JustinCleveland
Senior HTF Member
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Year: 2007
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Discs: 1, 7 episodes
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: None
MSRP: $19.99
Street Date: 27 February 2007
Just in time for the forthcoming “Reno 911!: Miami” Paramount and Comedy Central have released a DVD of some of the best episodes of the shows multi-season run. While I am generally opposed to compilation sets of television shows, this set is an exception because there are very few through narratives in this program and, when watched back-to-back, the show gets repetitive. This set collects seven “most wanted” episodes, of which four I would have selected myself.
For those who are unaware, “Reno 911!” is a fictional “COPS”-style show that follows the Reno, NV Sheriff’s Department and their misadventures. These officers are completely incompetent, their idiocy matched only by the mania of the residents of the Biggest Little City on Earth. The hookers, rednecks, drug addicts, and other denizens are as colorful as you could imagine. The natural hilarity of “COPS” is enhanced by the buffoonery created herein.
The cast and crew behind “The State” have created an excellent new product that is widely accessible and infinitely hilarious. From the sexually-confused Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) to the racist Trudy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney), the black-and-proud Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash) to the rube Travis Junior (Ben Garant), these characters are novel and endearingly original. This collection will get anyone interested in the upcoming movie up-to-speed and will eliminate any learning curve. It is recommended on its own merits as well.
Video:
The 4:3 video transfer looks very good with little if any compression. There isn’t much depth due to the filming method, but the DVD is an accurate representation of the original cable broadcast quality. Grain flattens out the picture a little, but the colors are warm and natural. It looks like there is a little haloing, but it isn’t too obnoxious.
Audio:
The default Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is solid with good highs and lows. The bass response is nice and the audio is crystal-clear.
Extras:
There are a good amount of extras on this single-disc set, though I would have liked to see the commentaries from the original season sets reproduced. The first extra encountered is forced DVD previews for upcoming South Park and Mind of Mencia sets, among others.
“Top 10 Calls” is a greatest-hits compilation of the best bits from the first couple seasons of the show. It’s a clips show. The quality of comparable to the regular episodes.
The musical performance at the, I believe, MTV movie awards is recorded here. A live performance about the stealing of cable, which (I didn’t realize) was worse than murder or rape. The quality is blurry and the audio is pretty flat, but the song is hilarious.
Overall:
I don’t have the time to watch full seasons of this show, so this compilation set is a welcome way to experience a show that routinely cracks me up. The quality is stellar and the price affordable.
