jonathan Togo, and Omar Benson Miller. They talk about working with the bear and how it cooperated in the episode.
Disc 6
Audio Commentary by Director/Producer Don Tardino, Script Supervisor Claudia Yarmy, Emily Procter and Adam Rodriguez on "Backfire"
Season eight was a season of change. A few characters were brought in that added more humor to the show. Adam Rodriguez missed a number of episode this season while working on other projects. They've tried to keep the show fresh and original. The season eight premiere, "Out of Time," was quite an interesting flashback episode to see how the team was brought together. Other memorable episodes this season included "Bone Voyage" as part of the CSI crossover event, "Show Stopper," "Mommie Deadest," "Time Bomb," and the season finale: "All Fall Down."
This is another very good release. If you've bought the other seasons, you know what to expect with the special features and how the episodes are presented. I'm a big fan of commentaries, so I always hope to see more of them included. This was the first season that was shot in high definition, so it's disappointing that there is no Blu-ray release to go along with the standard DVD. Despite some new characters and innovative episodes, season eight was the lowest rated season of the series. CBS has moved the show to Sunday nights at 10pm. After more than 200 episodes produced, this show is starting to show its age a bit. Viewership has continued to drop on Sunday nights, but I think they probably have at least a few more seasons left.
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Miami CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Miami TV.com Page
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday is Christmas, but we'll still be here for another edition of Digital Digest regardless. It'll probably be a light news week, but we'll have reviews of some animated DVD sets to bring out the kid in you on Christmas morning. So after you wake up and open your presents, check us out here for the next edition of Digital Digest. Until then, keep it digital!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, October 27
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "A Long Day's Journey" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After losing his job, Jeremy decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his grandfather, who has purchased a rundown home for the elderly.
The Ms. Pat Show - "A Family Thing" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
enise gets carried away when Kareem plans a special date night; Janelle shares big news with Junebug and Terry's aunt shocks everyone with the truth about his father.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 26)
Tuesday, October 27
- Owen Wilson (Stick) - Catch Owen on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Gabourey Sidibe (Difficult People/The Big C) - Gabourey appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Parker Posey (Search Party/The Return of Jezebel James) - Parker is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Bowen stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Bradley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia and the cast of The Gilded Age are guests on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Tim Daly (Newlyweds/Wings) - Tim discusses Newlyweds on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony talks about We Thought They’d Never Leave on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Andrew Rannells (Nobody Wants This/Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew talks about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Contact Us