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

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

Amazon.com

With its series-finale episode, Dawson's Creek summed up its six-year run on the WB Network with a sweet and sad tale of reunion and farewell for old friends, soul mates, and lovers.The friends are now 25 and living new lives: Dawson (James Van Der Beek) is in Hollywood executive-producing The Creek, obviously based on his own life and considered "the new hit teen soap at the WB"; Joey (Katie Holmes) is a book editor in New York with a serious beau; Jen (Michelle Williams) is a single mother; Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is the relatively respectable owner of the reborn Icehouse Restaurant; and Jack (Kerr Smith) is teaching at the high school and struggling with his relationship.A wedding brings everyone together in Capeside, but tragedy strikes, and the remaining friends are left to consider their lives and what they want to do with them. Whether or not you agree with the final choices, of course, probably depends on who you've been rooting for.

The extended cut of the finale runs 104 minutes, about 16 longer than when it was broadcast in May 2003.Unlike deleted scenes on movie DVDs, each addition seems like a useful part of the story, and the DVD borrows a helpful feature from the Lord of the Rings extended editions by designating on the chapter menu which scenes are new or extended.Some differences are minor, but there are significant new scenes with Joey at work, Joey and her boyfriend (Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under), Joey and Dawson's reunion in Capeside, and Pacey's conversation with old flame Andie (Meredith Monroe).

As they did for two episodes of Dawson's Creek: The Complete First Season, creator Kevin Williamson (who co-wrote the finale) and executive producer Paul Stubin provide a commentary track in which they discuss the new scenes and which characters were originally intended to end up together.There are also four scenes that were filmed for the original pilot presentation (not the finished pilot shown in season one) then reshot. There's a small but important difference in the last scene, Pacey meets Tamara Jacobs in a different video store, and Dawson's dad is played by a different actor before the role was recast with John Wesley Shipp. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (97)

All Good Things Must Come to an End
I caught the series finale on the original air date on the WB. It was both fantastic and heart breaking. It brings the 6 friends back for a wedding. But soon the heart warming reunion turns sour with the news of a friend harboring a heart breaking secret. When the secret is revealed it makes the friends look at themselves.

When Jen tells her daughter to believe in God, is the most powerful scene in the whole show. This coming from a girl who would avoid churches and any mention of God. Jen has difinitely changed throughout the six season on the WB.

Joey resides in NY with her current boyfriend. But when she makes an unexpected return to The Creek, old feelings rise up again. But in the end she gets what she wants without feeling guilty about hurting anyone else.

Although this show is called Dawson's Creek, I don't believe that means Dawson should get the girl. Although he doesn't get the girl, he gets a highly sucesessful show and gets to meet is all-time favorite film maker.

Pacey still gets in trouble with older women, and owns the new Ice House. Pacey is another example of a character that has changed throught the airing of this show. He goes from a troubled-slacker, to someone who has things figured out, for the most part.

Jack finally gets his man! But in the end loses the most important person in his life, Jen. They were, in my eyes, soulmates. Not as lovers, but as life long friends. He is also in a relationship with a secretly gay man (Who knew is would be Deputy Doug. Didn't he claim to be a straight man all these years?)

In the end, they all get what they wanted. And figured some things out along the way. Joey made the right choice. Pacey was the right man for her. He made her happy, and they both had strong feelings torward eachother. Dawson was her soulmate, as a friend. He got what he wanted either way.

We left these 6 friends on TV, but we now can have them on DVD!! GET THIS DVD!! This will be a great UNCUT version of what was aired. Andie should have been apart of the airing of the show, but we still get to see what she turned out like on the DVD. I wish they could have brought all the rest of the characters through out the years back, like Audrey, Drue, and Gretchen. But either way, it is a great ending to a GREAT show!!

Pacey and Joey: True Love
First of all i have to say that I have been a Dawsons Creek fan since the first episode. Granted there were some episodes i didnt really like, i watched them anyways. I never missed one. I think that the finale show was brilliant. Honestly, you can't tell me that Dawson and Joey just make a terrible couple. They are best friends and have always been best friends. You can't throw them at eachother and make it work. When they were together when the show first started, they spent more time trying to come up with reasons why they should be together, than just being happy together. All Dawson did was complain about everything and cried like a little baby. Come on, i know that all the girls around the world would agree with me that they would rather be with a guy like pacey. A guy who acts like a real man. Pacey and Joey have always found a way back to eachother. Plus, he was her "first". At the ski lodge, is when i knew pacey and joey were meant for eachother, just by the way she was talking to him, and also i knew when he turned that girl down because he knew he loved joey. Yeah, Pacey turned a girl down... for true love. One of the best episodes was when Joey left Dawson that summer to go with Pacey. Right there tells you that she loves him more than anything, and most of all more than Dawson. Joey and Pacey ending up together was the best way to end the show not just because it gave the fans a twist, but because its true love, and true love conquers all. great ending to and awesome show!! great job kev

Best Series Finale of Any Show I Have Ever Seen
When I saw this episode when it first aired, I was blown away. It was the best 2 hours of television that I have ever seen.

It takes place four years in the future, which I thought was a great idea. It let us see our favorite characters in the real world after college, and it was good.

Joey's now an editor, Jack's an English teacher, Dawson is the writer and director of his own show The Creek, which was based on the indepedent movie he made during the second season of the show. Jen is a mother to a beautiful baby girl, Amy. It's said that her boyfriend knocked her up and then left her. I would assume that the boyfriend wasn't Jensen Ackle's character, who we last saw her with because he seems like too nice of a guy to do that, but they never really say who it was.

The gang is in town for Dawson's mother's wedding, and the first hour has to do with the death of one of the cast, which is very heartbreaking, I cried many times, while the second deals with the love triangle that is Pacey, Joey and Dawson.

I loved the finale when it aired in May, but when I heard that there were deleted scenes in the dvd, I had to buy it even though I had the other on tape. It was well worth it, if just for the return of Meredith Monroe as Andie. The best addition was at the very end when they show clips of all of the most important scenes of the last 6 years. It's very touching.

I would definitely recommend buying this whether you saw it when it aired, or if you have yet to see it.

It is an excellent episode.

All Good Things Must Come To An End...
All in all, the series finale for Dawson's Creek is quite satisfying. Excellent performances, interesting storylines/scenarios, suspense, sheer conflict and resolution. In terms of entertainment, it portrayed what a true finale should be. It brought things full circle and didn't seem rushed. One thing did irk me, though, and this bothers me with any show: the re-writing of history (example: Joey always knew? Um, I thinketh not..) It truly is an issult to viewers who've watched a show non-stop. It's sloppy, and very poor writing. But nothing's perfect, and the finale definitely could've been a lot worse considering the last few lackluster seasons of 'DC'. It closed things out, at least. Maybe not in the best way, nor with the best tactics... but closed it out nonetheless.

Huge Disappointment
It was bad enough that in the beginning, after Joey's longtime feelings for Dawson, their first kiss and their move into a relationship, she starts having doubts and breaks off the relationship.

But we could let this pass in the name of teenage angst, or "let's find new plot twists to make show interesting".

But ending the show with Pacey and Joey getting together, when there was so much magic and chemistry between Dawson and Joey, is just bad writing.

We watch these types of television shows to escape, and to get the happy ending that we perhaps did not get in real life. The main guy always gets the girl.....But more than that, Dawson and Joey, that was something special....

Had this been the ending I would have bought all the seasons. As it is, I will not waste my money. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the first season progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do), and less emphasis would be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benton (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not Worth Getting
Don't get me wrong. This episode was great but not worth getting all by itself. If you pay twice as much, you get 22 episodes instead of just the one. This episode is included in the set. I just wish there was an episode introducing all the characters to each other instead of introducing the audience to the characters all at once. I was disappointed that there wasn't a 2-hour beginning like most series. Oh well. Don't bother with this dvd. GET THE SET!!!!!!

A No-Brainer
Why am I even reviewing this? I suppose it's just to verify with you, reader, that you will now be clicking over to SVU's first season DVD release. 3 stars is generous, but I think justified. One must take into account the material AS WELL AS the packaging of the product (It's a 5-star program in a 1-star package).

Pro - strong enough concept to survive on its own away from the original Law and Order series (material).
Con - you would be officially declared an idiot to buy one episode for about a third of the price of the entire first season (of which there are approximately 20 X as many episodes).

Let's break that down for all ye non-rocket-scientists out there. It would take over 50 million bowls of your cereal...err...umm... I mean, buying only three independent episodes of SVU (which mercifully you can't, and the producers gave the consumers' brains atleast SOME credit) would have bought you the entire first season (now going for roughly $50), a net loss of, again, roughly 20 episodes (I've done some rounding for the non-rocket-scientists).

A quick justification for the 3 stars -

A) SVU, like the original Law And Order, has so much going on, you'll ALWAYS pick oodles up upon subsequent viewings (the rewind button can offer you everything that Munch was saying that you just sort of glossed over the first time).... thus, purchasing one episode won't REALLY give you just 45 minutes of something to watch.

B) This is especially true, as they've packed those infamous "DVD extras" in - the original "Everybody's favorite Bag Man" pilot, as well as some interesting interviews and extra footage (the squad room walk-through) keep "Payback" from feeling lonely.

Real fans should boycott these piecemeal relaease
Another 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.

Why buy one episode?
Law and Order is on television most nights of the week. Why buy one episode on DVD. I did not buy this one, and would like to add to the previous comments stating a season box set release is necessary and in demand! Come on executives of Universal, we're waiting!

More, please!
I gave this DVD 3 stars because I have seen this episode - it is terrific. However, I will not be shelling out [money] for 1 episode... I'll be saving it to put it towards the purchase of the entire 1st season on DVD, when and if that is released! Gimme a break, Universal! ... 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

Description

The American revival of "Cracker" stars Robert Pastorelli as "Fitz" Fitzgerald, a psychologist working with the Los Angeles police. Fitz doesn’t fit the typical psychologist stereotype: he’s a heavy drinker, a gamble, and wanders from his marital bed. But Fitz has uncanny success interrogating criminals; after all, he understands their vices, their weaknesses, and their perversities. Based on the esteemed British series.Stars: Robert Pastorelli, R. Lee Ermey, Caroline McCormick, and Angela Featherstone. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Feeble American ...of a British classic
This one definitely falls into the category of "what were they thinking?" Robbie Coltrane made this part his in the original British series and this American remake does nothing but muddy things up. Whereas Coltrane was truly offensive but brilliant, Pastorelli is forced to turn the character into a softer "likable" version to fit the network sensibilities. If you saw the original, this one is unbearable. If you didn't, go get it now that it's being released on DVD.

Great series, deserved a chance
Had the American version of Cracker been produced in a better era of television, it would have been given the chance to gain an audience (as MASH was) and would have become a classic. It was a wonderfully engaging show with refreshingly complex characters and storylines. Robert Pastorelli creates an brilliantly dark and infuriatingly charming version of Fitz. If you like good, intelligent mysteries with plots and characters that draw you in and keep you wanting more, you'll love Cracker.

Admittedly, this not the British version. Few American versions of British shows meet the quality of their predecessors. It was a formidable task to bring this show to American television. I think this series tried to come fairly close to the quality of British Cracker while attempting to be acceptable to U.S. viewers. It wasn't given the chance to succeed. I don't think it's fair to compare the the U.S. and British versions, but I'm sure many fans of the original series will.

Cracker allows its characters to be human and flawed, intelligent and fascinating. I miss this show; glad to see it on DVD. This DVD contains the series' 2-part premiere episode "A True Romance." I hope more episodes follow. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Excellent, underwatched show with smart writing, great cast
"Veronica Mars" is a lot smarter than your average show featuring attractive teenage characters. To use the term "teen drama" is misleading, as the story is darker, subtler and more sophisticated than other shows like "The O.C." and "Dawson's Creek." It's a modern twist on the noir genre placed in high school, centering around 17-year-old Veronica, once popular but now a social outcast after a chain of events following the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane.

In every episode, Veronica, a P.I.'s daughter, solves a smaller mystery, while also assembling clues and delving further into the bigger mystery of Lilly's case. The brilliance of the show is in tying the small cases into the larger, overarching themes surrounding the larger mystery. While there are a few episodes that feel more stand-alone, as is the case in all TV drama series, the writers do an excellent job in avoiding letting them become mere filler, throwaway cases -- instead, they use them to feed us more information to further Lilly's case. (As a result, it's hard to skip any episodes without missing some crucial bit of information about the main msytery.)

It's amazing how carefully drawn the entire season is, with clues placed in a meticulously careful, controlled manner, all amping up to an intense crescendo in the last four or five episodes. As the season draws to a close, the intricately laid details click into place as Veronica solves the two biggest cases -- the mystery of her rape (which occurred shortly following Lilly's death and her subsequent ejection from the "cool" crowd) in the penultimate episode (a wonderfully complex, dark and emotional episode), then Lilly's murder in the season finale.

Despite the darkness of the series, there are notable lighter moments too, and the show has quite a bit of humor thrown into the mix. The writing is witty and smart, and the actors pull off comedy just as capably as they do angst and drama. The cast is excellent, and the actors have noticeable chemistry with one another, but two standouts are Kristen Bell as Veronica and Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls (who has an amazingly complexcharacter arc that is drastic, enthralling and utterly believable). As Veronica's former friend, nemesis, then reluctant ally (and the lines blur frequently), Dohring steals every scene he's in, and when he's with Bell the sparks really fly, whether they're pushing each other's buttons, antagonizing each other or simply bantering.

Man, I love this show. Thank goodness UPN had the guts to renew it for a second season.

Veronica Mars is what is RIGHT with television today
I started watching Veronica Mars mid-season, when One Tree Hill was on hiatus.I could kick myself for not watching this show from the beginning.I stopped watching One Tree Hill and the O.C. because the shows have little substance to them and the characters are bland.Veronica Mars's characters are multidimensial.Nobody is completely perfect or innocent, and the guilty usually have redeeming qualities.Veronica's cases usually have a twist in them, like you end up feeling sorry for the bad guy who gets caught.I was a big fan of Desperate Housewives and still watch it, but I think Veronica Mars's mysteries are done better.VM is the best show of 2004 and is still the only show I'm looking forward to in the fall of 2005.It is a smart show and way better than mindless reality shows or dumb shows on the major networks.Do yourself a favor, and "get a clue."Give this show a chance.You won't regret it.

Top-notch:Veronica Mars *is* smarter than me.
Veronica Mars is a brilliantly written, tightly paced show with dark, intricate storytelling and lots of humor. It gets a lot of comparisons to Buffy because its lead character is a tiny blonde teen who takes no prisoners and is always quick with a clever comeback, but in many ways VM is a more complex and intriguing show, and there are almost no "fight scenes" and no fantasy elements. Unlike Buffy, Veronica has no superpowers and knows she can't "kick butt" when she is trying to bring down the bad guys. She has only her intelligence and her wits to keep her ahead of the game. Plus, when the going gets rough, she has her trusty dog Backup to scare off the evildoers.

Veronica is frequently described as a "modern day Nancy Drew," but she is also much more than that. Yes, she does work for her private investigator dad tracking down missing persons and solving other mysteries both large and small, and her weapons of choice are modern-day tools like the internet, cell phones, and Lojack. But Veronica is not your typical peppy teenage girl. She is the anti-cheerleader, a very angry girl who is more likely to taunt her classmates with clever insults than to provide any cheer. While she does have her softer side, it's well hidden and she doesn't reveal it very often. She didn't always used to be this way, and the series takes it time exploring, via flashbacks, how Veronica used to be in the past and why she became so angry and isolated from her peers.

If you have wanted to watch the show but have been put off by the "teen" angle, rest assured that there truly is something for everyone here, of any age. The writing is sophisticated and adult. These teens do things like quote Hamlet and make pop-culture references as widely varied as Heathers to Brigadoon, so the dialogue is frequently quippy and never boring. But the humor never takes over the entire show to make it too light, and the tone is pretty dark overall, considering that the underlying mystery driving Veronica for the entire season is finding the person who murdered her best friend Lilly Kane. Add to that some story lines involving rape, incest, and child abuse, and it's clear that this is no comedy. It's also not for children and sometimes tests the bounds of what you might see on network television in terms of the darkness of the subject matter. Drugs, alcohol, and sex are portrayed as a fact of life among teenagers and the show is not moralizing or preachy in any way, although it frequently portrays the sometimes tragic consequences of all of the above.

Kristen Bell is astonishingly good as Veronica, but the entire cast is for the most part pretty first-rate, especially Enrico Colantoni (as her dad Keith Mars) and Jason Dohring (as her arch-nemesis Logan Echolls). If you are a fan of twisty ongoing mysteries like Lost or Twin Peaks, or you enjoy the quippy humor of the Gilmore Girls or the O.C., or even if you like old-fashioned detective stories like Columbo or the Rockford Files, give Veronica Mars a try because it truly combines the best of all of the above. And if you are a guy, Kristen Bell is pretty darn cute, to boot. So there's that, too.

excellent
This is the only thing I was looking forward to see every week on TV. Excellent writing with main story going across all the episodes and sub-stories that get resolved at the end of each episode. Veronica Mars is a 17 years old daughter of a private investigator, a former sheriff. She's helping him with his cases, has her own to solve and she's decided to find out who killed her best friend Lilly Kane. Almost all the answers get answered by the end of the season. Excellent acting from all the actors. I cannot praise highly enough Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars and Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls. Highly recommended!

Veronica Mars is the best show ever
This show is so amazing. if you like a good mystery then this is the show for you. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I will be VERY disappointed!!
I am a huge fan of Dawson's Creek!I love the Pacey and Joey relationship.I have to admit that season six does not even come close to one of my favorite seasons, but it still has those few good episodes of Pacey & Joey together again.I have been faithful in purchasing every season as soon as it has been released & the series finale.I think it would be very wrong of the studio to release all of the seasons and not the final one.PLEASE hurry & release season 6!!!

Dawson's Creek
I love this show and I really will cry if the whole show doesn't get released! I was so happy when I saw the first shows come out! Anyone who has never really been interested in this show--the first couple shows are a little cheesy but as the show develops the actors really get into it and it defiantly resembles high school life!

Disapointing
It's true, the final season of DC didn't satisfy our expectations: Joey Potter's character over-used, boring stories with teachers (as usual: season 1,5), and characters who are living their lives far away from each others... It breaks no agreement that the magic of the TV show kind of disapeared in this season, but some good episodes (601-2, 615, 621, 623-4) explain why i will buy this last season anyway...

Aw-aw-awful!
This season, compared to the first four ones, is utter crap. Starting from season 5 all the characters and the things you loved about Dawson's Creek are destroyed one by one. There were some nice moments in season 5 though (Dawson & Jen at the film festival, Mitch's dead, the Joey-only episode). And even season 6 has such a nice moment. It's the episode #615/119 "Castaways" which locks Joey and Pacey in a supermarket at night where they find back together (and Pacey finally gets rid of his awful goatee!) I really recommend this episode where you can watch the two having fun playing the old Joey and Pacey. And far away from the season 6 reality the old magic is back again. Dawson's Creek just wasn't made to take place outside Capeside. The two final episodes are really good (and heart-breaking) too. The rest is better not spoken of.

Dawson's Creek Season 6 DVD
OK, I just bought season 5 of Dawson's Creek the other day on DVD. What makes me mad is that so much stuff got cut out. With the new music & this time they went as far as to cut some scenes out, this is pathectic! Also, there is not one special feature in the set! Why are they putting such little effort into these DVDs? This was a great show, & them releasing these DVDs is a punch in the face for fans. I own the first five seasons & the series finale. I know that they can release these DVDs with the original music, they're going way too far & pretty much butchering the show. The sets say "complete" on them, that is not complete people, it's pretty much lying right on the cover. Season 6 better be an improvement, with music, scenes, & special features. I am writing this item 3 stars right now, but I do not know what exactly it will be like. But, looking at the other sets, I am predicting this to be yet another disapointment. I guess we'll see. ... Read more