Topic: Never Ending TV Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Scrubs: Season 9 (2009-2010) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
See how the story ends for J.D., Elliot, Turk and the rest of your favourite characters in ABC's Scrubs: The Complete Ninth and Final Season. The heroes of Sacred Heart may have finished their rounds, but the laughs never stop as they mentor a brand-new class of med students!
J.D. returns to teach at Sacred Heart's medical school with the old gang and is surprised to find an impressionable young student has picked up where he left off. Meet Lucy and her classmates, Drew and Cole, as they try to fit in while they do their best to stand out.
Relive every clever and quirky moment of Scrubs' outrageous final season, complete with never-before-seen bloopers, deleted scenes and interviews with the show's cast. Complete your Scrubs collection with The Ninth And Final Season on DVD. It's the best house call you'll ever get!

My Thoughts:
Scrubs has been one of my favourite shows, and when it is on form, it hits the funnybone consistently and hard. Whilst creator Bill Lawrence had good intentions (he said he would rather run the show into the ground and keep his 'family' in work, than cancel the show), this ninth season is just nowhere near the standards to which I have become accustomed. First of all, whilst Turk, Bob and Dr. Cox are still in enough, a lot of the original cast are barely there, like J.D., Elliott and Ted and Carla is nowhere to be seen at all. Ther writing, whilst not bad, isn't up to the level of previous standards and the new cast members just didn't so anything for me, apart from Eliza Coupe as Denise. It could've been worse, but it should've been better. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Simpsons: Season 9 (1997-1998) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
The Simpsons is an animated sitcom about the antics of a dysfunctional family called the Simpsons (surprise surprise). Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the ten year old underachiever (and proud of it), Lisa is the unappreciated eight year old genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant.

My Thoughts:
Widely regarded as the last of the great seasons, season 9 includes some truly memorable moments and some of the best episodes made. My personal favourite episode of all-time is included in this set, "Das Bus", a hilarious take on the fantastic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It includes so many nice little nods, from simple things like Bart using a conch to get everyone together for a meeting, through to the divide of the kids and Milhouse's glasses getting broken. When The Simpsons is on form, it is simply unbeatable for laughs and this is the show at it's best. This season includes some great guest stars including Jay Leno, Janeane Garafolo and Mike Judge. 5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

My Family: Series 7 (2007) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
The Harper family returns for more mayhem in Series 7 of the UK's favorites sitcom. When a mystery man arrives asking for Janey – Susan finally discovers the identity of Kenzo's father. Roger and Abi's marriage announcement gives Susan the idea to renew her marriage vows despite protests from Ben. A death in the dentist's chair is not very good for business, but, as Ben discovers, it isn't very good for your private life either. Michael succeeds in placing the whole family on THE WEAKEST LINK, but Anne Robinson raises more difficult questions than might have been expected!

My Thoughts:
My Family is one of the better BBC family comedies airing, and although the earlier series which include Kris Marshall as eldest son Nick are of much better quality than the more recent series, there is still plenty of laughs. I'm still not a fan of Alfie, and sometimes Roger and Abbie can be a bit tiresome, but thankfully the rapore and dialogue between Ben, Susan, Michael and Janey make up for the weaker characters. The best episode in this series is Susan of Troy in which the family take part in a special episode of The Weakest Link and guest stars Anne Robinson. Some favourite moments from the series include Michael getting drunk before his college interview, Ben finding out his old best friend is now a transexual and Ben representing Susan in court after she shoplifts whilst going through menopause. Far from the best series of the show, but still enjoyable. 3/5

[Najemikon]

  Oh for shame! A more cynical and manipulative pile of crap you are unlikely to find, compared to My Family. Urgh. A real turn off. Sorry, my delivery was wrong. I meant: "a REAL turn OFF" [pause for laughter/double-take grimace at camera]. 

Everyone seems to find Robert Lindsay an amazing actor and I'm duty bound to agree as he comes from Ilkeston, just a few miles from me, but frankly, I don't. I find insufferable.

[samuelrichardscott]

Robert Lindsay is great in this. He's just perfect as the grumpy old get.

[samuelrichardscott]

Family Guy: Season 6 (2006) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Critics agree... of all the animated shows featuring a talking dog and a maniacal baby, Family Guy is certainly one of them!
Join the Griffin clan for another 13 freakin' funny episodes that'll keep you laughing long after the final credits. Witness panicky Peter's first prostate exam; see lovable Lois jump into bed with Bill Clinton; watch miserable Meg get a crappy job at the local superstore; hear crazy Chris sing in a goth band; follow boozing Brian all the way to Iraq and back; and get a rare glimpse of smitten Stewie as he hooks up with a very young old flame. Sweet!

My Thoughts:
I was somebody who was absolutely gutted when Family Guy got cancelled after the first three seasons and after hearing many bad things about the show after it was recommissioned, had kept away from it for quite a while. I've now finished season six and for what it's worth, it is still a top show, full of so many hilarious moments and nods to other television shows and often pushing the boundaries of taste. Sure it isn't as good as it was before cancellation, but the characters are still very lovable, and each have very different characteristics and get plenty of screen time. Got to love the 'gang' also, and out of Cleveland, Joe and Quagmire, I find Joe to have the funniest moments, especially when in conversation with Peter. Recommended. 4.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Simpsons: Season 10 (1998-1999) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
The Simpsons is an animated sitcom about the antics of a dysfunctional family called the Simpsons (surprise surprise). Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the ten year old underachiever (and proud of it), Lisa is the unappreciated eight year old genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant.

My Thoughts:
Season 10 is often talked about as the season of The Simpsons in which the quality of the episodes started to decline, and that is a sentiment I have to agree with. Season 10 isn't as good as 7/8/9 (the best IMO) but it is still very very enjoyable and the slide in quality is very slight, at least during this season. As usual, there are some cracking cameos here, including Stephen Hawking, Ron Howard, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. There isn't really much to say that I haven't for previous seasons really. If you like the show, these episodes are of a high quality, but not the best. 4.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Hippies: The Complete Series (1999) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Ray Purbbs (Simon Pegg) is the editor of 'Mouth', a counterculture magazine which he produces in his flat with the assistance of fellow hippies Alex (Julian Rhind-Tutt) and his "girlfriend" Jill (Sally Phillips).
Includes all six episodes of this cult BBC comedy. Plus "Then and Now" - find out what happened to everybody after the magazine was shut down!

My Thoughts:
I picked up TV show Hippies after I noticed it starred Simon Pegg, an actor whose work generally pleases me. Upon finding out it was created/written by the men that gave us Father Ted, Graham Linehan (also writes The IT Crowd) and Arthur Matthews, and also starred Sally Phillips (Smack the Pony) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (Green Wing), I found I was really drawn to the show and finally ordered. Unfortunately, all of the aforementioned have been involved with far superior British comedies, but that is not to say Hippies is a waste of time. It has a few very funny moments and although the characters were hard to appreciate in the first few episodes, they soon found their feet, with the final episode being the best by far. It's a shame a second series was never made as I'm sure it would have continued to improve, but the six episodes that were made are worth a look, just nothing special. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Big Bang Theory: Season 3 (2009-2010) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Worlds collide in Season 3! A love affair with Penny has opened a big, wide, wonderful world of romance for Leonard. But Sheldon likes the world just the way it was, thank you. All of which makes for a zany comic triangle with brainy, clueless Sheldon and practical, grounded Penny hilariously vying for the role of hypotenuse. This complete 3-Disc, 23-Episode Season 3 Set also features Raj, Howard, tattoos, football, awkward dates, jail time, Stan Lee, a The Lord of the Rings ring and all the fun of a series that only gets better. The Big Bang Theory "has transformed from a cute comedy about eggheads and their hottie neighbour into an addictive ensemble piece that could be this decade's answer to Friends" (Lynette Rice, Entertainment Weekly).

My Thoughts:
In this third season I found that the characters are now starting to settle. I appeciated Howard a little more, though I still feel he is the weak character, and as with previous seasons, the rapore between Penny and Sheldon is what makes the show worth watching. This third season includes a few great cameos including Katie Sackhoff, Stan Lee and of course, Wil Wheaton, who actually appears in a couple of episodes and is very very funny. The scripts were strong and I'm glad they managed to give each character some sort of interesting episode that centres around them. Another thing I noticed is several blasts from the past. Of course we have Darlene from Roseanne a few times in the show, but this season also sees Winnie from The Wonder Years and Blossom from... um... Blossom. I've heard that the quality of the show takes a bit of a dive in season four but so far, I've enjoyed every minute. 4.5/5

[Achim]

Wil Wheton returns in Season 4, IIRC.

Winnie from Wonder Years...? Which episode...?

Season 4 was still great, although it strongly helped that they added a few characters to keep things fresh.

[samuelrichardscott]

Winnie from Wonder Years...? Which episode...?

She plays Abby in 3.12
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1567073/

[samuelrichardscott]

My Family: Series 8 (2008) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Love is in the air in the Harper house, Ben is in love - with an extremely large television; Janey is in love with a new man; and Michael's current love has announced that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Ben and Susan's credit card statement highlights each of their secret vices and an armed robbery at the local bank leads to Ben and Janey being taken hostages. Michael and Alfie investigate the world of internet dating with mixed success and Abi realises her true vocation in life is to become a nun!

My Thoughts:
Series eight came after a couple of weak years and although it is still far from its best it is an improvement on series six and seven. We have quite a bit less of the characters I find lacking; Roger, Abi and Alfie, and in my opinion, that helps the show. Michael has a great episode here which leads to the family being scammed from a 'pregnant' girlfriend but the best episode by far is Let's Not Be Heisty (#8.2) in which both Ben and Janey are caught up in a bank robbery. The robbers are brilliantly played by Pauline Quirke and Perry Benson who I had forgotten still even existed. Shorter than previous series, the seven episodes included here are generally very good. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

My Family: Series 9 (2009) Region 2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Chaos, paranoia and misunderstanding – yes, it's as usual in the Harper household. Ben stands up to – and gets put down by – his old school bully and gets a little jealous as a rich business man falls for Susan – or is that Janey? There are new worries as they discover Michael's seeing a therapist and Ben fails his retraining exam – and, while the family is divided over mean Uncle Norris's inheritance and the acquisistion of a puppy, Ben's delighted to discover he's the inspiration for a wealthy if unhappy, celebrity dentist!

My Thoughts:
Whilst series eight was better than series six/seven, series nine is a true return to form. Finding themselves in ridiculous situations, seven of the nine episodes here are very good, especially the one where Ben decides to stick up against a bully or the one where he must sit a test by Cavitex, the dental company he sold his practice to. The episode which has Susan consider running away with a cameoing John Barrowman (not playing himself) was a little bit of a letdown and the final episode in this set is just a clips show to celebrate 100 episodes but other than that, this series is recommended. 4/5

[Achim]

She plays Abby in 3.12
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1567073/

Thanks!

I didn't recognize her at the time, but looking at the pictures now she actually hasn't really changed all that much. Older, obviously, but the face is pretty much the same.

[samuelrichardscott]

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps: Series 1 & 2 (2001-2002) Region 2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Having fun wasn't hard. It was just finding the right combination of beer, shagging, pies and beer. But in a northern town five twenty-somethings discover that life is getting complicated. When once the only c-word they used was to describe Man Utd fans, now there's couples, commitment and contraception to consider. If they hadn't been in the pub all afternoon, it'd be enough to drive them to drink...

My Thoughts:
After getting into the public eye after playing Anthony in The Royle Family, Ralf Little scored a role in a comedy about a bunch of twentysomethings in Manchester alongside former Hollyoaks stars Will Mellor and Natalie Cassidy and "up and comers" Kathryn Drysdale and Sheridan Smith. Whilst I can think of better people for the cast, it could've been worse and the casting is in line with the mediocrity of everything else to do with the show. The dialogue, whilst often funny, gets boring after a while with the same old schtick each episode, and I found the characters are not particularly likeable. Still, it has "fags, shags and kebabs" appeal that doesn't make it a complete waste of time, and is perhaps best viewed with some mates and some beer. A generous mediocre 3/5.