Topic: Tom's TV Pilots marathon

[Tom]

Knight Rider: Season One (2008/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Length: 769 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
An iconic TV classic is back and better than ever in the reinvented, updated and super-charged Knight Rider Season One. From executive producers Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity franchise), David Bartis (The O.C.) and Glen Larson (Battlestar Galactica) comes this action-packed series about the coolest car ever created K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Three Thousand), that's equipped with artificial intelligence capable of hacking into any computer, the weapons system of a jet fighter, and incredible custom body technology that allows it to transform into other vehicles. Relive every Season One episode as an elite team of crime-fighters work with K.I.T.T. (voiced by acting legend Val Kilmer) to track down elusive, hight-tech villains. Presented in uninterrupted Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, you won't want to miss this fast-paced ride to the wild side!


Knight Rider
1.01 Prometheus (Pilot Episode)
Writer: Dave Andron (Writer), Glen A. Larson (Original Characters By)
Director: Steve Shill
Cast: Justin Bruening (Mike), Deanna Russo (Sarah Graiman), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Carrie Rivai), Bruce Davison (Charles Graiman), David Hasselhoff (Michael Knight), Greg Ellis (Welther), Chris Mulkey (Sheriff Ramsey), Wayne Kasserman (Dylan Fass), Jonathan Chase (Kevin), Susan Gibney (Jennifer), Kevin Christy (Belle), Jack Yang (Cross), Kevin Dunigan (Smoke), Jelly Howie (Woman in Bed), Hope Riley (Amber), Leah Fitzpatrick (Sadie), Blake Silver (Dustin Cary), Justin Schaeffers (Stoner Kid), Phil Laak (Poker Pro), Lucas Fleischer (Priest), Matthew J. Cates (Truck Driver), Matt Leonard (Zion), Val Kilmer (K.I.T.T. (voice, uncredited))

I very much enjoyed this pilot episode of the new Knight Rider series. Sadly the rest of the series didn't live up to it. Except towards the end when they retooled the show, it became something I would have liked to see continued.

Rating:

[Tom]

Kujibiki Unbalance: The Collection (2006/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia Anime Works (United States) Length: 375 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, English

Plot:
Chihiro has always had rotten luck in life. But at the prestigious Rikkyouin Academy, where everything is decided by drawn lot, or kujibiki, he finds his luck changing when he draws the lot for student council president. He and his harem of student council candidates undergo a year-long, impossible apprenticeship under the current ruling body, which happens to be led by one of Chihiro's childhood friends. The road to success is filled with zany misadventures, innocent romances, and a wild humor that is sure to please.

Each disc includes an episode of Genshiken!


Kujibiki Unbalance
1.01 Minna, gakkô de odoroku. 7 ten
Writer: Shimoku Kio (Original Material By), Michiko Yokote (Screenwriter)
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Cast: Fujiko Takimoto (Chihiro Enomoto (voice)), Ai Nonaka (Tokino Akiyama (voice)), Ami Koshimizu (Ritsuko K Kettenkrad (voice)), Kumiko Nishihara (Renko Kamishakujii (voice)), Kazuko Kojima (Koyuki Asagiri (voice)), Yukana (Kasumi Kisaragi (voice)), Reiko Takagi (Risa Humvee (voice)), Masayo Kurata (Komaki Asagiri (voice)), Yuko Goto (Kaoruko Yamada (voice)), Yuko Sasamoto (Shinobu Enomoto (voice)), Kayo Sakata (Kujibiki Commission Chairwoman (voice)), Eri Nakao (Kujibiki Commission Member (voice)), Nobuyuki Hiyama (Harunobu Madarame (voice, uncredited)), Kaori Mizuhashi (Chika Ogiue (voice, uncredited))

Kujibiki Unbalance was originally a show-within-a-show on Genshiken. A really over-the-top one at that. Then they made a real anime out of it. Though this is more like an reimagining. Strangely, it would probably have been better, if they made a straight-forward adaption of it.
I mainly bought this this, because it includes bonus episodes for Genshiken, which bridge the first and second season of that series.

Rating:

[Tom]

This covers my Ks.

[Tom]

The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series (1992/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Shout! Factory, Sony Pictures Television (United States) Length: 2097 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

Plot:
At long last, Garry Shandling's comedy series about the twisted inner workings of a late-night talk show comes to DVD...all of it.

Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) is a neurotic late-night talk show host flanked by Artie (Rip Torn), his caustic, foul-mouthed producer, and "Hey Now" Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor), his affection-thirsty sidekick. Off-air it's all train wrecks and egos, but when the lights go down and the theme music kicks in, you get late-night at its finest.

Also starring Linda Doucett, Janeane Garofalo, Penny Johnson, Wallace Langham, Bob Odenkirk, Jeremy Piven, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sarah Silverman, Scott Thompson, and written and produced by Garry Shandling, Peter Tolan and Judd Apatow, The Larry Sanders Show was the hippest TV show...probably ever.


The Larry Sanders Show
1.01 What Have You Done For Me Lately? (AKA Garden Weasel)
Writer: Garry Shandling (Created By), Dennis Klein (Created By), Peter Tolan (Writer)
Director: Ken Kwapis
Cast: Garry Shandling (Larry Sanders), Jeffrey Tambor (Hank Kingsley), Megan Gallagher (Jeannie Sanders), Wallace Langham (Phil), Jeremy Piven (Jerry), Penny Johnson (Beverly), Linda Doucett (Darlene), Janeane Garofalo (Paula), Rip Torn (Arthur), Robert Hays (Himself), Deborah May (Melanie), Sam Whipple), James Karen), Rif Hutton), Harley Venton), Kathy Kinney)

A fun series about the behind the scenes of a daily late-night talk show. With Garry Shandling as the talk show host. I especially love about this series, that it has real-live celebrities as guests parodying themselves.

Rating:

[Tom]

Lateline: The Complete Series (1998/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Paramount Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 417 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

Plot:
Late-night TV news programs get turned on their ear in Lateline, the hilarious sitcom spoofing the stories, talent and upheaval behing the cameras. Based in Washington, D.C., Lateline follows news correspondent Al Freundlich (Al Franken of TV's "Saturday Night Live"), who works side-by-side with an entertaining gang of zany, ambitious and pretentious co-workers. This three-disc collection contains the entire Lateline series — including four never-before-seen episodes. In addition to its winning cast, this comedy series features such guest stars as G. Gordon Liddy, Kathie Lee Gifford, Buddy Hackett, Joan Lunden, Conan O'Brien, Rosemary Clooney, Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Vanessa Williams... and many more. It's time for Lateline — tune in!


Lateline
1.01 Pilot Episode
Writer: Al Franken (Created By), John Markus (Created By), Al Franken (Writer), John Markus (Writer)
Director: Andy Ackerman
Cast: Megyn Price (Gale Ingersoll), Miguel Ferrer (Vic Karp), Catherine Lloyd Burns (Mona), Ajay Naidu (Raji), Sanaa Lathan (Briana), Robert Foxworth (Pearce McKenzie), Al Franken (Al Freundlich), Natasha Pavlovich (Yelena), Zaid Farid (Darryl), Cal Bartlett (Tobacco Spokesman), Bob Glouberman (Prompter Techie), M. Joycelyn Elders (Herself), Candace J. Gingrich (Herself), G. Gordon Liddy (Himself), Ralph Nader (Himself), Laurin Sydney (Herself), Terry Murphy (Herself), Robert Prosky (Boone LeGarde), Dana Carvey (Sen. Crowl Pickens (uncredited))

A short-lived series I haven't watched in a long time. The pilot episode is a really great introduction to the series. The plot is nothing new, but I really liked the execution of it.

Rating:

[Tom]

Life On Mars: Series One (2006/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia Contender Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Length: 487 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
Sam Tyler (John Simm) is an ambitious young detective determined to keep the streets of 21st Century Manchester safe. However, the hunt for a serial killer becomes a personal vendetta when Sam suspects his girlfriend has been kidnapped by the very man he's tracking down.

But after a near fatal car accident, Sam wakes up, dazed and confused, in 1973, struggling to understand what's real. Has he gone back in time? Is he in a coma? Or has he simply gone insane? His new boss is hard-nosed DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), a man who gets results by trusting his gut instinct and using a 'fists first, question later' policy.

Thrown head-first into this new world, Sam faces some of the hardest cases he has ever known. He has no idea why he is in 1973, but maybe if he can work out the reason, he can get home...


Life on Mars
1.01 Episode 1
Writer: Tony Jordan (Created By), Ashley Pharoah (Created By), Matthew Graham (Created By), Matthew Graham (Writer)
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Cast: John Simm (Sam Tyler), Philip Glenister (Gene Hunt), Liz White (Annie Cartwright), Dean Andrews (Ray Carling), Marshall Lancaster (Chris Skelton), Tony Marshall (Nelson), Archie Panjabi (Maya Roy), Sam Hazeldine (Colin Raimes), Henry Cox (Young Lad), Caroline Harding (Raimes' Lawyer), Parvez Qadir (Raimes' Psychiatrist), Orla Cottingham (Raimes' Social Worker), Tom Charnock (Police Officer), Christopher Harper (Neil), Richard Sinnott (TV Presenter), Jane Riley (Dora Keens), Andy Abrahams (Sid), Mags Gannon (Mrs Raimes), Rae Kelly (June), Timothy Platt (Leonard (uncredited))

An interesting premise, but this series just never really clicked with me. This is why I haven't picked up the second series yet.

Rating:

[Tom]

La Linea (2008/Italy) IMDb | Wikipedia (Austria) Length: 297 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

La Linea
1.01 La Linea 1

As a kid I always loved it when I caught one of the short episodes on TV. The first episode is nothing special though.

Rating:

[Tom]

Little Britain: Series One (2003/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia 2 entertain Video (United Kingdom) Length: 225 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
Take a journey round Little Britain and meet all your favourite characters including juvenile delinquent Vicky Pollard ('No but yeah but no'), Daffyd Thomas, who claims to be the only gay in his village, Sebastian Love, the government aide with a mad crush on the Prime Minister, evil FatFighters course leader Marjorie Dawes, rubbish transvestite Emily Howard ('I'm a lady!') And, of course, put-upon helper Lou and his wheelchair-bound friend Andy - but does he really need the wheelchair at all?

This BAFTA award winning show is written by and stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams and also features Anthony Head, the voice of Tom Baker and original music by David Arnold.


Little Britain
1.01 Episode 1
Writer: Matt Lucas (Writer), David Walliams (Writer)
Director: Steve Bendelack
Cast: Matt Lucas (Various), David Walliams (Various), Steve Furst (Various), Paul Putner (Paul), Stephen Aintree (Fat Fighters Taxi Driver), Charubala Chokshi (Meera), Joann Condon (Fat Pat), Evie Garratt (Gran), Sally Hawkins), Siobhan Hayes), Lorraine Hilton), Ruth Jones (Myfanwy), Habib Nasib Nader (Gregory Merchant), Karen Seacombe), Tony Tang (Chinese Waiter), Anthony Head (Prime Minister), Tom Baker (Narrator (voice))

I like the humor of this series. The jokes got tired in the third series, but here it is still great. One of my favorite bits are the Dennis Waterman sketches. Also the prime minister sketches with Anthony Head are fun.

Rating:

[Tom]

Skipping the mini series "A Little Princess". I didn't enjoy it all that much.

[Tom]

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season One (1993/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 1017 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
Share the soaring adventure and romantic fun in this Deluxe 6-Disc DVD Set of 21 first-season episodes, including a Feature-Length Pilot and High-Flying Extras. As DAILY PLANET reporters CLARK KENT and LOIS LANE, Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher clash, cooperate and flirt while chasing the hottest stories in METROPOLIS. The hottest scoop of all is Lois's secret heartthrob, the superhero she doesn't know is Clark's alter ego.


Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Jerry Siegel (Original Characters By), Joe Shuster (Original Characters By), Deborah Joy Levine (Writer)
Director: Robert Butler
Cast: Dean Cain (Clark Kent/Superman), Teri Hatcher (Lois Lane), Lane Smith (Perry White), Michael Landes (Jimmy Olsen), Tracy Scoggins (Catherine Grant), Elizabeth Barondes (Lucy Lane), John Shea (Lex Luthor), K Callan (Martha Kent), Eddie Jones (Jonathan Kent), Kenneth Tigar (Dr. Platt), Mel Winkler (Henderson), Kim Johnston Ulrich (Dr. Antoinette Baines), Maggie Blye (Mrs. Platt), Lindsay Berkowitz (Amy Platt), Gloria LeRoy (Beatrice), Shaun Toub (Asabi), Jean Montanti (Newspaper Worker), Persis Khambatta (Chairperson), Clyde Kusatsu (Public Affairs Officer), Mimi Maynard (Launch Commander), Gerry Black (Head Colonist), Gregory Millar (Homeless Man), Kamala Dawson (Carmen Alvarado), Jim Wise (Man #1), Greg Collins (Man #2), Sean Moran (Man #3), Robert Rothwell (Security Guard), Lee Weaver (Supervisor), David Fury (Cop), Anne Wyndham (Reporter #2), Yolanda Gaskins (TV Announcer), Christopher Darga (Man with binoculars), Timi Prulhiere (Soap Opera Actress), Scott McCray (Soap Opera Actor), Marco Hernandez (Worker), Jerry Hauck (Reporter #1), Georgy Paull (Elderly Woman), Adrian Ricard (Older Woman), Mark Frazer (Young Technician)

This series is my favorite TV series from the mid-90s. I watched it a lot at the time. I had a lot of episodes taped and used to watch them again and again.
The pilot is good. Though this series hasn't aged that well.

Rating:

[Tom]

Loriot - Sein großes Sketch-Archiv (1976/Germany) IMDb Warner Home Video (Germany) Length: 335 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 1 Subtitles: German

Loriot
1.01 Loriot 1

Loriot was a very important comedian with huge influence.

From Wikipedia: "Loriot's enormous popularity, his accurate language, and high-brow sense of comedy led to the adoption of a large number of phrases and inventions from the series’s sketches into German common knowledge and everyday speech."

I always enjoyed watching him. His movie "Pappa Ante Portas" is probably my favorite of his.

Rating:

[Tom]

Skipping the mini series "The Lost Room". Still haven't watched it yet.

[DJ Doena]

It's your fault, really:

[Tom]

I feared it, when I saw it in the whatyagot thread   
Does your release also have the episode "Married" as a bonus?

[DJ Doena]

Yes it does. The first season is also on it's way.