SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It has been a busy week of news with Nickelodeon announcing a Rocko's Modern Life TV movie, Hulu announcing some major changes to their service, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

TUESDAY (AUGUST 16) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Lou Grant - The Complete Second Season (DVD, $26.99): The spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show moves forward on DVD in this release.

Who to Follow: Daryl Bartley (Twitter), "CG Artist, Avatar, Power Rangers, Child Actor, Small Wonder, Warren, Dad Jokes"

Claim to Fame: Daryl Bartley was a child actor didn't exactly get a lot of screen time as a child actor, but is very much memorable. He had appearances on Simon & Simon and Buffalo Bill, but his biggest and most memorable role was Small Wonder, where he played Warren Enright, Jamie's friend who always had a crush on Vicki. While his character was one of the more memorable ones on the series, he didn't even make a lot of appearances. He only appeared in six episodes. Luckily for him, though, the child acting phase was just the beginning of bigger and better things. While he is no longer an actor and has not done any TV roles (at least according to IMDb) since his last Small Wonder appearance in 1987 (almost 30 years ago), he found a bigger and better career working in CGI animation and visual effects, and his work can be seen on some of the biggest films in theaters today, such as Twilight, Avatar, Life of Pi, and many others.

Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we've got reviews of Rocko's Modern Life - The Complete Series and Matlock - The Eighth Season. Let's get started!

Laverne and Shirley are "gonna do it" once again on DVD this May! On May 21, CBS will release Laverne & Shirley - The Sixth Season on DVD at a $39.98 MSRP. With this release, the seventh and eighth seasons will still remain to be released, so hopefully we'll see those soon. There is still no word on the remaining seasons of Happy Days or Mork & Mindy (which only has one season to go, yet the most recent release was released over five years ago), but hopefully CBS will get back to those soon.

A few weeks ago, TVShowsOnDVD.com mentioned a listing for Alice - The Complete Third Season appearing on amazon.com, with a release date of February 12. That release didn't happen, but it appears that it will be coming, at least eventually. We have confidence that we'll see this from Warner Archive, and we'll let you know when that happens.

Tuesday (February 26) brings releases of Rocko's Modern Life - The Complete Series and The Client List - The Complete First Season. We have a review of Rocko's Modern Life in this week's Digital Digest, and we'll have The Client List next week.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: Rocko's Modern Life - The Complete Series (Shout! Factory, $29.99)

America's favorite animated wallaby is back on DVD once again... this time, with every episode in one set... in Rocko's Modern Life - The Complete Series! The eight disc set from Shout! Factory compiles all 52 episodes from the entire four season run of the series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1993 until 1996. While it was not one of the biggest Nicktoons ever, it did manage to become a worldwide cult favorite, and was loved by fans of all ages. Now, after releasing the first three seasons, Shout! has decided to place all four seasons in one value-priced collection.

Since this set contains 52 episodes, most containing two segments each, we'll skip on going into a lot of detail on the episodes of the first three seasons. We've already reviewed all of these seasons, and you can check out our reviews of season 1, season 2, and season 3 for details. Since we haven't reviewed season 4 (it has not been yet released individually), we will go into details on those episodes.

Season 4 begins with "With Friends Like These," where Rocko is forced to choose between friends. In "From Here to Maternity," somebody is expecting a bundle of joy. Rocko's former bully stops by in "Wimp on the Barby." Heffer decides to move out in "Mama's Boy." In "Magic Meatball," Ed Bighead begins to make big decisions using a magic 8-Ball. Filbert is suspected of being an alien in "The High Five of Doom." In "Heff in a Handbasket," Heffer sells his soul... just so that he can be on a game show. Rocko gets arrested after ding-dong-ditch gone wrong in "Dumbells." Heffer's mother asks Rocko to teach her how to drive in "Driving Mrs. Wolfe." The series ends with "Floundering Fathers," where the group looks back at the founding fathers of O-Town.

1. "No Pain, No Gain/Who Gives a Buck" (23:28)

2. "Leap Frogs/Bedfellows" (22:27)

3. "Jetscream/Dirty Dog" (23:18)

4. "Keeping Up With the Bigheads/Skidmarks" (23:17)

5. "Power Trip/To Heck and Back" (23:49)

6. "The Good, the Bad, and the Wallaby/Trash-O-Madness" (22:16)

7. "SpitBalls/Popcorn Pandemonium" (23:28)

Season 1/Disc 2:

8. "A Sucker for the Suck-o-Matic/Canned" (24:32)

9. "Carnival Knowledge/Sand in Your Navel" (23:39)

10. "Cabin Fever/Rinse and Spit" (23:58)

11. "Rocko's Happy Sack/Flu-In-U-Enza" (23:21)

12. "Who's For Dinner?/Love Spanked" (24:14)

13. "Clean Lovin'/Unbalanced Load" (22:39)

The packaging for this set is along the lines of the previous season releases, except (of course) in a much thicker package. Essentially, the set packages all of the discs in a DVD case that is twice as thick as a normal case, with four two-sided trays inside. The cover has a photo of Rocko, Filburt, Heffer, and Spunky (new artwork done by creator Joe Murray), with the same photo on the back, along with a series description. Inside, you'll find the eight discs, all of which have the same artwork that was used on the season sets. Unfortunately, this release does not include any episode listings at all.

The menus for this set are identical to all of the previous releases. On the main menu, there is a listing of all of the episodes (you can start with either segment of each episode), along with a Play All option. Any special features are also listed on this main menu as well. The closing theme music plays in the background on the menus. Chapters are placed within each episode.

The video and audio quality on the set is nothing particularly impressive, but it looks fine for an animated series created 20 years ago. You'll find a few defects here and there, but it is nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the episodes. The audio is decent as well, and is very loud and clear. All of the episodes contain closed-captioning.

The set includes all of the special features included on the previous releases, along with one new one. On Season 4/Disc 2, you'll find "Wacky Delly Live 2012" (51:51), which is a 2012 table read of that particular episode in front of a live audience... but really it is much more than that, as there is an interesting Q&A with the cast at the end. This really remind me a lot of those excellent Comic-Con special features found on some of the Family Guy DVD sets. The other special features are the same as what was included on the individual season sets. Season 1, of course, had no special features. Season 2 has "Behind the Characters" shorts (16:11) and the original pilot version of "Trash-O-Madness" (8:09). Finally, Season 3 has "Selected Scenes Commentary by Joe Murray" (30:23).

This is a decent set, but I'm just wondering why Shout! chose to release the series in this manner. It would have been better if they'd just started by releasing this complete series set at the beginning, or released season four before this set. But this method... one that consumers tend to not really like... means that a lot of fans who have bought the first three seasons either have to buy all of them again to get the fourth season, or wait until the separate release comes along. If you haven't bought any of the previous releases, then this set is certainly a good deal and worth picking up. But if you do have those releases, it may be worth just waiting for the season 4 release to come along, as this set doesn't really offer anything new aside from season 4 episodes. In any event, I'm glad to see this series complete on DVD, and encourage everybody who loved the series to own it one way or the other. It really does maintain the charm that it had when it originally aired, and fans young and old are sure to love it.

Blog DVD Review: Matlock - The Eighth Season (CBS, $49.99)

Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) has returned for the defense (and also to help the prosecutor figure out who REALLY did it) in Matlock - The Eighth Season. The next-to-last season of the series, and also the second season to air on ABC (after it moved from NBC in 1992) brings back Matlock, his "partner of the season" (and also daughter) Leanne (Brynne Thayer), and his investigator... another role that had frequent cast changes... Cliff (Daniel Roebuck). This six disc set collects 20 more episodes of the series, where Matlock finds himself entangled with killer comedians, lowly kidnappers, crooked D.A.'s, and more.

The season begins with "The Play," where Matlock plays a detective in a community play... but when a murder occurs, he may not just play a detective anymore. Matlock ends up entangled in a double murder in North Carolina in "The Fatal Seduction." Matlock visits the wife of his first client from 1962... a black cook accused of killing a white sheriff... in "The Diner." Matlock witnesses an argument from his hotel window that turns into something much bigger in "The View." One comedian is accused of killing another in "The Last Laugh," and it is no laughing matter. In "The Capital Offense," Matlock has reached the end of the road on saving a seemingly innocent man from death row. Matlock's client resembles a dead man in "The Haunted." In "The Conspiracy," Matlock defends an attorney charged with killing a fellow lawyer. Matlock takes a trip back to 1932 (and into a murder case) in "Matlock's Bad, Bad, Bad Dream"

Leanne finds herself falling for a client in "The Defendant." In "The Kidnapping," Billy gets kidnapped, and Matlock has only a little time to save his friend's life. Leanne falls victim to a criminal who steals her journal in "The Temptation." A choir member is accused of murder in "The Crook." In "The Murder Game," a murder mystery becomes a bit too real for everybody. Matlock goes up against a powerful D.A. with a deep and dark secret in "Brennen." A P.I.'s daughter takes photos that implicate the wrong man in the murder of a Hollywood mistress in "The P.I." In "The Godfather," Matlock's goddaughter is getting married... but not before the wedding turns into a murder to be solved. A young attorney who idolizes Matlock is forced to turn to Matlock after a shady private investigator is killed in "The Idol."

Given that this is a CBS DVD release, it should come as no surprise that the packaging is exactly the same as all other CBS DVD releases. The discs come packaged in a standard Viva case, and there is a cast photo on the cover. On the back, you'll find another cast photo, along with a brief description of the set. Inside, there are the six discs, each of which have the standard gray CBS DVD artwork. There are also episode titles, descriptions, and airdates printed inside of the case.

The menus for this set are similar to the menus used on the seventh season. The main menu has a still photo of Matlock, along with a few episode snapshots, and a list of all of the episodes. There is also a Play All and Subtitles option. Once you select an episode, you get an episode menu. This menu has a photo snapshot from the episode, and gives you the option of playing the episode or the episodic teaser. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

I'm not really convinced that much has been done as far as trying to make the video quality the best that it can be, but despite that, it really looks decent, and about how one would expect it to look. The picture is a bit soft, but I don't think it'll bother people too much. The audio is decent, but nothing spectacular. Each episode contains English subtitles.

There isn't much in regards to special features, but each episode does include a 30 second teaser, which CBS bills as a special feature. Really, I feel that this is something that should have been included regardless, but I probably shouldn't complain considering that they did include them, at least. These can be accessed from the episode menus.

Once again, CBS has another great set of episodes... but no special features. It is really a shame that they didn't get Andy Griffith to participate in some of the special features on previous releases. That opportunity is now gone, and the most that they could hope to do at this point is to go with archival footage. Still, it is great to see CBS getting close to completing this series on DVD, and after this, there is only one more season to go. I hope (and honestly expect) that we'll see this final season by the end of this year, giving fans once and for all, the opportunity to watch the entire series on home media.

Who to Follow: Bill Cosby (Twitter), "Comedy/Education"

Claim to Fame: Does he REALLY need an introduction? Everybody knows exactly who Bill Cosby is. His earliest days included a starring role on the series I Spy, as well as The Electric Company, but he became really big in the '80s as the star of one of the biggest sitcoms ever, The Cosby Show. Even though he isn't starring in any series right now, he still remains active in life and is nonetheless loved by his fans worldwide.

Why You Should Follow Him: We love Bill Cosby... who doesn't? He has entertained so many generations of fans that you would be hard-pressed to even find a single person who hasn't enjoyed something that he has done at some point in their life. Although he doesn't keep his Twitter feed going at full speed several times a day (or even every week for that matter), he does drop in from time to time to offer nuggets of wisdom about life and to entertain us with his thoughts about sweaters (why not?). Also, he keeps fans updated on what he is doing in life and even responds (with his own breed of humor) to rumors about his death... which, of course, are not even close to the truth.

Pick of the Tweets: "People who try to do very little, do just that." (October 25, 2012)

Welcome to the last Digital Digest of the "official" spring season! We're here once again with all of your usual news (hopefully some of which is true news to you), a look ahead at Tuesday's releases, and reviews! This week, we've got a double feature for reviews (and we will have plenty more double features for the summer months), with reviews of Scandal - The Complete First Season and Rocko's Modern Life - Season Three. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

We absolutely love Warner Archive for always bringing us so much positive news in a time where other studios are bringing gloom and doom when it comes to DVDs, and just this past Tuesday, they treated us to an unexpected surprise (although it was much less of a surprise if you've been reading their Facebook page or our edition of Digital Digest from two weeks ago!) as they released Alice - The Complete First Season (read our review). The good news this month doesn't stop with Alice, though! With the chaos of this sudden release, something else that has been discussed much less is the release of the sixth season of Night Court, which we first told you about in December. We knew it would be coming, but yesterday, we got a very pleasant surprise as Pavan, our reviewer for releases of the series, unexpectedly received a copy of Night Court - The Complete Sixth Season! The set is not slated to be available to order until June 26, but we have it now... so expect a review of the set very soon.

Speaking of Warner Archive, if you buy those Alice DVDs any time in the very near future (and you should, it is a nice collection of episodes), you'll be in for a pleasant surprise once you receive the set. Although it has not exactly been fully acknowledged by Warner Archive, one thing that we noticed in our review copy of the set is that the DVDs definitely did not look like DVD-R media, but rather regular pressed DVDs (i.e. the same type of DVDs available at retailers). It wasn't mentioned in the review, because we weren't really sure about it, but Friday morning, there was a bit of discussion on Home Theater Forum about this same issue. So, last night, after somebody brought the discussion over to the Warner Archive Facebook page, they addressed this matter (though not fully answering exactly why this is happening, but acknowledging that it is indeed happening), stating:

"Your comment earlier today on HTF was fairly accurate. Your wisdom is commendable."

In other words, Warner Archive is now doing a limited run on some of their multi-disc sets as pressed DVDs, which are highly preferred over the standard DVD-R media typically used for MOD offerings! We can confirm that both Alice and the soon-to-be-released Night Court are using pressed discs (for now, at least), and although we did not review the set, apparently Without a Trace - The Complete Third Season is also using pressed DVDs for early orders. Warner Archive has not really addressed why they are doing this, but considering that they are doing this primarily for multi-disc releases, it is likely due to the fact that releases receive the most publicity when they are first announced, and having a supply of pressed DVDs ready to be shipped is preferable (and likely more economically feasible) to burning multiple copies as they are ordered. In any event, we hope that Warner Archive keeps this up, and we would love to see them try to continue this model beyond just the earliest batches!

Believe it or not, we're not completely finished with our Warner Archive news for this week... although our last piece of news falls a bit more under the category of "rumor from those with inside knowledge," and it relates to a release that may come from the regular retail division of Warner Home Video. This week, somebody asked Warner Archive on Facebook if they have any plans for the sitcom Chico and the Man. The short version of their response was that there are no plans for a release, but the longer version... well, just read for yourself:

"This is under consideration for mass-market release, pending resolution of outstanding clearance matters."

Now, we certainly encourage readers to be cautious with that bit of information, because it suggests that the DVDs are most likely not in the physical production phase right now, and a lot can happen between now and an actual release. But the great news here is that the series is under serious consideration, and if it makes it to DVD, it could actually be available from regular retail outlets. Of course, we don't expect an announcement on this any time very soon (and just to be clear, we may never hear an announcement on it if clearance issues are too challenging to clear), but it is great to know that the series is at least on the radar.

Finally last week, we discussed the Sony MOD title Emily's Reasons Why Not - The Complete Series potentially missing an entire episode. It had appeared that a seventh episode existed, "Why Not to Look in Bridal Magazines," which appeared to have aired in some countries... but this episode is not included in the set. However, the online information regarding international airings of this episode were completely incorrect. Upon posting our review, we found out some information relayed directly to an author of an upcoming book of episode guides of short lived series, from series producer Alicia Kirk regarding this "missing episode." Kirk informed the author that the episode was never produced. So, clearly it is very important to not always trust all of the information that you find online... but we hope that you'll trust this information!

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (June 19) is not a particularly exciting day for releases, but there are two releases from Shout! Factory (neither of which we will be reviewing), with Hey Dude - Season Three and The Sarah Silverman Program - The Complete Series. Also, Lionsgate has Tyler Perry's House of Payne - Volume Nine, which we should have a review of soon.

Welcome to Digital Digest! We're back once again on this three day weekend (for some of us) with all of your regular news, a look at next week's releases, our Click of the Week, and as a bonus, we've got not one, but two reviews for you this weekend, with our reviews of Matlock - The Seventh Season and Rocko's Modern Life - Season Two. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

Fans of the '80s series Cagney & Lacey have been dying to see more since MGM's 2007 release of Cagney & Lacey - Season One (The True Beginning), which was actually the second season of the series, but that wait is about to end. TVShowsOnDVD.com has been reporting, and keeping us updated over the past few months, on VEI's plans to release a DVD set of the entire series, including the real first season and pilot movie, hopefully sometime this year. No exact date has been given yet, and details are still very sketchy at this time, so you can't pre-order the series just yet. But if you're just dying to see some Cagney & Lacey now, don't forget that you can catch every episode of the series (including the elusive first season) for free on Hulu. We certainly hope that more classic series will be coming along as well from VEI; there are a few classic Universal drama series which we won't mention (for now) in the rumor mill, and if these series end up becoming official announcements, we'll let you know!

Image is continuing their releases of The Dick Van Dyke Show with another best-of release, and this time it is 20 of Carl Reiner's favorites. The Dick Van Dyke Show - Carl Reiner's Favorites is set for release of May 1 at a $24.98 MSRP. Of course, if you would rather just own the entire series, which is one of the best complete series releases out there, you could just skip this upcoming release and pick up The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (February 21) is another busy day for releases. Shout! Factory has two releases, with their release of Hazel - The Complete Second Season and their Shout! Select release of Simon & Simon - Season Six. You can see our review of Hazel here, and we'll have a review of Simon & Simon soon in Digital Digest. Lionsgate brings new releases of popular Showtime series to DVD and Blu-ray Disc, with Weeds - Season Seven (DVD/Blu-ray) and Nurse Jackie - Season Three (DVD/Blu-ray). Reviews of both of these sets will be forthcoming before Tuesday's release. Fans of Andy Griffith's classic legal drama can enjoy the latest release of Matlock - The Seventh Season, which we have a review of in today's Digital Digest. Finally, Mill Creek brings a little bit of animated fun to DVD with their release of Heathcliff - Season One, Volume One, which brings all of the first 32 episodes of that series to DVD for the first time. We hope to have a review of this set soon.

Matlock is back with Matlock - The Seventh Season, a set containing all fourteen episodes of the 1992-1993 season (the first to air on ABC) in a five disc set. The classic legal drama continues with the classic format of Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) finding the truth and proving his client innocent, despite all odds. This season, his colleague Conrad McMasters (Clarence Gilyard) is back, but he is joined by his daughter and new partner, Leanne (Brynn Thayer) and recent law school graduate Cliff Lewis (Daniel Roebuck).

The season begins with the double-length episode "The Vacation," where a father/daughter road trip makes Matlock the target of a vendetta. In the double-length episode "The Legacy," Matlock's latest investigation leads to a long and complex history of adultery, cover-ups, and family secrets. Matlock defends a widow accused of an accused murderer in "The Ghost." Matlock's special lecture in a law school class about the perfect murder may have had disastrous results in "The Class." In "The Singer," a producer is accused of killing his country singer client. A $250,000 lottery winner returns to town in "The Mark," but he is quickly swindled out of his fortune and you know that always means trouble. Matlock gets to experience law a different way when he has jury duty in "The Juror."

In "The Fortune," Matlock must come to the defense of an eccentric millionaire's nephew when his uncle is murdered. Leanne's ex-husband is accused of murder in "The Debt," but Matlock refuses to defend him--so it is up to his ex-wife to take on the task. Matlock is in trouble after witnessing a convenience store robbery in "The Revenge." In "The Obsession," Matlock can't stop obsessing about his latest case, when while he is in the hospital. Matlock and Leanne are on opposing sides when representing a husband and wife getting a divorce in "The Divorce." Matlock investigates the murder of a former football player and his wife in "The Final Affair." The season ends with "The Competition," where a talented young piano player allegedly commits suicide, except her father doesn't believe it... and neither does Matlock.

As far as I can tell, the episodes are unedited, though I can't be certain. The runtimes as follows:

Disc 1:

1. "The Vacation" (1:33:33)

2. "The Legacy" (1:31:09)

Disc 2:

3. "The Ghost" (46:57)

4. "The Class" (46:59)

5. "The Singer" (46:32)

6. "The Mark" (45:58)

Disc 3:

7. "The Juror" (45:54)

8. "The Fortune" (1:33:02)

9. "The Debt" (46:28)

Disc 4:

10. "The Revenge" (46:58)

11. "The Obsession" (47:30)

12. "The Divorce" (46:50)

Disc 5:

13. "The Final Affair" (1:32:00)

14. "The Competition" (46:56)

Nothing has really changed too much about the packaging on this set from the previous releases, with the release once again using the typical Viva case. The cover art this time has a photo of Matlock and Leanne, his new partner for this season (they always seem to change). On the back, there is a brief description of the season along with another cast photo. Inside the case, you'll find the five discs, which have no artwork aside from the series logo on a gray background. Disc 1 contains two episodes, Disc 2 contains four episodes, Disc 3 contains three episodes, Disc 4 contains three episodes, and Disc 5 contains two episodes. You'll also find a listing of all of the episodes, along with original airdates and brief descriptions, inside the case.

The menus on the set are similar to the previous releases, but there is a slight difference. The main menu has a cast snapshot, and gives you options of Play All, a list of the episodes, and a Subtitles option. When you select an episode, however, it doesn't play immediately. Instead, you go to a menu which gives you the option of playing the episode or watching the episode teaser as originally aired on ABC. This menu has a photo snapshot from the episode as well. Other than that, everything else is the same. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

The video and audio quality of the episodes on this set appear to be a slight step up from the previous releases, which is likely a result of the network change for this season as well as the simple fact that the episodes are newer than the episodes that the previous releases included. It isn't perfect, but it is about how you would expect it to look for a series from the 92-93 season. The episodes are presented in their original full screen format, with English stereo sound. Each episode on the set contains English subtitles.

The episodes on the set look and sound great, without any major problems of concern. The picture is a little soft throughout the set, but it isn't a big deal. The audio is presented in English Surround Sound, with English subtitles available on the episodes.

As a departure from the previous releases, we actually do have one special feature, even though it isn't a huge one... but still one that I've been wanting to see on these releases. For every episode on this set, the original "Next on Matlock" episodic previews are included. These are approximately 35 seconds long per episode. However, they are not attached to the episode as they originally aired. Still, it is great that they included those this time.

I'm not really sure what is left to be said about this series that hasn't been said before. We have another great release of episodes, but still barebones... although the episodic teasers this time were nice. The great thing about this series is how it managed to stay rather consistent throughout the seasons, despite constant cast changes. Many of the episodes on this set were just as great as the previous seasons in my opinion, although some may disagree.

This is basically another standard barebones set (we've become used to that with this series), but I think it is good enough for most fans. This is one of those series that really did stay consistent throughout the entire run, and this season is no better or no worse than any other season, just solid and consistent entertainment. The series found a formula that worked and never had much trouble deviating from that formula, and even with a cast of supporting characters that at times seemed like a revolving door, it maintained consistency. Something has to be said for a series that can pull that off. Perhaps that is why the series, unlike any other legal drama from the same era, continues to air every single day all across the country. Now we just need to wait for the final two seasons to come along. Hopefully we'll get our desired verdict on that soon!

(4/5 stars)

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

Amazon.com

Rocko, Spunky, and Heffer make their triumphant return for 13 more episodes of the "modern cartoon classic" Nickelodeon cartoon Rocko's Modern Life on DVD! Shout! Factory brings us the entire second season of the series to DVD in a two disc set, this time with a few bonus features to go along with it. In this latest release, you can, naturally, follow Rocko and his friends as they go through even more misadventures and the trials and tribulations of his "modern life."

Like many Nicktoons, most of the episodes on this set are presented in two separate segments with completely different adventures, although there are a few exceptions in this set. The first episode in the set, "I Have No Son!," is in fact, on of those exceptions. In this episode, Rocko has to deal with Mr. Bighead's disgust over his son being a cartoonist and not following in his father's footsteps. In "Pipe Dreams," Rocko has to deal with plumbing problems, thanks to Heffer. Mrs. Bighead takes over for her husband at work after he has a nervous breakdown in "She's the Toad." Rocko and Heffer take a road trip full of misadventure in "Road Rash." In "Boob Tubed," Heffer sits too close to the television, which ends with his brain being sucked out of his head. Mr. Bighead's rumors about the Elves ruins Rocko's Christmas party in the full-length episode "Rocko's Modern Christmas." Rocko has to deal with immigration and the possibility of being deported back to Australia in "Kiss Me, I'm Foreign."

Grandpa Wolfe goes on a cruise in the full-length episod "Cruisin'." In "Uniform Behavior," Heffer gets a new job as a security guard. Rocko deals with a bad hair day on a day when he is supposed to pose for a newspaper photograph in "Hair Licked." Rocko organizes a yard sale to pay the pizza guy in "Junk Junkies." In "Frog's Best Friend," Mrs. Bighead adopts the neighborhood's stray dog. Rocko gets some comfort about his short height in "Short Story." The season ends with "Eye Capades," where Rocko's new glasses break just before a big jackhammer competition.

For the most part, the episodes on this set appear to be unedited. Unlike the release of the first season, I didn't notice anything missing from the episodes. Of course, the original theme song from the second season, as performed by The B-52's Fred Schneider's sprechgesang vocal techniques and Kate Pierson's equally amazing voice (I can't think of them without thinking of their well-known song "Love Shack") is intact. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:

1. "I Have No Son!" (23:59)

2. "Pipe Dreams/Tickled Pinky" (24:41)

3. "The Lounge Singer/She's the Toad" (24:08)

4. "Down the Hatch/Road Rash" (24:20)

5. "Boob Tubed/Commuted Sentence" (24:29)

6. "Rocko's Modern Christmas" (23:09)

7. "Hut Sut Raw/Kiss Me, I'm Foreign" (24:27)

Disc 2:

8. "Cruisin'" (22:26)

9. "Born to Spawn/Uniform Behavior" (23:58)

10. "Hair Licked/Gutter Balls" (24:50)

11. "Junk Junkies/Day of the Flecko" (24:07)

12. "Snowballs/Frog's Best Friend" (24:36)

13. "Short Story/Eye Capades" (24:03)

The packaging for the set is similar to the previous release, using a standard DVD case with a tray in the middle to hold one of the discs. The cover art work this time is much better than the artwork for the first season, with custom DVD packaging artwork done by series creator Joe Murray. Inside the case, there is a listing of episodes, along with brief descriptions of all of the episodes. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-7, and Disc 2 contains episodes 8-13 along with the special features.

Just like the packaging, the menus on this set are basically identical to the previous release. The main menu features more artwork (which appears to be more new custom artwork by Murray) along with a listing of all of the episodes on the disc, as well as a Play All option. Disc 2 also has a Bonus Features option. The theme song plays in the background on the menu screens. Each episode has both segments listed, so if you want to start an episode from the second segment, you can do that from the menu. Chapters are placed within the episodes as well.

The video and audio quality on the set varies from episode to episode. By no means do these episodes look "excellent," but I think that the quality is definitely sufficient. The biggest problem with the video is that the colors often look a bit dull and dark, but it isn't a major problem. All of the episodes are presented with closed-captioning for those who require it.

The set does bring a few special features this time, unlike in the previous set. There aren't a whole lot of special features, but what we do have is nice. First, we have "Trash-O-Madness" (8:19), which was the original version of the pilot for the series. As far as I know, this has never been broadcast on television. The animation in this short is much more crude than the rest of the series, and will almost remind you of watching one of the first season episodes of The Simpsons. The other special feature is "Behind the Characters with Joe Murray," a series of features for each character where series creator goes in depth on sketching the characters. We have these for Rocko (3:38), Heffer (4:08), Filburt (2:47), and the Bigheads (5:38). These are very nice to see, although I would have liked to have seen more discussion from Murray about the series. Still, it is very nice to see that he is enthusiastic about the release of the series, and anxious to be part of the DVD releases.

I am pleased with this release of the series, and it is so much fun watching the series again after all of these years. It sometimes seems to be one of the "ignored" Nicktoons compared to other ones from the era, but in my opinion, it was one of (if not THE) best of the Nicktoons. It is just one of those series that can truly appeal to anybody of any age. There are only two more seasons of the series remaining, and I sincerely hope that releases of those sets will be in the works from Shout! Factory sometime soon. In the meantime, these first two sets, even with the edited episodes that the first episode suffered from in a few cases, are worth owning.

(4/5 stars)

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