Editor’s Note: Mouse over the image above to see both DVD’s cover art.
Official Synopsis:
- EZ Streets -
Critics deemed this gritty urban crime drama as "simply too good for TV," and The New York Times hailed it "one of the season's exciting new series." Journey to the criminal underworld with three fiercely independent men: Jimmy Murtha (Joe Pantoliano, “The Sopranos”), a charming but ruthless mob boss who rules the E Street gang by whatever means necessary; Detective Cameron Quinn (Ken Olin, “thirtysomething”), an undercover cop determined to find the truth no matter where it takes him; and ex-con Danny Rooney (Jason Gedrick, “Boomtown”), a recent parolee who finds himself unwillingly drawn back into a life of crime. As the story unfolds from each of their perspectives, this innovative series from director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) proves that on the shadowy streets of compromise there's only one way to survive: trust no one.
- Crime Dramas -
See the shows that were cancelled before their time with four gripping crime drama episodes in the Brilliant But Cancelled® collection. From the producers who would go on to make the television sensations Hill Street Blues, Columbo and Law & Order come these intelligent series that span over forty years of television.
- Johnny Staccato - "Tempted"
Independent film pioneer John Cassavetes starred from 1959 to 1960 in this hip drama about a jazz pianist who moonlights as a private detective. Set in New York's ultra-cool Greenwich Village, this detective series was filmed in black and white and features smooth musical numbers to accentuate its smoky, sultry narrative tone.
- Delvecchio - "Licensed to Kill"
From legendary producer Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue), Delvecchio aired from 1976 to 1977 and starred Emmy® winner Judd Hirsch as Dominick Delvecchio, an honest and courageous LAPD detective who is studying to pass the legal bar exam. Assisted by his tough-as-nails boss and his wisecracking partner, Delvecchio finds himself torn between a life of action and danger and his dreams of a prestigious career in law.
- Gideon Oliver - "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver"
A brilliant Columbia University professor of anthropology (Louis Gossett Jr., Stargate SG-1) finds that his unparalleled knowledge of human behavior is applicable in some of the world's most puzzling crimes. Produced in 1989 by Wolf Films, the award-winning development team behind the highly successful Law & Order franchise.
- Touching Evil - "K"
Touching Evil originally aired in 2004 and followed the exploits of the FBI's Organized and Serial Crime (OSC) Unit, a rapid-response, elite crime squad. The OSC brings back renegade agent David Creegan (Jeffrey Donovan), who pushes the law to the limit to track the criminals no one else can find.
Our Take:
In theory, I'm a big fan of Universal's Brilliant But Cancelled line of DVD's. As a television junkie, I can't count how many times shows I've loved have been cancelled way before their time (let's hear it for Karen Cisco and Invasion!) In practice, however, I'm not entirely won over by the execution of these DVD's.
Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets collects the double-sized pilot and two other episodes of the crime drama that starred Joe Pantoliano, Jason Gedrick, and Ken Olin. The show is pretty good; I can see why people liked it, but in truth, I can also see why it got cancelled. It's solid but unspectacular. The problem is, these DVD sets just whet your appetite. I'm all for collecting shows on DVD that were cancelled, but as a four-episode collection, the set comes up lacking. With nine episodes aired, this set is obviously incomplete. And seeing as how the show was cancelled and few people likely remember it, I don't think that the sales are going to warrant a volume two, finishing out the run for the fans.
Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas is also a mixed bag, with four different shows represented by a pilot episode for each. The shows range from ones produced in the 60's to the 2000's, so you get a wide range of styles here. A little more coherency (say, all shows from the 90's) might have made the set stand out a bit more. Still, you get early work from Steven Bochco and John Cassavetes, and stars like Judd Hirsch and Louis Gossett Jr., plus the shows are all pretty solid.
If anything, the DVD sets seem to be more of a marketing ploy to draw attention to the Bravo network's website, www.brilliantbutcancelled.com. While I haven't explored the site myself, the ads that feature prominently on these DVD's make it seem as if you can watch more episodes there, as well as see extra feature-type material. Which is good, since there are no extra features on the discs themselves.
Ultimately, the Brilliant But Cancelled DVD's come across more like an experiment than a fully developed DVD line, but I'll be interested to see where they go from here. If you're addicted to crime dramas, these shows will probably be of interest to you, but be aware that you won't necessarily be able to watch more of the shows when you're done.
Overall Picture:
Shows (Average): B
DVD's: C
- Mike Spring
Editor
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