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The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series
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Official Synopsis:
The world's favorite western/sci-fi/comedy/action cult hit rides again! Here on 8 discs is the complete series about Brisco (Bruce Campbell), a tough-as-rawhide cowpoke, debonair ladies' man and Harvard-educated smarty-britches who roams from Frisco to Jalisco in pursuit of outlaws who killed his father...and in search of a mysterious orb possessing out-of-this world powers. Hot lead and cool anachronisms await Brisco as he and his sidekicks - including Comet, the intellectual equine who doesn't know he's a horse - fight for justice in the way, way, way-out West. Put your boots in your stirrups, your tongue in your cheek and join the fun. Let's play cowboys and aliens.
Our Take:
This is it, folks; as far as I’m concerned, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is the proverbial Holy Grail of television shows on DVD. At the advent of the TV-on-DVD trend, I had but a short list of shows I really wanted to see released, and now I can cross the final title off the list. Fans demanded it, thankfully the powers that be have listened, and we’ve got it! The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. has come to DVD!
Was the wait worth it? You bet! I’ve been a Bruce Campbell fan since before I knew who Bruce Campbell was. In fact, I didn’t know him as Bruce Campbell, I knew him as Brisco County, Jr. Years later I would come to know him as Ash from the Evil Dead series, or as Autolycus the Prince of Thieves from Hercules and Xena, and many of his other various cult roles.
What makes this show so great? If the fact that Bruce Campbell is involved isn’t enough, then why are you reading? (Just kidding!) It’s a terribly fun show that doesn’t take itself seriously is what it is. Basically, it’s a western show paying homage to the old Saturday Matinee serials that played in theatres featuring the damsel in distress tied to the train tracks as impending doom chugs on. Will the hero save her, or will she be scraped off the front of the train? That’s the kind of feeling this show has. It also brilliantly mixes its western elements with a touch of science fiction and plenty of campy humor.
All too often when there is so much anticipation for a show’s release on DVD, all you end up getting is the show and then a whole bunch of nothing. This is absolutely NOT the case with The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Featuring brand new interviews with Bruce Campbell as well as other writers and actors, this set has been lovingly crafted for our audio/visual stimulation. And, boy does it stimulate!
* Pilot Commentary - Featuring The King, Bruce Campbell as well as series creator/writer Carlton Cuse (now writing for Lost). Bruce Campbell absolutely CAN NOT record a bad commentary. He’s interesting, excited and really does care about making sure you’re interested as well as entertained. Cuse also offers much insight into the show. My only minor complaint is that it sounds like Cuse was phoned in, and Bruce’s audio is really loud compared to his.
* Brisco’s Book of Coming Things (6 minutes) - Being a show set in the 1893, the writers often toyed with portraying various modern concepts and inventions as “new” gadgets and prototypes. Narrated by Bruce Campbell as Brisco County, and featuring such contraptions as a “rocket,” a “machine gun,” a “motor cycle,” and my favorite, the “Drive Thru.”
* The History of Brisco County, Jr. (30 minutes) – This, folks, is the meat and potatoes of the special features. Featuring new interviews with Bruce Campbell, Carlton Cuse, Julius Carry, Christian Clemenson, and Kelly Rutherford, this featurette dives into how the show was created and how Bruce Campbell “landed” the lead role as he literally had to beat himself up in auditions. Each of the actors shares fond memories about working on the show and with each other.
* Tools of the Trade (12 minutes) - An interesting feature looking at the “tools” of Brisco’s trade, including his faithful steed and sidekick, Comet, as well as the mysterious Orb.
* A Reading from the Book of Bruce (8 minutes) - Bruce reads a chapter from his autobiography, “If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor” (of which I have a signed copy!) which retells his experiences on the show.
* A Brisco County Writer’s Room (43 minutes) - Sit down for a chat with writers Carlton Cuse, John Wirth, Brad Kern, Tom Chehak, David Simkins, and John McNamara. They discuss their involvement with the story and the evolution of the series and characters. It follows up with a nice “where are they now” on each writer.
Brisco County Jr. is a FUN show; it’s got adventure, great sidekicks, truly evil bad guys, and a great looking leading man (Bruce’ll love that one!) Thirteen years later, Brisco County, Jr. holds up well; it’s a timeless show that will never grow old and now thanks to its release on DVD, it will be enjoyed for generations to come If you’re any fan of Bruce, Brisco, Westerns, sci-fi or great TV, then don’t hesitate to pick up The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Show: A
DVD: A+
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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