Topic: Pete's Pilots

[addicted2dvd]

I actually have a set of Unsolved Mysteries... but it don't include the pilot... but I have...

[Kathy]

The 1959 television series: The Untouchables
Patrick Macnee show: Unexplained Mysteries

I was hoping you would ask for V...Veggie Tales!

[goodguy]

Ultraviolet (UK 1998)
Pretty good vampire mini series that takes the sci-fi route. A bit like Buffy's initiative done right. Don't be fooled by the title, it has nothing to do with that terrible movie.

[addicted2dvd]

Maybe I shouldn't say... but I enjoyed that terrible movie!  Well I haven't watched it in a very long time... so I could be remembering it to be better then it actually was. 

[addicted2dvd]

Everybody Loves Raymond
Standup comedian Ray Romano stars as Ray Barone, a successful sportswriter and devoted husband to Debra (Patricia Heaton, Beethoven) who must deal with his brother and parents, who happen to live across the street. Frank (Peter Boyle, While You Were Sleeping) and Marie(Doris Roberts, Remington Steele) love to meddle in his life, while older brother Robert (Brad Garrett, Suicide Kings) sometimes resents his success. Nevertheless, Ray manages to keep a bight outlook and a sense of humor as he balances his family and work lives.

Pilot
Debra is sick and tired of having Raymond's parents and his brother show up unannounced. With her birthday coming up they try not to let Ray's parents and Robert to come over, so they can have a nice peaceful birthday party.

My Thoughts:
This is a sitcom I always enjoyed. Sure I have seen better... but this one is well worth collecting. It was fun watching the pilot episode again after all these years. The kids really grew int his show. Not to mention you can see quite a bit of difference in Patricia Heaton compared to her new show "The Middle."

My Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

The Facts of Life
A spin-off of the tremendously popular "Diff'rent Strokes," THE FACTS OF LIFE is the hilarious series that follows housemother Mrs. Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) and her mission to instill values in the girls of Eastland School. The large first season cast included John Lawlor, Jenny O'Hara, Lisa Whelchel, Felice Schachter, Julie Piekarski, Kim Fields, Molly Ringwald, Julie Anne Haddock and Mindy Cohn. By the second season, the show focused on Mrs. Garrett and just four Eastland girls - spoiled Blair, gossipy Tootie, wise-cracking Natalie, and newcomer to the group, rebellious Jo (Nancy McKeon). Under Mrs. Garrett's guidance, these four go from wide-eyed school girls to mature young women ... all while learning THE FACTS OF LIFE! Guest stars include the cast of "Diff'rent Strokes," Helen Hunt and Richard Dean Anderson of TV's "MacGyver."

Rough Housing
While new housemother Mrs. Garrett gets a visit from the Drummonds, tomboyish Cindy is nominated to compete against Blair for the title of Harvest Queen.

My Thoughts:
First let me say one thing I hate about this show. The theme song. Everytime I hear that damn thing it is stuck in my head for hours. Though the first season does have a slightly different version that isn't quite as bad for this. And unfortunately Brittany loves this show... and every once in a while I hear her singing this damn song! The first season also has Tootie always on roller skates. I personally prefer this show in the second season on when they lower the numbers of the girls in the house.  But these episodes are fun too. The pilot episode has the cast from Diff'rent Strokes which this show is a spin off from. The episode also has one of the girls struggling with homosexual feelings.

My Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Fear Itself
Terror has a new name: "Fear Itself"! A 13-episode suspence and horror anthology series, "Fear Itself" takes horror to shocking new heights with its mix of mind-bending stories, spine-tingling chills, and top Hollywood talent including acclaimed directors John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV) and Ronnie Yu (Bride of Chucky); actors Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Shiri Appleby (Charlie Wilson's War), Elizabeth Moss ("Mad Men"), Cynthia Watros ("Lost"), Eric Roberts ("Heroes") and John Billingsley ("Star Trek: Enterprise"); and writers Joe Gangemi (Wind Chill, the novel "Inamorata"), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and Dan Knauf ("Carnivale," "Supernatural").

The Sacrifice
Two brothers, Point and Lemon, along with two of their friends, end up stranded at an old fort and slowly discover that the three sisters who reside there are hiding a deadly secret.

My Thoughts:
I am sure it is of no surprise that I enjoyed this episode a lot. Of course I like most shows about vampires. You never really get that good of a look at the creature in this episode... it is always either out of view or the views are so quick that you don't get a good look at him.

My Rating:

NOTE: This episode review taken from my Fear Itself Marathon Thread

[addicted2dvd]

Firefly
Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.

SERENITY - PART 1 & 2
The crew of Serenity is eager to rid themselves of an easily traceable cargo they salvaged from a vessel adrift in space, totally unaware that a passenger has brought an even more dangerous cargo aboard.

My Thoughts:
This is the first time I watched an episode of this show in a long time. I must say... I forgot just how good it was. It is a shame that FOX didn't give this series more of a chance. The story is good and the characters are likable.  This is a show that I blind bought on DVD after a friend recommended it to me. I so easily could continue watching this show... but I want to get further on this marathon right now.

My Rating:

[Rogmeister]

Interestingly, I also did a review of the pilot of Everybody Loves Raymond and that was the first review of my own pilot marathon.  I've only done a few, though, and I need to get back to that.  While I like the series, I thought the kids were the weakest casting...they didn't do much and the twins who played their twin sons were just bad.  I also like The Facts of Life, a show I watched when it originally aired.  Unfortunately, this is an abandoned show as far as DVD goes.  I did recently see a few episodes of the later seasons via Comcast's On-Demand finishing with the opening of their new shop, Over Our Heads.  Unfortunately, it looks like that's it and they're not putting up any further episodes and the ones they had have now expired and are no longer available.  Maybe some cable channel will show it again...but I'm guessing that's unlikely.

[addicted2dvd]

Forever Knight
In 1992, CBS premiered FOREVER KNIGHT, a stylish and sexy television series. An immediate cult sensation, the series chronicled the journeys of Nicholas Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies), an ancient vampire from the thirteenth century living in present-day Toronto.

After centuries of sinful bloodshed, Nicholas Knight has forsaken immortality and is determined to reclaim his humanity. He now spends his nights as a homicide detective with his smug partner, Donald Schanke, fighting the city's most brutal crimes. Joining in Nicholas' quest is Dr. Natalie Lambert, a brilliant forensic scientist, who is inching closer to the cure for his supernatural condition. The master vampire Lucien LaCroix, however, will stop at nothing to ensure that Nicholas remains a vampire. In his darkest moments, Nicholas turns to the lovely vampire Janette, who offers him unconditional loyalty despite her prominent standing in the vampire underworld.

As the stakes get higher and his path to redemption becomes burdened with temptations, Nicholas valiantly sets out to conquer his curse night by night.

The Dark Knight (Part 1)
Nicholas seeks a mystical Mayan jade cupwhich he believes holds the key to becoming human again. The nefarious vampire Lucien LeCroix will stop at nothing to see that Nicholas never obtains this precious relic.

The Dark Knight (Part 2)
A beautiful museum curator becomes involved in Nicholas's search for the elusive Mayan goblet. Her life and the fate of the cup are threatened by the scheming LeCroix.

My Thoughts:
This is a good introduction to the series. It is basically a remake of the TV movie that came before it (Nick Knight) that starred Rick Springfield. This is another series that I have not watched in quite some time. It is another one that I will have to remember to watch again sometime soon.

My Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Frasier
Emmy® Award winner Kelsey Grammer is Frasier - the hilarious psychiatrist first seen on TV's Cheers and subsequently the star of this smash-hit comedy series. Making the move from Boston to his former hometown of Seattle, a newly divorced Dr. Frasier Crane (Grammer) finds himself on the radio airwaves as the host of his own call-in advice show. When he's not dealing with the problems of his troubled listeners, he's embroiled in skirmishes at home involving Marty, his retired police detective father; Daphne, his father's physical therapist; his younger brother (and rival) Niles; and Eddie... his father's devious dog! David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, John Mahoney and Peri Gilpin complete the comedic cast in this award-winning sitcom - one of television's most enduring and funniest series. Enjoy all 24 complete episodes of 'Frasier's very first season in this four-disc collection!

The Good Son
Frasier has his new life in Seattle disrupted after meeting his brother Niles, and ends up with his father, Martin, his dog Eddie and Martin's physical therapist Daphne all moving in to his apartment.

My Thoughts:
I got this set as a gift from my brother. At the time I had never seen it before. When I originally watched it... I went into it a bit worried. For one thing Cheers was, while alright, not a favorite show of mine. And another Frasier was my least favorite character on the show. But I must admit... this show is pretty good. I would rank it right there with Friends. Worth watching... but not something I would go out of my way to watch. Years later (I got this in 2006) and I still only have the one season... but if I could get the sets cheap enough I would pick up some more.

My Rating:

[venomsinner]

I did not even realise that Fraiser was a Cheers spin off, quite interesting really... it was very successful for a spinoff, although I admit I never really liked it.

[addicted2dvd]

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
When a brash street kid from Philly moves to a Left Coast zip code even posher than 90210, cultures are sure to clash. But not to worry. The kid is Will Smith, and he'll have Bel-Air bustin' a move in no time! Smith was already a Grammy-winning rap artist when he shot to acting renown as the smart, wisecracking urban teen who's sent to live with wealthy relatives in an area so exclusive a former President drops in to share some Christmas cheer. This 4-disc DVD collection features lively bonus material plus all 24 Season-One Episodes, from Will's first day at the country club (which one is the fish fork?) to his first day at Bel-Air Prep School (sort of homeboy meets Harvard). When it comes to comedy, Fresh Prince rules!

The Fresh Prince Project
Will comes to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air. Philip isn't too impressed by Will's behavior, especially teaching Ashley to rap and ruining his image with the members of the law firm. Vivian tries to remain neutral in all this. Carlton and Hilary look at Will with disdain.

My Thoughts:
I haven't watched this show in quite a while. So today I am reminded how funny this show is. One of these days I will have to get more season sets in my collection. As of now I only have the first season. This pilot episode is a good introduction to the characters. And I found myself laughing more then once.

My Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Friday the 13th: The Series
Make a Date With Death....
as Friday the 13th - The Series makes its chilling debut on DVD with all 26 wickedly good first-season episodes on 6 discs! When two distant cousins inherit the strange "Curious Goods" antique shop, they soon discover that their deceased uncle paid the ultimate price for the hexed items in the store: his soul was claimed by Satan. Now, it' up to them and an eccentric antiques dealer to find each diabolical item sold from the store before it manifests it's evil powers. Open the door to true terror with the series that's crawling with psychological suspense and spine-tingling mysteries you won't want to miss!

The Inheritance
Distant cousins Ryan Dallion and Micki Foster discover they inherited their uncle's antiques shop, but the place comes with a disturbing curse that will force them to retrieve all the goods they've sold off.

My Thoughts:
This is a series I used to watch all the time years ago. I was so thrilled when I found out the series was finally coming out on DVD. As of right now I have the first 2 seasons on DVD... and hope to complete the series before too long. I know some people didn't like that with the name of the series it had nothing to do with Jason Voorhees. That didn't bother me too much. In this first episode they must track down a cursed doll. I forgot how the cousins didn't care too much for each other in the beginning. Anyway this is a great series... one of my favorites!

My Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Friends
You can never have enough Friends. With this DELUXE 4-DISC SET OF THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE, you have more: each episode contains NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN MOMENTS every fan of Friends will savor. And for all loyal patrons of Central Perk, we've brewed up a fresh pot brimming with BONUS FEATURES. Revisit that first year in which Rachel (JENNIFER ANISTON), Monica (COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE), Phoebe (LISA KUDROW), Joey (MATT LeBLANC), Chandler (MATTHEW PERRY) and Ross (DAVID SCHWIMMER) first charmed audiences worldwide. You'll be in fabulous company.

The Pilot
Monica and the gang introduce Rachel to the “real world” after she leaves her fiancé at the altar.

My Thoughts:
Friends became one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. It is a series I bought as the seasons were released (or shortly after). This pilot episode is a very good introduction to the cast... and had lots of laughs. I must say I never cared much for the Joey character in the beginning... though he did grow on me. Lets see... favorite characters... Male: Chandler Female: Toss up between Monica and Rachel. If I had to choose... I would probably go with Rachel. This pilot is a great introduction to all the characters. And from the start there is a lot of laughs. Especially half the stuff that comes out of Chandler's mouth! 

My Rating: