Reviews (2)

Finally, the complete series is quickening to dvd
This show was sometimes great entertainment to me. Basically a dimestore romantic-adventure novel brought to life. I think the producers were mostly successful with providing something for everyone. The shows ranged from brilliantly written, to definitely a bit cheesey. The dvd collection is better than the vhs, however questions did arise quickly about it's quality. I think it was the 2nd episode on disc one, when the disc appeared to be sort of freezing up for a minute. I hit FF for a second, and it was fine again. ( This was with a brand new dvd player ) Since that occurance, I have not yet run into any other problems; although I've only watched 1/3 ofthe discs. I did have a couple other little gripes about these dvd's, but nothing too serious. I would have preferred more than three episodes on a disc...a typical season for ex. has NINE discs-three unfolding booklets of 3 discs, which all fit into this 1/2 box...I wasn't too crazy about that at all. There is however a lot of content within them if you like bloopers and interviews and watcher chronicles...I do and I don't.. I mean, it's tough enough to watch all 6 seasons..I really don't need boxes hoggin up all my shelf space just so studios get extra market value-which is also why it took em so long to go over to dvd's, and why it's off the air. Nevertheless, I do still appreciate the Highlander phenomenon. It's solidly entertaining while it also demonstrates virtues that I like. I can live without the Duncan Macleod boxer shorts though, and the pillows with kissy lips, and the rest of the merchandising extraveganza. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

The Best series ever made
It's jam pack with everything a fan really wants, and the best part you can go form your favorite episode to another. 2 tumbs up!!!
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Amazon.com

With the release of Wiseguy on DVD, one of the best TV series of the 1980s gets a new lease on life. Long before Donnie Brasco brought similar drama to the big screen, Ken Wahl brought charisma, credibility, and chutzpah to his small-screen role as Vincent Terranova, a handsome 30-year-old agent with the FBI's Organized Crime Bureau. As conceived by cocreators Stephen Cannell (of The Rockford Files and The A-Team fame) and Ken Lupo, Wiseguy followed an innovative "story-arc" structure, allowing Vinnie's deep-cover missions to last only as long as necessary to bring each case to a sensible conclusion. Since copied by countless TV shows, this unique approach to storytelling attracted a devoted following of viewers addicted to the self-contained plots that forced Vinnie, his sourpuss OCB handler Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks), and disabled covert liaison Dan "Lifeguard" Burroughs (played by double-amputee Jim Byrnes) to achieve their objectives within 6 to 10 hourlong episodes.

Season 1, Part 1--the first of six Wiseguy DVD sets--includes the entire nine-episode arc (plus pilot) in which Vinnie infiltrates the New Jersey mob family of Sonny Steelgrave, a silk-suited kingpin played by Ray Sharkey in his finest TV role. Their brotherly relationship poses a moral dilemma for Vinnie (giving the arc its dramatic core and primary source of suspense), and Wiseguy earned its reputation as a well-written series that favored character-driven tension while providing the requisite pulp fiction (i.e. occasional murder and mayhem) that kept viewers and advertisers happy. While the DVD packaging gives bogus equal billing to Annette Bening (who appears here in one pivotal episode), her pre-stardom appearance is indicative of the show's consistently high standards in writing, casting, and stylish direction. The styles may be dated (including poodle-puff hairdos for women, including Bening), but there's not a weak episode in the bunch, including the stand-alone shows (involving domestic crises for McPike and Burroughs) that allowed character growth beyond the story-arc structure.

After the intense "Sonny Steelgrave" arc of first-season episodes, the producers of Wiseguy faced the challenge of topping themselves, and they did it by casting a relatively unknown New York stage actor named Kevin Spacey, who proceeded to chew up the scenery as only a future Oscar®-winner could. But Spacey's not the only reason for the giddy success of the "Mel Profitt" arc, which finds OCB agent Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl) teaming up with sociopathic assassin Roger Lococco (William Russ) in an effort to infiltrate the global drugs-and-guns empire of the Proffitt siblings Mel (Spacey), a "manic-depressive genius with acute paranoia," and his codependent sister Susan (Joan Severance), who keeps her incestuously devoted brother happy by injecting home-brewed narcotics between his toes (hence giving Spacey his trademark line, "Only the toes knows!").

TV audiences in 1988 had never seen such a twisted sibling relationship, and there's plenty of eccentric chemistry between Spacey and then-newcomer Severance, who later developed a loyal male following as a B-movie sexpot. Completing their triangle of terror is Russ, playing Lococco as a tormented Vietnam vet with a massive chip on his shoulder, luring Vinnie into a life of luxury and lethal behavior, thus complicating matters considerably for Vinnie's covert handlers McPike (Jonathan Banks) and Lifeguard (Jim Byrnes), who grow increasingly worried as Vinnie gains Mel Profitt's hard-won trust. The quality of these 12 episodes remains consistently high as the Profitts reach "psychotic critical mass," leading to Mafia connections and a new direction for Vinnie's loving mother (well-played by Elsa Raven). Through it all, Wahl (who proves himself a man of few words in a sparse one-episode commentary) maintains his strong presence as a leading man, generously allowing Spacey's rising star to shine. Wiseguy still had some highlights in its future, but the "Mel Profitt" arc represents the series at its best. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wiseguy - Change in themes
I just finished the Sonny Steelgrave arc and was disappointed with only one thing. In the last episode of the Arc, when Sonny and Vinnie are in the theater, they changed the background music from the original. They kept Good Lovin', but replaced Nights in White Satin with some nondescript instrumental track. Other than that, the set was great! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Misleading (esp. for people new to Highlander)
Ok, so this i probably mostly my own fault for not having done the proper research on it before I purchased it, but when I saw the DVD Highlander "Finale", I was expecting an individual release of the actual final episode of Highlander: The Series. Naturally, I was quite disappointed when I found it to actually be the season finale from year three...which I already have on DVD because I own the complete season boxed set.
However, I give this three stars despite that setback due solely to the fact that being a part of the Highlander series it is naturally a wonderful piece of action/adventure/sci-fi/fantasy storytelling.
If you already own season three you can probably skip this release (unless you are set on having every Highlander DVD that's produced). If not, then I recommend giving this release a shot.

Please Be Advised....
This DVD contains the two-part, season-ending episode from Season 3 of the Highlander TV series. If you already own or are planning to buy the Highlander Season 3 Box Set, please be advised that these episodes are included in that set. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A made-for-TV movie originally broadcast on VH1, this film bio of the Monkees casts look-alikes as the first made-for-TV rock band (today's equivalent: O-Town). Told in broad strokes that hit the highlights, the film recounts how a TV producer (played by Colin Ferguson) decided to create a TV version of the Beatles by casting cute actors (musicianship was only a secondary requirement) as rock stars for a weekly comedy series. But surprise--producer Don Kirshner (Wallace Langham) was able to manufacturemusical hits and the mock band became a rock band with musical ambitions of its own. The actors who play the Monkees look (but don't sound) like their characters, as do actors who were hired to play the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, among others. Still, with the exception of a little pot-smoking, there's nothing particularly juicy in a tell-all that doesn't tell nearly as much as you'd like. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Please Be Advised....
This DVD contains the two-part episode from Season 2 of the Highlander TV series. If you already own or are planning to buy the Highlander Season 2 Box Set, please be advised that these episodes are included in that set. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SHE LOOKED GORJUS
SHE WAS SO PRETTY AND NIC ... Read more