Son Of The Beach – Volume Two (Shout! Factory DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Main Program: C+

 

 

I always understood the appeal of the Howard Stern-produced Son Of The Beach comedy series, but was not as impressed as some where with its humor.  For every chuckle and occasional laugh, the show was often as predictable as it was obvious, but it was a hit for him and FOX, so Shout! Factory has issued it on DVD in a Volume Two set (must have missed the first) in what amounts to a sly send-up of Baywatch.

 

This version has out of shape Notch Johnson leading a lifeguard team of very hot women, a few not as impressive and a dumb, muscle-bound oaf (Roland Kickinger) as an Arnold Schwarzenegger-sounding guy who is clueless beyond belief.  It is now additionally amusing as the actor has been cast in Schwarzenegger’s place in McG’s new Terminator film; the fourth and counting.  We’ll see if that backfires.

 

This set has 21 shows over three DVDs and guest appearances by Lee Majors, Bill Maher, David Arquette, C. Thomas Howell, Jason Alexander, Vincent Pastore, Alan Thicke, Gilbert Gottfried and the infamous Joey Buttafuoco among others.  The show can be watchable, but a little can go a long way unless you are a really big fan.  I can’t say this is a classic of any kind, but at least I’ll give it credit that it was not as dumb as most sitcoms of its time.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is a bit soft with its film reprocessed in the analog video realm to add titles and other items, but these copies are a generation down, making the sunny days look less sunny.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is simple at best and not bad, but nothing memorable either.  Extras include new intro by Johnson, sexy montage highlights, cast audition tapes, table script reads, commentaries by the series’ creator and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo