Going back to the classics looks better and better every day with the writers strike in full swing and very little new original programming on the air. What better place to start than Simon & Simon? It was one of the best shows on TV during the 1980′s. As a child I remember watching the show and always looking forward to it every week. I was only 3 or 4 years old when I originally watched this show. I cannot say I really remember much about it or understood what I was watching at the time, but I loved the show nonetheless. With the release of season one on DVD my love has been rekindled.
The series is a more lighthearted take on the detective genre. A.J. (Parker) and Rick Simon (McRaney) are brothers with little in common other than being related. Together they run their own private investigator service. Many of the early episodes involve the trouble caused by their inexperience. They take on cases they know they should not touch, but do so because of their desperation to make it in a very competitive business. As the season progresses they become more established and work comes easier. They no longer have to take terrible cases just to survive.
Overall the first season is pretty good; although at times feel a bit dated. Most episodes were good and some were not so great. The less than great episodes that stick out most are The Uncivil Servant and Matchmaker. Jerry Stiller playing a crazy guy in The Uncivil Servant is not a stretch. The story of a vengeful I.R.S. agent out to get him is. In Matchmaker the boys work for one of A.J.’s exes. Knowing what trouble she is I find it hard to believe they would mess with no matter the payoff. Most episodes do seem better written than those two examples. It seems as though the writers were not able to fully solidify what the show was all about in the first season. There were hints at how great the show could be, but they were rarely able to hit that mark. The best surprise of this whole set was the inclusion of a bonus episode from season two. The second season has a new theme song and introduction. The writing is also much better and the possibilities of the show were much better executed. It is easily the best episode of the set.
The set itself includes all 13 episodes from season one on four discs. The packaging is sleek and attractive. After you slide the case out it opens up like a book and there are two discs on each side. Very well designed and thought out. It would be nice if more shows were released in the same manner. The extras are a bit more bare bones. There is a featurette about the impact various television programs had on the 80′s culture and a bonus episode from season two was thrown in for good measure. There are no behind the scenes features or interviews with the cast that fans of the show would love to have.
The outlook for a season two release does not look too likely. For whatever reason people did not go out and buy this release, as they should have. As people start to look elsewhere for entertainment during the strike one could hope they will look here and at other classic shows. If the strike lasts long enough maybe this series will be given another shot at life in the DVD market.
August 8, 2009 at 7:36 pm |
Jerry Stiller as in the same Jerry Stiller on King of Queens?
August 11, 2009 at 3:01 am |
That is the one.