Several sitcoms have recently released seasons of their shows. Those of us who are older will remember The Partridge Family and The Partridge Family: The Complete Third Season is now available along with DVD sets of three newer shows: Back to You: Season 1, Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fourth Season and 30 Rock: Season 2.
The Partridge Family was about a mother and her five children who become a pop band. The half hour sitcom went for four seasons on ABC from 1970 to 1974 (96 episodes). Each show featured the band performing and The Partridge Family had several hits including the song "I Think I Love You" which reached Number 1 on the charts. The comedy featured Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge, David Cassidy (Keith), Susan Dey (Laurie), Danny Bonaduce (Danny), Jeremy Gelbwaks and Brian Forster (Chris) and Suzanne Crough (Tracy). Playing their manager, Reuben Kincaid, was Dave Madden.
The Partridge Family: The Complete Third Season (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is a 3-disc set containing all 25 episodes from season three. Some of the story lines include Shirley receives "Mother of the Year" Award, Laurie dates a minister, Reuben sells the Partridge's home and Keith is flunking his sex education class in school.
The next three sitcoms I hadn't seen (no, I don't live under a rock) and they were all very funny. I've enjoyed Kelsey Grammer on Cheers and Frasier so I wanted to watch Back to You and I wasn't disappointed. This show about disgraced news anchor Chuck Darling (Grammer) having to return to his old television show in Pittsburg is very funny. In the pilot episode he learns that he had a daughter with his co-anchor, played by Patricia Heaton, ten years earlier. The writing for the show is good and the cast is also very good. Joining Grammer and Heaton are Josh Gad, Ayda Field, Ty Burrell and Fred Willard who is hilarious (and who starred in the 1977 sitcom Fernwood 2-Night). All 17 episodes of this show are available on Back to You: Season 1(Fox Home Entertainment).
Another sitcom that I hadn't seen, until recently, and found funny is Two and a Half Men (Warner Home Video - rated PG). This show has Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), a jingle writer, living in his beach-front house with his brother Alan (Jon Cryer) and his nephew Jake (Angus T. Jones). Non-stop jokes keep the episodes moving along with this show that began in 2003. Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fourth Season is now on DVD. Season four has lots of funny things happening including Charlie fighting with his neighbour - Steven Tyler from Aerosmith.
I'm not sure why I didn't watch 30 Rock until now. It certainly has been a popular show receiving lots of publicity - and awards.
30 Rock (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) is both funny and bizarre. The first episode on the recently released 30 Rock: Season 2 (15 episodes on 2 discs) is "Seinfeldvision" where executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) plans to boost ratings by digitally inserting Jerry Seinfeld into various shows - until Seinfeld finds out about it. Besides Alec Balwin, some of the other regulars include Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski. The list of guest stars in the show's second season are impressive and include (besides Jerry Seinfeld): Rip Torn, Carrie Fisher, David Schwimmer, Edie Falco, Buck Henry, Tim Conway and Matthew Broderick.
There are lots of bonus features including "Tina Hosts SNL".
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