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By
WADE GOSSETT
It was one of the better TV
comedic series of recent years, relying on
original storylines, wit and Michael J. Fox's
considerable charisma instead of the usual parade
of gross-out jokes. But "Spin City" only lasted
from 1996 to 2002, and Fox left his role as the
Deputy-Mayor of New York City (the real brains
behind the unpredictable Mayor) in 2000, after
explaining he was suffering from Parkinson's --
Charlie Sheen jumped in but the show only lasted
for another two seasons.
Now one would think that the series is ready for
the usual DVD treatment: To be released in four
boxed sets, each one covering each season in its
totality and coming out every few months or so.
But DreamWorks has done a curious thing. They have
instead issued two volumes, each one containing
several episodes picked by Fox as his all-time
favorites. Volume one includes the pilot, "Meet
Tommy Dugan," "Dog Day Afternoon," the two-parter
"Family Affair," "Miracle Near 34th Street," "The
Paul Lassiter Story," "The Pope of Gracie
Mansion," "Catcher in the Bronx," "A Tale of Two
Sisters" and "Casino"; volume two "Kiss Me
Stupid," "Radio Daze," "They Shoot Horses, Don't
They?," "Dead Dog Talking," "There's Something
About Heidi," "Gone With the Wind," "An Officer
and a Gentleman," "Quest For Fire," "The Mary
Caitlin Moore Show" and two-parter "Goodbye." It's
interesting that you can get a sense of the show
by reading out the episode titles. You can readily
see their film pedigree.
The series is presented in its original TV aspect
ratio of 1.33:1 and in 2.0 Dolby and it looks
better than it did during its original TV run --
not through any magic, but because I find the look
of DVD consistently better than that of regular
cable transmission. Each episode is introduced by
Fox, who qualifies his reason for picking it as a
favorite. These intros are entertaining but also
painful -- sadly, his symptoms of Parkinson's are
now quite pronounced. In terms of extras, there
are six public service announcements for The
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research, featuring Fox and other cast members of
the series.
Eventually "Spin City" will be issued the way it
should have been, with all episodes packaged
chronologically in individual sets. But at least
for fans these two volumes are something to peruse
as they wait. |
