July 2009 DVD Releases of Comedy TV Series
The State, Pushing Daisies, Monk, and Psych Out This Month
Jun 24, 2009
The summer heat makes a perfect excuse for staying indoors and watching DVDs. Whether viewers prefer to relive another era or enjoy shows from last season, this month’s selection of newly released comedy series provides a mixed bag of entertainment.
From the old comedy classics (The Lucy Show) to the new breed of off-beat humor (Monk), and from wildly different sketch comedy (The State) to traditional sitcoms (Bewitched), July television series on DVD offer a variety of fun choices for TV fans. There’s also another installment of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a unique blend of satire and science fiction.
Here’s a sampling of what’s new this month.
Comedy Television on DVD Available July 7
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XV (1994)
Can watching bad science fiction movies drive someone to madness? That’s the premise behind this quirky series in which a man and his robots are forced to watch these old sci-fi films while offering their satirical commentaries on each one. The movies included on this 15th version include The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy, The Girl In Lovers Lane, Zombie Nightmare, and Racket Girls.
- Starring Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 360 minutes
Comedy Television on DVD Available July 14
The State: The Complete Series
This DVD includes all the thirty-minute episodes from the 1990s MTV sketch comedy show starring an 11-member comedy troupe. The series ran from 1993 through 1995, and helped launch the careers of actors such as Kevin Allison of Reno 911! Miami: The Movie, Michael Ian Black of Reaper, and Robert Ben Garant, who wrote and appeared in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Reno 911! Miami: The Movie.
- Also starring Todd Holoubek, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, David Wain
- Discs: 5
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 514 minutes
Bewitched: The Complete Eighth Season
The final season (fall 1971 through spring 1972) of the comedy series about a good-hearted witch married to a mortal advertising executive. By this time, Dick Sargent had replaced the look-alike actor Dick York as Darrin Stephens, the lovable goof with a real witch for a mother-in-law. Who knew that the long-running series would later inspire the 2005 movie Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell as Samantha and Darrin Stephens?
- Starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead, David White, Erin Murphy, Kasey Rogers
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 677 minutes
Comedy Television on DVD Available July 21
Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season (also on Blu-ray)
A man named Ned has the ability to briefly bring things back to life. From restoring rotten fruit for pies to restoring human life to name the murderer in unsolved cases, he has the magic touch. Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd and The White Contess), who stars as Ned, also has the magic touch with viewers. He was nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmy, and Saturn Award for his performance on the comedy series.
- Also starring Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Jim Dale, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 598 minutes
Monk: Season Seven
Since 2002, this Emmy Award-winning series has been delighting audiences with its eccentric characters. The show concerns an obsessive-compulsive San Francisco detective with more than his share of quirks and phobias. Season seven includes lots of guest stars including Brad Garrett, David Strathaim, Eric McCormack, John Turturro, and Sarah Silverman.
- Starring Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 758 minutes
Psych: The Complete Third Season
Starting in 2006, this series explores the comedic adventures of a fake psychic with a gift for details (James Roday of The Dukes of Hazzard) and his childhood friend (Dule Hill of The West Wing). The two men help police solve crimes using logic and intuition rather than any psychic abilities.
- Also starring Timothy Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Sage Brocklebank, Liam James
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 686 minutes
The Lucy Show: The Official First Season (1962)
- After I Love Lucy came The Lucy Show where the zany redhead Lucille Carmichael (now a widow) moves in with her best friend Vivian Bagley (now divorced) for larger-than-life adventures. Lucille Ball won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series for her role as the wacky mother, friend, and personal assistant to her cranky boss, Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon). Early in his career, director-writer-producer Garry Marshall (The Princess Diaries and Runaway Bride) was a writer for the show.
- Also starring Vivian Vance, Jimmy Garrett, Ralph Hart, Candy Moore
- Discs: 4
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 773 minutes
For more information about these television series, visit Internet Movie Database.
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