DVD Review: What About Brian The Complete Series

It seems the creators of Alias and Lost have fallen into a rut with the first being over and a scheduled ending in sight for the second. Unfortunately, What About Brian fell into that rut.

What About Brian is about a circle of ridiculously attractive friends and their problems. Brian love Marjorie and she might love him, but she’s engaged to Brian’s best friend Adam. Brian’s sister Nicole is trying to get pregnant but something tragic also happens. Their friends Dave and Deena tried to have an open marriage and now have to figure out how to handle the fall-out from that. Oh wait, they also have some friends, Ivy and Jimmy, who are secretly rich but hiding it.

The entire series of What About Brian is 24 episodes with the five-episode first season and an additional 19 for the second season. The core of the cast included Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Matthew Davis, Sarah Lancaster (Everwood), Rosanna Arquette, Rick Gomez (Band of Brothers), and Amanda Detmer (Boys and Girls). While the characters were interesting in and of themselves, they failed to carry the show. Without further development, What About Brian seemed to end up unrealistic with pretty people living in pretty homes with seemingly pretty problems that made the characters too hard to identify with to make the show appointment viewing. The show was pleasant; it just sort of got boring.

Figuring out where the Bonus Features were wasn’t as easy as most DVD sets since they weren’t listed on the cases of the DVDs along with which episodes are on each disc, but like most DVD sets they are on the last disc. The first is an unaired episode that was originally meant to be the last one of the first season. There is also a featurette is called “Calling All Friends: The Story of What About Brian” and is a behind the scenes look at the series from the eyes of the cast and crew. The last featurette is “What About 3: The Season That Never Was” giving a glimpse into what might have happened if the series had been around for a third season.

And last there is the Audio Commentary with writer/director Dana Stevens for the last episode of the series. The commentary is interesting in giving more insight on how the season changed with news that it was being cut to 19 episodes from the original 22 ordered and looking in hindsight that it is in fact the last episode of the series.

The series is presented in Widescreen format, enhanced for 16:9 televisions. What About Brian is in English Dolby Digital 5.1 with options for French and Spanish subtitles.

Ultimately, What About Brian wasn’t perfect television, but nothing was really wrong with the show either. It’s a charming look at friends and love, even if it isn’t all that realistic. The DVDs are certainly worth watching if you haven’t seen the show and want to watch a sweet, syrupy drama.

DVD Review: Brothers and Sisters - The Complete First Season

"Brothers and Sisters" is ABC’s new drama about a contemporary American family, dysfunction being a major character. However, no matter what their individual problems are, the Walkers come together and find strength as a family. The first season follows the Walkers after the patriarch of the family dies. Along with news of their father’s death, the five children discover some well kept secrets including a mistress and illegitimate daughter.

"Brothers and Sisters" also has a cast that blends seasoned actors with some newer faces. I first tuned into the show because Sally Field plays the mother. The idea of a television show detailing an older woman’s life was new and casting Sally Field struck me as a perfect choice. Not being a fan of "Ally McBeal", I was a bit concerned about Calista Flockhart, however where Ally was unsure, Kitty Walker is strong and driven. By the same token, I was a huge fan of "Alias", so Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig, and Balthazar Getty were major draws for me. Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under"), Emily VanCamp ("Everwood"), Matthew Rhys, Dave Annable ("Reunion"), and Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") add to the ensemble cast and truly make it feel like a family. Sure, it has some soap opera elements, but that keeps audiences watching and distracted from their own lives – because hey, at least we aren’t that messed up.

What is most refreshing about "Brothers and Sisters" is Kevin Walker. He’s one of the siblings, a successful lawyer with relationship issues... oh, and he’s gay. But unlike most gay characters on television, his sexuality isn’t his entire identity. While it is a part of Kevin, he isn’t a stereotype or stock character, but more representative of a real person. Kevin's gayness is no more his sole defining characteristic than Justin’s addiction troubles are his or Kitty’s conservative views are hers; yes, these are big parts of who the characters are but not their sum total.

The first season of "Brothers and Sisters" is now available on DVD. The 23 episodes are in the six-disc set. The special features include your typical outtakes, audio commentaries, and behind the scenes glances at the show. There are two different featurettes giving a behind the scenes glimpse; one features the three Walker brothers (Balthazar Getty, Dave Annable, and Matthew Rhys) giving the audience a tour of the facilities while the other feature gives a more in depth look at the show from the conception to the cast, crew, and a funny vignette detailing how much the Walker family drinks.

Another jewel among the special features is an episode, originally the second, that never aired. While the show didn’t suffer from the episode not being broadcast, it is nice to see a bit more detailed look at how things happened in the beginning. The remaining bonus feature is a comparison between the Walker family business and the Olin family working on the show (Ken Olin is a director/producer, his wife is actress Patricia Wettig, their son Cliff Olin is a staff writer and daughter Roxanne Olin has been a guest). One thing that would have been interesting to include is some of the original pilot shot before Sally Field replaced Betty Buckley.

Technically, the series is in Dolby Digital 5.1 and in Widescreen format enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Subtitles are available in English, French, or Spanish. The series is rated TV 14.

Overall, "Brothers and Sisters" is well written and wonderfully acted. The DVD of the first season would be a good addition to anyone’s collection.