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THE EPITAPH VOL. 73
THE COMPLETE TV SERIES EDITION!
THE EXPANSE: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2015-2022) - LEAVE IT TO BEAVER: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1957-1963) - THE ODD COUPLE: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1970-1975)
THE EXPANSE - THE COMPLETE SERIES (2015-2022)
Label: Universal Studio
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 47 Hours 8 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Cast: Thomas Jane, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar
The Expanse: The Complete Series arrives on a 15-disc Blu-ray set collecting all six seasons of the sci-fi show, set 200 years in the future humanity has colonized space, and there are three governing powers are the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA). As the series opens Earth, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt are on the brink of war, and an investigation into one woman's disappearance opens up a storyline about a bioweapon that threatens to alter the course of human evolution. I am only a few episodes into the first season but I am good and hooked, we have a solid science fiction setting and premise, interesting characters, intergalactic suspense and plenty of dazzling eye candy. The HD image of the Blu-rays is top-notch and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 sizzles, far surpassing the streaming versions I have sampled. There are also quite a few extras tucked away on each season. Each of the six season comes housed in their own keepcases housed inside a pretty flimsy side-loading slipcover. The reverse side of the wrap lists the episodes with a synopsis of each episode and the extras.
Special Features:
- The Powerful Women of The Expanse
- A New World on Mars
- Twitter Segment; Round Table Talks
- After Show Episodes
- Deleted Scenes
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 100 Hours 2 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Cast: Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Ken Osmond
Leave It to Beaver - The Complete Series arrives on a 30-disc set from Universal, collecting all 234 episodes of this beloved golden age of TV sitcom about the quintessential sitcom family and the adventures of father Ward, mother June, and their sons Wally, and young Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver. I remember my dad watching re-runs of it when I was a kid and getting me to watch along with him, and while I struggled at first to get into a black and white sitcom that seemed ancient to me in the 80's there's sitcom magic in this series that transcends time. Sure, it's a bit sanitized and chaste by current standard (even in the 80's it was dated), presenting an idealized version of midwestern life in the 50's. The themes of school crushes, moral lessons, family bonds and navigating life from a child's perspective will forever be timeless and relatable. Previously issued on DVD from Shout! Factory I love that Universal saw fit to release the entire series on Blu-ray, that this classic slice of sitcom history has been fully restored with uncompressed audio and preserved for future generations to enjoy. The 30-disc set looks terrific, grain is generally quite nicely resolved though there are dips in quality from time to time, but I was quite pleased with how fresh these scans look for this fifty-year old TV sitcom, plus we get uncompressed audio and subtitles. The only extras is the Unaired Pilots: It's A Small World, but that's no small thing either. All six seasons get their own individual keepcases containing five discs in each season, which average out to about eight episodes a disc. The reverse side of the wraps have an episode guide.
Special Features:
- Unaired Pilot: It's A Small World
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THE ODD COUPLE - THE COMPLETE SERIES (1970-1975) 15-Disc Blu-ray Set
Label: CBS/Paramount
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 2928 min
Audio: English Mono DTS HD-Master Audio with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Directors: Jerry Paris, Garry Marshall, Jerry Belson, Jack Donohue, Mel Ferber, Bob Birnbaum, Hal Cooper, George Marshall, Alex March, Jerry Paris
Cast: Tony Randall, Jack Klugman, Al Molinaro, Larry Gelman, Monica Evans, Pamelyn Ferdin, Janis Hansen, Ryan McDonald, Carole Shelley, Gary Walberg
All five seasons of the Emmy-nominated comedy series The Odd Couple are now available on Blu-ray, the series follows the antics of two middle-aged divorced men living together in a small New York City apartment, a precursor to popular apartment/roommate comedies series like Laverne & Shirley, Three's Comedy, Bosom Buddies, Golden Girls, Friends, Big Bang Theory, New Girl and Only Murders in the Apartment. The Odd Couple was a show that I would watch with my mom when it was in re-runs int the late 70's when I was knee high to a fly, curled up on the floor watching TV with my mom, those were good times. Based on Neil Simon's 1965 play The Odd Couple which evolved into a feature film in 1969 starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon, and then a five season run as a hit TV show, which is how I first encountered the story, starring Tony Randall (Scavenger Hunt) as Felix and Jack Klugman (Two-Minute Warning) as Oscar, a pair of mismatched divorcees who share Oscar's Manhattan apartment. Felix is a prissy photographer while Oscar is an uncouth cigar chomping' sport writer, they mix like battery acid and Evian water, and the pairing is pure 70's TV comedy gold. The polarity of thir personalities is a never ending gift to situational comedies, and while both went onto star in other series to varying degrees this classic pairing was never again equaled. Having these restored on Blu-ray with uncompressed audio with optional English subtitles is great news for golden age TV junkies, personally I never thought we'd see more than the previously released DVD editions, so kudos to CBS/Paramount for allowing me to relive by youth with this classic show in HD! It's so very early 70's, revisiting the fashions and decor, not to mention the TV series soundtrack (and canned laugh track) really made me feel like a kid again and that sort of nostalgia is priceless. The 5-season 15-disc set arrives housed inside a slipcase, inside the five seasons each get a dedicated keepcase housing three discs per season, averaging out to about 7- episodes per disc. Of note, these are the same edited for music versions that appeared on the DVD sets, and it does not include the 1993 reunion TV movie.
Special Features:
- Audio Intros by Garry Marshall
- Audio Commentaries on Select Episodes
- The Mike Douglas Show with Tony Randall
- Series Promos
- Jack Klugman on the Mike Douglass Show (1970)
- Jack Klugman's Book Tour Home Videos
- Tony and Jack on stage in "The Odd Couple" (1993)
- Emmy Presentation - Jack Klugman - Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role In A Comedy Series (1970)
- Gag Reel