Plot: What’s it about?
The trials and tribulations of married life are explored in this brisk comedic series, which ran from 1992 until 1999. Mad About You stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, with other cast members including Anne Ramsay, Richard Kind, Leila Kenzle, John Pankow, and Cynthia Harris, plus various cameo appearances. The series centers on Paul Buchanan (Paul Reiser) and his wife Jamie (Helen Hunt), who are recent newlyweds. The two have some experience as a married couple by this second season, but as we all know, marriage is a beast that evolves with time, so you never have it figured out. In the middle of Manhattan, the two attempt to balance their personal and professional lives, with moderate success. Paul has a job that demands much of his time and keeps him very busy, which causes Jamie some headaches. The couple even battles sexual issues in this season, so the gloves have come off in Mad About You. Jamie finds herself so consumed by her work that she contemplates quitting, to devote her time to her husband and their home. A night of baby-sitting serves as a preview of sorts, as Jamie and Paul spend a few moments on the subject of having a new addition to their family. In this three disc collection, you’ll find all those moments plus more, in all twenty-five episodes of the second season of Mad About You.
This show managed to rack up some impressive ratings numbers, not to mention its wins at various award ceremonies. I didn’t watch Mad About You when it first began, but I have seen numerous episodes in syndication. I had high expectations, given the show’s popularity, but I wasn’t as bowled over as I anticipated. I suppose being single, some of the material might be lost on me, but other shows about married couples rang bells with me, so I just don’t think that’s the case with Mad About You. Some of the jokes were hilarious, while others fell flat and seemed forced, so the writing is inconsistent at times. I know that no television show hits the mark every time, but I expected more hits than misses in this case. I do think that some episodes stand out as exceptional, as I was laughing throughout some of the shows, but others seem to give us the short end of the stick, so don’t expect gold with each installment. The cast was well chosen though, that much cannot be argued. Paul Reiser (Bye Bye Love, Beverly Hills Cop) hasn’t done too much since, but Helen Hunt (Twister, Cast Away) has become a solid movie star and her presence is a highlight of this series. In the end, I was entertained by this series, even with its flaws. So if you’re interested, this three disc collection offers the complete second season of Mad About You and even though extras are absent, the show itself is the main draw here.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The visuals are improved over the first season release, which packed too much content onto its discs. Here we have under four hours of content per disc, as opposed to over five hours, so the compression is enhanced and that means a better visual presentation. The prints used look clean, with no grain or debris to be seen and on the whole, the episodes look quite sharp. A hint of softness is evident at times, but these episodes look good, especially when compared to some from the show’s first season. I found colors to be bold and effective, while contrast is smooth and stark, even the night scenes come off as refined in these presentations. In other words, there is some slight room for improvement here, but this is a nice improvement over the first season.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this is a dialogue driven series, the included 2.0 surround option is good, but never moves beyond that level of performance. The music adds some life when its around and some sound effects have some kick, but this is a front channel experience in most instances. The laugh track is unwelcome, but never drowns out the other elements, so no dialogue is missed while the studio audience chuckles. The main ingredient here is dialogue, which comes off as crisp and clean, with no volume problems to mention. Not a memorable audio experience, but it presents the material in fine form, so no reason to complain. This release also includes French and Spanish language tracks, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials.
