CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 12/09/05

Twenty-Two More for the Road

by dennis sampson

David Lloyd, Tom Reeder, Phoef Sutton, Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, Peter Casey, David Lee, Ken Levine, David Isaacs, Patricia Niedialek, Cecil Alch, Brian Pollack, Mert Rich, Rod Burton, Dan O'Shannon, Mark Anderson
Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles

Even in its seventh season, Cheers continued to solidify itself in TV history as a pioneer of the sitcom medium. Its plots grew more intricate, its jokes got wittier, and best of all, its characters became more dimensional. As was signature of the series, the best episodes grew from character -- "Please Mr. Postman," in which Cliff (John Ratzenberger) finally gets a love interest, and "Send in the Crane," when Sam (Ted Danson) tries to date a mother and her daughter -- are fraught with genuine laughs, chiefly because the narratives were entirely dependent on the neurotic and compulsive tendencies of the people involved. Even Woody's (Woody Harrelson) character is elevated this season into a colorful and humanized element of the show, rather than a mere comic go-to for easy laughs. Moreover, storylines like the one where the crew takes up skydiving manage to stay grounded because the show always deferred to its richly defined characters above all else. As with the previous seasons, the box set for seven is shamefully devoid of extras. It appears as though the Paramount TV DVD department either doesn't care about the quality of their discs, or feels its programs alone are enough to sustain a memorable box set. Sadly, the former seems more likely.

Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season
Paramount Home Entertainment
Not rated; 532 min.
$39.98

Buy it now

Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

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