Murder One – The Complete First Season
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: B-
Steven Bochco tried.
Like the underrated Brooklyn South (reviewed elsewhere on this
site) lasting only a single season, Murder One also did not last as long
as it should have. What on one knew at
the time the show went into production is that “reality TV” and soap opera-like
coverage by the “legitimate” media of trials like O.J. Simpson’s double murder
case killed the show before it got a chance to get off the ground. Now, the DVD collection of The Complete
First Season will give the show the fresh new chance it deserves.
The twist of the show is instead of the whole case being
wrapped up in one show or a mini-series of them, Murder One would take
the entire season to solve a single case.
Had the show come out just one season before 1995-1996, it would have
been seen as just ahead of its time.
Considering four seasons and counting of 24 (also reviewed on
this site) takes an entire season to do one day of a case, it deserves more
credit. The case here involves the
killing of a young woman, but whether it is the rich and respectable Richard
Cross (Stanley Tucci) or hot new Hollywood star Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick, from
those silly Iron Eagle movies) is the question. There is even a connection, and unraveling
it will not be easy. It’s indictment of
wealth and power was right on time, but too many were more content with the
real-life horror show the networks did and missed a fine show.
The episodes are only divided as “chapters” and that
equals 23 hour-long formatted for commercial TV shows here. The mystery part is shaky at times, but it
is still well written, paced, directed and has a fine cast. Subplots are worked in differently, and they
help, though a bit of soap opera-like in a few parts. Top lawyer Ted Hoffman (Daniel Benzali holding his own in the
lead) will have a professional experience he’ll never forget. He may not know who did it or who he will
have to defend, but finding the murderer of a 15-year-old girl will keep him
just focused enough to hopefully see it through. Once you start watching, you will also want to see it though.
The full frame 1.33 x 1 image is from good source material
that is color consistent, if not extraordinary, but had the usual limits most
such programming will have on DVD. It
is shot well enough and has a style slightly different from Bochco’s other
dramas, in that it is just a bit more like a police detective procedural than usual. That means the camera is not as jumpy or
slightly stylized. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic surrounds that are in their original English, plus
French and Spanish dubs. The mixes are
a bit more naturalistic than usual in the decoding, which makes watching the
shows a more pleasant, involving experience.
Extras are few, but includes actor Gedrick exceptionally observant on
the Chapter 8 episode, director Randy Zisk very informative on the 15th
and a single featurette: Making The Case: Season One program on the
sixth disc. This runs about 26 minutes
long and has a chapter stop in the middle.
All six DVDs are in three single slender cases. The case it comes in has a faux zipper
around it, as if it were a body bag, but you might initially mistake it for the
Andy Warhol cover of The Rolling Stone’s classic album Sticky Fingers. Warhol would have likely got a kick out of
that.
- Nicholas Sheffo
