George Lopez – The Complete 1st & 2nd
Seasons (DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C+
The TV
Sitcom in the U.S. is in true decline.
Gutted out since the 1980s, no wonder only pre-gutted “reality TV” could
be its lobotomized successor. The last
major cycle the U.S. show’s successes have been to give shows to stand-up
comics. Forget about getting good
writers and you can see why the decline happened. George Lopez is one of the comics who got his
own show and it is not as good as a Reba,
but we have seen much worse.
However,
his show had a test run of four episodes that somehow survived the cut-throat
atmosphere of how ugly network TV has become.
Then it continued into a full second season and The Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons have been
conveniently combined by Warner Bros. for this DVD release. The show is still on the air.
Though it
can be amusing, it was never outright funny.
Lopez may be likable and the show has a decent cast, but except for
being different not following the 1950s prototype, I wonder if this will hold
up for fans down the line. Then there is
the approach. The first show has the
daughter writing a note about having a period to get out of a school
project. The idea of that was
unthinkable until maybe the 1970s, but that it is a pre-teen so callously
offers two responses: “no big deal” or
how can they do that with a young person” which shows the problem.
Don’t
care or care and you are an idiot? And
this is a comedy? That is the problem
with the writing on these shows, even one like this that is not as bad. People don’t just talk like this in a banal
manner unless they are uninteresting and banal.
The characters don’t even ask themselves about the exploitation
(sexploitation) of the situation and that just does not gel. Though the show is not filled with such
moments, it epitomizes the throw-away attitude that undermines what could have
easily been a better show. Now, you can
decide for yourself.
The 1.33
X 1 image is what will be one of the last narrow-vision TV situation comedies
we will ever see and it looks softer than expected, but is adequate for this
kind of production, even if this critic does not like it. Though the box says it has surrounds, the
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo plays back better in 2-channels and Pro Logic cuts up
the fidelity. A gag reel and featurette
on Lopez’s idea of comedy are the only extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
