Written by: Chuck at 5:31 pm
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Frasier is one of those shows that everyone has heard of at least in passing. You probably have to live under a rock to not be familiar with the show. Even if you haven’t seen it you still may be somewhat familiar with Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) if you used to watch the hit show Cheers.
Frasier was the popular Boston psychologist who would frequent the bar with his wife (ex-wife on Frasier) Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth). After the show ended, Frasier was such a popular character, he was able to pack his bags and move to a new town and a new show.
Over the years, I have watched Frasier on and off. Despite not being a loyal viewer, I always had a great time watching the show. It was hard not to laugh at the antics of the characters and their various personality differences. Back when it was running on the air, it was one of the most popular 30 minutes on television.
Having lasted eleven seasons, now with the release of its tenth season, almost the entire series has been released on DVD. Naturally, fans are clamoring to get their hands on this set. Since I had the chance to watch the entire set recently, it’s easy to see why people are in such a rush to get their hands on season ten. It’s a completely entertaining series and offers plenty of laughs throughout the four discs and 24 episodes.
Release Information:
Frasier dominated the television airways from 1993 until the year it ended in 2004. This great show has had the first nine seasons released on DVD already and now the tenth season was finally released on December 11, 2007. Paramount Home Video offers a slightly edited version according to the cover on the box set. This set includes four discs in standard plastic covers and a cardboard box to hold everything together. You can purchase Frasier just about anywhere, which should stand for all seasons of this hit show. Season ten is available at Amazon for $29.99 with free shipping.
The Frasier Plot
Season ten of Frasier offers plenty of confrontations in the Crane household and in their personal lives. As funny as ever, Frasier spares no expense at making the characters dynamic and neurotic enough to fuel one hundred stories. This season offers the return of Lilith who has come home because she wants to have another baby with Frasier. In the meantime, the entire staff of KACL ends up in attending sexual harassment seminars because of a confrontation between Frasier and a stock market analyst.
In other episodes, Martin (John Mahoney) decides to run for president of the board of the condominium and everyone wants in on the wedding of Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) so they go for another marriage, one of many that everyone can get in on.
While this season of Frasier was not as popular, slipping to near 30 in the ratings, the show was still well received. The dynamics of the show were entertaining enough to see John Mahoney and David Hyde Pierce get Emmy nods for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, among other more technical award nods. There were several guest stars that were littered throughout the season, making things more interesting. Some notable mentions in season ten include Zooey Deschanel, Bebe Neuwirth, Dean Cain, Bob Hoskins, Dr. Phil McGraw, Laura Linney, David Ogden Stiers, Elvis Costello, and Alan Cumming amongst other special guest celebrities.
There were many memorable and funny episodes this season. Niles’ toothache and the dentist’s reaction to it is amusing in the first part of “Bristle While You Work”. In “Fraternal Schwinns”, a bike-a-thon is held for AIDS patients by KACL. While those are some of my favorite episodes, some other good ones include “Star Mitzvah”, “Rooms with a View”, “Daphne Does Dinner”, and “Roe to Perdition”.
Despite the cardboard box, which is standard in DVD sets like this, the cover is incredibly stylish. The set is a dark green and the cover has a picture of the major players on Frasier. The set comes with 24 episodes on four discs. I immediately noticed that the word “complete” was nowhere in this set. On the box, you will notice a note about the episodes being edited from the original versions. I did not see many of these episodes when they originally aired so I cannot tell you how edited they have been. However, a Frasier purist may be unhappy with the changes that have been made here.
All in all, the episodes in this not so complete set of Frasier offer some comic relief and end up being worth the watch. How much you like these, if you have seen them all, will vary from person to person, but upon my first time viewing them, they are worth viewing.
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Audio/Visual:
The audio and video quality of Frasier stacks up pretty well on this box set. The video has a compression ratio of 1.33:1 with full frame color. Overall, the quality here is absolutely excellent. There is no grain and the color is sharp. The quality is comparable or even better to what you would have seen on television. The audio is available in Dolby 2.0 Digital English. I had no real complaints with the audio. I could hear things just fine and no volume adjustments were necessary.
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Bonus Features:
There are no bonus features on this set of Frasier. While it is surprising to see that a show that is as recent as this one has no features, previous versions have had them. I am assuming the lack of features comes from the length of the series and the lack of necessity when it comes to repetition. The lack of features didn’t bother me, but if you like them you might notice that other than the episodes you will have nothing there to watch.
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Bottom Line:
This season of Frasier offered plenty of laughs. If you are new to the show, you will want to pick up earlier seasons to catch up with everything. As a sitcom, you could watch this and pick up on it without much of a problem. However, many of the earlier seasons were even funnier, so they are a great place to start. As for this season, fans will want to pick this one up. Though some episodes are edited, they are still funny and are definitely worth the money.
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Technorati Tags: Frasier, Comedy, Box Set, Television Show, Kelsey Grammer, DVD Review
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Written by Chuck - Visit Website
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I am a Southerner, proud and true. At 37 years old, I've learned enough of life's lessons to know that nothing is as it seems in the beginning. I live in South Carolina with my dog, Big Blue and my son, Hunter. I enjoy watching NASCAR, writing short stories, riding on my ATV, and a drinking a cold beer with friends in front of the television.
