Amazon.com

It was a short but sweet fifth season for Sex and the City, as HBO's resident comediennes found themselves affected by forces beyond their control--the pregnancies of both Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda). A truncated shooting schedule to accommodate the actresses forced this season to be reduced to a mere eight episodes, and indeed, you can tell both actresses are expecting. (Carrie's wardrobe became more outlandish and more concealing than usual.) Still, the actresses and creators forged ahead, creating a handful of episodes that if short in content were long on emotion and laughs. Whereas the fourth season found all four grappling with various relationships, the fifth season focused on the perils of being single, with a new intensity lacking in the previous sexcapades. Carrie and Miranda wrestled with their solitary lifestyles, albeit with new attachments--Miranda had new baby Brady and single motherhood, while Carrie found herself in the world of publishing as the author of a real-life book of her columns. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) wondered if she'd ever find another man, while Samantha (Kim Cattrall) finally got rid of the one that had been vexing her far too much, hotelier Richard (James Remar). If the season as a whole felt less than the sum of its parts, those parts were some of the best comedy in the show's history, from Samantha's anointment as the "Michiko Kakutani of vibrators" to Carrie's stressful, one-degree-from-fiasco book launch party. (And fear not, Chris Noth's Mr. Big does pop up now and again.) The season's climactic episode, "I Love a Charade," found all four at the straight wedding of a seemingly gay pal (Nathan Lane) and contemplating their future with a wry, bemused tone. It was one of the series' best episodes ever, equally touching and funny, and grounded the show in an emotional maturity that announced that after all their wild travails, these women had truly grown up. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (189)

8 episodes same price as 24
Ok, the folks at HBO publishing are getting greedy. Season 5 was only 8 episodes. So in HBO's infinite wisdom they decided to charge us fans the same list price as a 24-episode season, with no extras worth mentioning. (However they do split it up onto 2 DVD's to make you think you're getting more for your money.)
While the shows are great I have to ding this season with 3 stars because of the blatant disregard for loyal consumers.
In season 5 we have Carrie being free and single, Miranda dealing with the baby and Steve, Samantha dealing with Richard, and Charlotte in life after Trey.
If you're a junky/collector I guess you'll end up purchasing it like me, otherwise send a message to HBO and just rent it.

Sex and The City Season 5 Short but sweet
I like the zillions of others across the world am a huge fan of Sex and The City. Not having HBO, I discovered the series through word of mouth and then via rentals at the video store. Season 5 was short but sweet and with the pregnancies of both Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker, was there much more that the producers could do than offer up eight episodes?! What if they had decided no season at all? God we'd have all been in mini therapy groups! So let's not complain and take what we can get girls cuz eight episodes were better than nothing! WHERE MY CHIEF COMPLAINT does come in is the exorbitantly high price of the DVD set. Come on HBO lighten up a bit! Two discs with only four episodes on each can surely be priced @ $15-$20 tops! As for me,since I've rented season five on DVD, I'll wait until the passing of time and the eventual lower price I'll find in a used copy.

Too expensive!!!!!!!
I am not rating this season low because of content--the content was excellent--and I realize that the pregnancies of Sarah Jessica and Cynthia are unavoidable...but come on! Don't charge us all the same price for less than half of the normal number of episodes!!!

Review on SATC--the MATERIAL--free of whining about $$
I really like Sex in the City. I feel sad that no one has even TRIED to duplicate it--I know full duplication can't be done but since it's leaving I would even have settled for some decent knockoffs of the show (laughter). In no other show/film have sex and relationships from the point of view of women been explored this frankly--it will probably never happen again-at least not in my lifetime. I am in the middle of watching the fifth season. I'm enjoying it. We have all watched these four women for four years now. Are they supposed to remain unchanged in any way for that long? Shouldn't they have different changes and challenges in their lives? I will admit that the fifth season did not come as close to perfection as the others did. (Has your work been almost perfect consistently everyday in everyway 365 days a year for 4 straight years? Mine hasn't-it's called being human.) Season Four in my opinion is still an essential for anyone who really connects with this one-of-kind series. Being that I respect the brave work of this ground-breaking show and because this format is supposed to review the material and the work--(...) Also don't you find it amazing the things people put their passion and rage behind? Homeless mothers who need health care for their children express this level of passionate anger about overpriced prescription drugs-however a person ranting about the cost of a HBO sitcom on DVD-and going on and on like some of these people have here?? I tend to wave that off as "You have some serious issues and buying SATC is probably the least of your problems" Some reviews can be dismissed right away like the ones from misogynists who obviously just hate to see independent women having fun and enjoying sex/relationships/career in the free-wheeling way men always have. They secretly want all women to be like Afghan women were under the Taliban. (...). (...)

We can be so hard on celebs. We love them yet we hate then and we are ultra critical of them. Lastly, I again want to remind you, dear reader, to consider the source and look up any info you can find on a reviewer and weigh that against whatever they write. Also take totally anonymous reviews with a big grain of salt. And again...I enjoyed the fourth season of Sex In The City even with it imperfections!

Sex and the City meets the average girl
As a devotee of Sex and the City, I never wanted to admit that anything was wrong with the show... until I saw Season 5. A lot of people will say that Season 5 is what's wrong with SATC, but I say that Season 5 is what's RIGHT about the show! Season 5 is the most realistic of all six seasons. Playfully dubbed "the season without men" by the show's writers, there are very few long-term (or short-term, for that matter) relationships for the women in this season. Until Season 5, the women of SATC have gone through a seemingly endless string of semi-serious to serious relationships without any real examination of what and who the women are without men. This season forces all of the women to show their true colors without men. Even Samantha's antics are toned down and used more to expose who she is rather than what she does.

Many fans complained that Season 5 wasn't funny enough. Not enough men, not enough sex. Real single women know that Season 5 was the closest of all the seasons to what all of us experience in our daily lives - loneliness, good friends, occasional romantic connections, and a lot of "in between". Season 5 isn't "filler" or a poor season - its real life. Fans of the show who don't enjoy this season are, perhaps, happy to forget about their own lives while following those of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. I prefer to think of the women of SATC as myself and my friends - and Season 5 proves that they are. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Whether it's a snowy nude sprint down Main Street, the mysterious appearance of a long-lost relative, or the improbable death of yet another of Maggie's boyfriends, life's never dull in the remote hamlet of Cicely, Alaska. Colorful characters and quirky plots propelled Northern Exposure into the hearts of millions of viewers, earning the CBS "dramedy" series seven Emmy awards between its 1990 debut and its demise six seasons later.

In season 1, we meet Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), an urban New York yuppie who consents to four years of rural servitude after Alaska pays his medical-school tuition. Joel's fish-out-of-water adventures drive the show, but it's the quirky ensemble of characters--Chris, the DJ/philosopher (John Corbett), Holling, the bartender (John Cullum), Maurice, the town patriarch (Barry Corbin), Ed, the filmmaker (Darren E. Burrows), and Maggie, the bush pilot (Janine Turner), among others–-that keeps the series consistently entertaining. The town develops its own offbeat personality as well, a Mayberry-meets-Twin-Peaksblend of Native mysticism, Aurora Borealis-induced dreams, unlikely tales of long-lost family members, and rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature known simply as "Adam."

Northern Exposure provides a utopian escape--a place where life is interesting but never dangerous, everyone's insightful, the mystical becomes real, and nobody's burdened with a mundane 9-to-6 desk job. Cicely is a delightful place to visit, even if it's only for an hour at a time.

A mid-season replacement, season 1 consists of just eight episodes on two DVDs. Each episode includes 5-10 minutes of outtakes and deleted scenes. --Shane Burnett ... Read more

Reviews (167)

Yay! Finally!
With the glut of completely forgettable TV shows and movies flooding onto DVD, it's nice to see a series of great quality, superior writing, memorable characters, and consistent imagination make it finally to DVD! "Northern Exposure" is a true classic! It'll be great to have it available legally in Region 1 NTSC (there have been bootleg Region 2 PAL versions floating around for a couple years already on eBay, but with extremely poor sound/video synchronization).
The first season only has 8 episodes (since it premiered during the summer of 1990. It might have been better to combine the 1st season with the 7 episodes of season 2 (which ran in April/May 1991, for a 15 episode set, but comprehending the mind of marketing 'geniuses' is bound to lead nowehere.) The first 'regular' seasons with 22-24 episodes only began in September 1991.
Let's hope this release signals that after season 1, the next 5 seasons will also soon see the light of day.

Some of the extras promised for this release:

Deleted Scenes
Video Documentary Footage
Mock Movie Footage
"Unexposed" Footage

(and special limited edition "Parka" packaging!)

Where's the Beef?
Norther Exposure is probably one of the best cast, best written, & best Location-scouted TV shows ever aired. My wife & I eagerly awaited for the show's arrival to DVD. When we purchased the show--for an outrageous $50.00--we were shocked at what we received. Yes, the innovative packaging was fun, but it hid the fact that there was nothing inside. As others have noted, the price is horrible when you realize that there were on 8 episodes! What makes it worse is that there is absolutely no information included. No booklet with stills from the show, no list of episodes, nothing at all. On top of that, they do not even give you multiple discs, they give you cheezy 2 sided discs with 2 shows on each side. What were they thinking? Others have noted that seasons 1 & 2 should have been combined. I agree. If you are a fan of the show & want the episodes from season 2, you'll get reamed gain... there are only 7 episodes!

Great TV you can't find these days.
I am giving this DVD 5 stars because that's what the show is worth. You can't find TV like this now days and perhaps never will again. I have watched late night re-runs and fell in love years ago. I cannot wait to revisit Sicily Alaska again.
The 1st season is only 8 episodes so yeah it is a little short. I can guarantee it will only leave you wanting more though. Because the show is so amazing I am not to concerned about price. I am crossing all fingers and toes that they will release the rest of the seasons on DVD or I will be forced to buy the A&E VHS copies.

Northern Exposure--The ultimate TV show!
I remember watching the TV show when it was in it's 2nd or 3rd season and I became completely hooked on it. I'm very glad I got this DVD that contains the entire 1st season of shows and the extra goodies that come with it. I can hardly wait for the 2nd season to be released on DVD.

Close, but not enough.
This was great. My friends were able to see how the story all started and I got to see it all over again. But only 8 episodes, I would agree with other reviewers, they should have gave the first two seasons. Definitely better than a lot of other TV to DVD issues out there right now. ... Read more

Description

This 7-time Emmy Award-winning series is a remarkable blend of quirky humor and heartwarming storytelling. With an ensemble cast including Rob Morrow (Quiz Show), John Corbett (TV's Sex and the City, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and the beautiful Janine Turner (Cliffhanger), Season Two takes us back to the slightly bizarre, yet charming, little logging town in Alaska. Relive the Complete Second Season of the show TV Guide calls "...one of television's truly fine series." ... Read more

Description

This hilarious look at dating, mating and relating in New York is "a thinking person's sitcom, brutally honest and hilariously funny." - The San Francisco Examiner. Can women have sex like men? What's it like to date someone younger? And what is "The Rabbit"? Find out in "Sex And The City."

(c) 2003 Home Box Office.All rights reserved.HBO(r) and Sex And The City(r) are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (236)

Sophisticated & Fun: Loved It!
This must have been great Cable-TV when it was on HBO, to which we don't subscribe. It's even better in the DVD version. High quality resolution AND surround sound via DVD make this a must-see for intelligent, sophisticated viewers who don't find much to satisfy on standard network TV.

In fact, if even movies were this good, we'd be going all the time! The writing is superb, as is the acting, sets and fast-paced story line. If you've ever lived, as a single, in a large urban city and were remotely involved in the 'dating game', then you'll be able to relate to the characters. While mostly women, there are enough male characters for both sexes to connect with the 'dating game' and its ups and downs-- and the characters' ambitions, loves, fears and shared joys. Now I know why there has been so much "buzz" about this series... It's a totally sexy, hip romp! (Note: this is defintely not something that "Christian Coalition" types will admit to liking....!)

A great collection of one of the best shows on TV
Sex And The City and HBO are the only reasons I keep that too-expensive premium cable package. Sex And The City makes it worth it. I only started watching this funny and strike-a-chord series this summer and don't know why I waited so long. Fortunately, you can catch up instantly on the first season and second seasons on video/DVD. Each season has 12-18 episodes, and they're like an amazing batch of chocolate chip cookies. You will not be able to stop and you will not be bored, even if you go through the entire season in one sitting. It left me wanting more. The characters' through-it-all friendship will have you appreciating your own tried and true friends. Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are all likable, real, complex, funny and a pleasure to spend one or eighteen episodes with. If you've been a single woman for more than six seconds, you'll also appreciate the bewildering and recognizable behavior of the men in these friends' lives. New York City as the vibrant backdrop makes the show even more watchable. Interestingly, a male writer wrote several of the episodes, so clearly, there are some good ones out there. And guys, I know several men who are surreptitiously hooked, also ... for any men out there who'd like to know what women think and talk about when they're on their own ... here are all our secrets spilled. I recommend this great series to everyone.

The beginning.
The first season was just ok, it had more of an unfocused feel to it. The show also had more of a grainier texture to it. The first season really doesn't deal with relationships that much, it focuses mostly on random dating, which makes it hard to get a reading on these women aside from their generic label (the sexually adventurous one, the cynic, the uptight one). Only SJ Parkers character is explored deeper, even though her character is mostly negative, self-absorbed, neurotic and prone to relationship sabotage. As for people who critize SJP looks, she isn't supposed to be a model she's supposed to be a normal woman who is comfortable with her looks, a woman normal women can relate to. Overall an ok season. EP

PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL DRIVEL!
(...)This reveals exactly why the terrorists hate our country. Shallow, materialistic, decadent, pseudo-intellectual drivel. I remember hearing one sentence of the show (before throwing the tv out the window) where the main character said "I finally realized" followed by some pseudo-existential "witticism" with a straight(dumb)face. The only positive aspect of this show is to teach kids to stay in school.

Fresh and fabulous
I got into this series when it was almost over and can recommend it. Yes, it's explicit at times so beware of that, but it's fresh and fun and most importantly absolutely fabulous. The characters are all played wonderfully by this cast and the stories have you chatting later about it with your friends saying things like "GEEZ, I'd never put up with that" etc. Depending on your favorite character as a woman it's easy to find yourself in one of the cast.

LOVE THIS SERIES! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Now that the first season is out SKIP THIS Rip-Off!
The episode contained here is a very good one. And I can think of nothing bad to say about it. And the documentary is very good as well. But you get the SAME episode and the SAME documentary {no other extra's though} PLUS 22 more episodes with the first season set. If you can not afford the first season set this would be better than nothing. But if you can afford it, avoide this and buy the first season. Had I known the first season DVD's were comming 5 months ago I WOULD HAVE!!

Real fans should boycott these piecemeal releases
This is typical of a bad DVD release. It looks like a crude attempt to extract as much revenue as possible from large base of loyal fans. Some reviewers who wax lyrical over the 'special' interview features and "insight into the show" in this single episode DVD either work for the publisher or miss the point that any of these items could have been included in a 'full season' release. This piecemeal approach is frustrating for real fans of the series who, to date, have seen only one complete season released. I for one will protest with my wallet. It stays shut until the complete seasons are released.

LOCI Shall Rule The Universe!
A lot of people have been complaining about why would you buy just one episode of any particular show. Well let me tell you why. The interviews on this DVD allow insight into the show and let you better understand issues that come up in virtually every episode. You get to know the actors and their characters on a deceptively personal level. If you are a hard-core fan, then you need this DVD. Stop complaining that it is just one episode, because really, it's a lot more than that. It took me inside "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," and that's one place I've always wanted to go!

Boxed set due in October
Several reviewers have wanted to know why the boxed set was not released.

This one episode DVD was meant as a teaser to wet the appatite for the boxed set due in October.

An essential purchase for all Vincent D'Onofrio fans
I realize that $20 seems like a lot to spend for a single LOCI episode that you probably already have on tape. But there are two reasons why you should buy this DVD today. First, the interview featurette is a rare opportunity to see D'Onofrio out of character and hear him talking as himself. We also get interesting trivia and fun behind-the-scenes details from Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, Kathryn Erbe, Courtney Vance, and Jamey Sheridan. Second, the best way to get the LOCI first and second year box sets released fast is to show the depth of the fan base by buying this item. It's a cherry on top bonus to get the original L&O pilot, which is very rarely shown on TV. V-sisters and Gorenistas (and you know who you are), you need this in your collection. Trust me! ... Read more