10 Items Or Less – The Complete First & Second Seasons (Sony DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Episodes: C

 

 

So many sitcoms have been so bad for so long that I have lost count, but along with Big Bang Theory, 10 Items Or Less is actually a show on the comedy track.  Except for the lame laugh track, the show is not bad and has this amusing set up where Leslie (John Lehr, a co-creator of the show) was intent on showing his father how successful he could be by making it in New York City, only for his father to pass away unexpectedly and comes back to Ohio to take over the mom & pop grocery store his father left behind.

 

The angle of a mom and pop surviving monopolistic chain stores in itself offers much humor potential and the show takes advantage of some of that, but these shorts, Complete First & Second Seasons (five and eight half-hours respectively) only offer so much time to develop anything and though I am not suggesting the show be expanded to an hour, that would not hurt.  As it stands, they could have a bigger hit if now that everything has been established, move into challenging new territory while upping the humor.  The unknown supporting cast is good and they have chemistry, so they need to capitalize on this with richer stories and deeper overall development.

 

The show does get funnier with the second season, so they are on the right track, but is still holding back more than I would like.  This leaves the good ideas in each episode unmined to their limit and that makes these shows less memorable than they should be.  Still, I smiled often, if not laughed all the time and you might find these at least as amusing since they are smartly written and directed.  The third season may be its last, but we were unsure as of this posting.  If the DVD does well, it will give it a second wind and if the makers are under aid pressure to survive, this could turn out to be one of the few good sitcoms of its time in the long run.  In the meantime, give this show a look.

 

The 1.78 X 1 image has some motion blur and some detail issues, but even with the usual flat sitcom lighting, is one of the best-looking sitcoms we have seen of the current crop.  Wonder how Blu-ray would improve this?  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (without Pro Logic surrounds) on the first season and Dolby 5.0 on the second are not bad at all, but are dialogue/joke-based and only go so far sonically.  However, this is well-recorded without being harsh or shrill, unlike too many TV shows in general.  Extras include Notes From The Casting Couch, Internet Viral Videos promoting the show, a behind-the-scenes featurette and “Coffee Break” Bloopers Reel.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo