The Drew Carey Show- The Complete Series DVD Review
“The Drew Carey Show” is one of the best 90’s sitcoms.
1995’s “The Drew Carey Show” was an ABC sitcom that ran for 9 seasons. The Bruce Helford and Drew Carey created series revolved around a fictional version of Drew Carey who works a desk job for the Winfred-Louder department store in Cleveland, Ohio and spends a lot of time hanging with his friends Oswald (a goofy delivery man), Lewis (an oddball janitor at the shady DrugCo), and Kate (his friend and co-worker who he develops a relationship with at one point). Other key characters in this series include Mimi (the foul-mouthed office bully), Nigel Wick (the boss after the never seen Mr. Bell), and Steve (Drew’s cross-dressing brother). Throughout the series there are plots about a lawsuit against Drew, Drew’s relationships (Lisa, Nicki, Sharon, Kate and Kellie), hirings and firings at Winfred-Louder, Kate’s love life (including a relationship with Oswald and Drew), Buzz Beer, Drew winning the Batmobile, Mrs. Louder, parties, the Horn Dogs band, practical jokes, Mr. Wick in drug rehab, Mimi and Steve’s relationship, Drew in a coma, Larry (the co-worker), Drew getting a new job after Winfred-Louder goes bankrupt, and Drew’s marriage and son. The sitcom also featured a ton of guest stars (and recurring guest stars) such as Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, David Cross, Steve Buscemi, Kristen Wiig, and yes, even Donald Trump.
It should be noted that while this is a complete series set, 4 episodes are missing due to music rights. These include “Drew’s Dance Party Special,” “Drew Carey’s Back-To-School Rock ‘n’ Roll Comedy Hour” Parts 1 and 2 and “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
While there may have been bigger sitcoms in the 90’s like “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” “The Drew Carey Show” was always my favorite. The show was a mix of episodic and serialized storytelling and it wasn’t afraid to get weird and often surreal with bizarre opening segments (the alien dream and the routine bit) and creative episodes like the 4 error filled shows, the live episodes, and so forth. The show also focused on an everyman who wasn’t a glamorous sex symbol. He was a working man that enjoyed beer, hung out with his friends, dated, hung out at the local watering hole (Warsaw Tavern), and traversed everyday life. The show, while always a comedy, also dealt with real-life issues like mid-life crisis, goals, dating, life changes, office romance, being friend zoned, etc.
As with many sitcoms, the early seasons are the best with the first 5 being the most notable. The second season is when it really came into its own with the inclusion of Nigel Wick (Craig Ferguson). What really made the show work was the cast chemistry, the joke writing, and the memorable characters. It’s also a blast to see the actors laughing and or stifling laughs during the episodes. It gives the series more comedic energy and makes it feel less scripted. It also gives a sense of realism to a degree.
As mentioned above, the cast is truly perfect. Comedian Drew Carey has a great screen presence and is unafraid to try new things as the face of the show. Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Bader are pitch perfect as his pals Lewis and Oswald. Christa Miller became an overnight sitcom star thanks to this series. Kathy Kinney was tailor made for Mimi. You can’t imagine anyone else in the role. Craig Ferguson also shines as Nigel Wick.
Like with most shows, the show had a definite drop off in quality. Seasons 8 and especially 9 are particularly rough with season 9 not even feeling like “The Drew Carey Show.” The departure of several cast members in season 8 (Christa Miller, John Carroll Lynch and Craig Ferguson) really hurt the series as a whole too.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: Fullscreen. How does it look? There’s no restoration here but it’s just refreshing to see this series finally get released on DVD as only the first season had ever been released before.
Audio Track: Dolby Digital Stereo. How does it sound? The audio is crisp and clear.
The lone extra is a 19 minute featurette titled “Life Inside The Cubicle” which features interviews, production stories, and discussions about the cast and characters, season 1, and the Pilot episode.
No comments yet.
Share This Blog
Robert Ham
dmanderson
Andrea
nicklyons1
DVD Corner 
Leave a comment