This Set is a Stinky Diaper by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
9/12/2012
Primetime Emmy nominee Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids) and Will Arnett (Arrested Development) star in this smart, irreverent comedy about adjusting to life with a newborn. Reagan (Applegate) and her husband, Chris (Arnett), have long enjoyed partying with their famous talk show host friend, Ava (Rudolph), but their glamorous lives change with the unexpected arrival of their daughter. Follow their wild and relatable journey through parenthood with this three-disc set that includes all 24 Season One episodes and features phenomenal guest stars Jason Lee (My Name is Earl), Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live), Megan Mullally (Will and Grace), and music icons Alanis Morissette and Stevie Nicks. Written and produced by Saturday Night Live veteran Lorne Michaels, this is one show worth staying up for!
Last year we found out my wife was pregnant with our first child, so when I read about Up All Night I was both interested, and scared, to watch it. I've mentioned this many times, but I rarely watch shows when they air, preferring to sit down and watch a season at a time on DVD (or BD), so it's a big deal when I add a show to my (limited) weekly watching schedule, but Up All Night quickly became a show that I looked forward to sitting down to watch on a weekly basis. The characters were good, and while the title of the show would make you assume that all the focus is on raising a child, the show is actually a nice balance of the baby, work, and social lives (aka "life"). Since our son was born on Christmas Day, we've often made references to things that happened in Up All Night, and I was eager to rewatch the season on DVD.
This 3-disc set includes all 24 episodes from the first season:
Disc 1 (2:52:36)
Pilot (22:05)
Cool Neighbors (21:21)
Working Late & Working It (21:34)
New Car (21:30)
Mr. Bob's Toddler Kaleidoscope (21:33)
Birth (21:27)
Parents (21:32)
First Night Away (21:34)
Disc 2 (2:50:40)
Hiring and Firing (21:34)
Week Off (21:31)
First Christmas (21:34)
New Year's Eve (21:14)
Rivals (21:13)
Preschool Auction (21:12)
Day After Valentine's Day (21:11)
Travel Day (21:11)
Disc 3 (2:49:40)
First Birthday (21:11)
New Boss (21:11)
Couple Friends (21:12)
Baby Fever (21:14)
Daddy Daughter Time (21:13)
Letting Go (21:11)
Hey Jealousy (21:15)
The Proposals (21:13)
Video
No surprises here, as the release has a very nice Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) picture. The only issue is suffers from is a little bit of noise here and there. There's a "play all" feature, and a chapter placed after the opening of the show (which is great, because I HATE the opening credits for this show).
Audio
This Dolby Digital 5.1 track is exactly what I expect for a comedy release. It's quite good, with most of the audio coming from the center channel (dialog), while the other speakers offer up a supporting role with sound effects and music. The rear speakers weren't used that often, only kicking in when music was played. Episodes are subtitled in English.
Deleted & Extended Scenes (9:02)
Working Late & Working It (1:45)
Day After Valentine's Day (0:51)
New Boss (1:04)
Daddy Daughter Time (2:25)
Letting Go (1:01)
The Proposals (1:56)
"Basically" Music Video (1:43)
The cheesy music video from the show.
Summary
Okay, I still love the show (minus the opening of the show), but this is a really poor DVD set. The bonus material on here is extremely pathetic. "Deleted & Extended Scenes" from 6 episodes, and one cheesy music video that total less than 11 minutes? Really?! Christina Applegate and Will Arnett are two hilarious actors, yet we don't get a gag reel? How about some commentary tracks? Interviews with the cast and crew? As a fan of the show I'm extremely disappointed in what they delivered on the set; at least the audio and video is good.
Buy this set if you're a fan of the show and want to own the episodes, because the bonus material doesn't make it worth owning at all.
