Wildchats
Me
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 15, 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,064
My review of the Full Series DVD focusing on seasons 3-6
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All the episodes are 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds more than 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds under 24 minutes. But just about that.
When I compare them to reruns, they are full episodes. USA Network/UPN reruns in the 1990s and early 2000's on tape tradings I have of the show on VHS are AWFUL. They end some of the episodes too soon, and on the DVD release, some episodes open a half a minute or more earlier and end a half a minute or more later which those parts are sometimes edited out of re-runs on different networks...it depends.
For example...
Mama from season 5, on UPN, from my tape trading back in 2002, ended with Nell going "You can see! You can see!" And the ending credits rolled there. However, on the DVD release, there is an additional scene with Nell back home with Addy and Nell in the living room looking at a letter Mama sends Nell when she returns home to Alabama and talks about her earrings Nell gave her. That goes on for close to a minute and the end credits roll there. THAT's how it was originally aired and they cut that on UPN airings. UPN airings were much much longer than USA network airings because when I recorded the show on USA network, they would leave out a lot, and on UPN they'd include more, as some of the episodes I recieved on tape trading were bonus ones I already had like "Friendship" in which USA cuts out some parts that UPN kept in. Usually, the transition scenes to commercials are severely edited out on reruns which are ALL intact on the DVD release. Like when you know something is so stupid and makes no sense and on the DVD it's all there and then you think "Wow, that's where that line came from!," or "Wow, I knew there would be more in that scene that faded into the next!" A lot of scenes that faded into new ones on reruns are extended on the DVD, so yes, they are full original network airings.
In season 6, in Joey the Gambler, Nell walks into the living room to watch Casablanca on the USA airing back in 1998, but I had no idea there was a scene with Maggie in the hallway that opened the episode. That scene is now back. So it all makes sense with Maggie bringing in Nell's shoes and the line she told Nell which Nell told her in the hallway that wasn't there on USA airings.
On USA network, they had several commercial breaks, but on UPN, I recall they only had ONE, or two. On the DVD release, they usually have ONE commercial break with the still photo of the cast that appears. Chapter 1 is the credits or the opening scene that goes into the credits which happened a few times between seasons 3-6, chapter 2 is the first 8-13 minutes, chapter 3 is the next up to 23/24 minutes or so, chapter 4 is the end credits OR if there is ONE final commercial break which happens a few times throughout seasons 3-6, in that case, the final scene starts, then 30seconds to a minute later the end credits roll.
The episode "Grandpa's Secret Life" I am surprised from the USA network airing I have of it is pretty much in it's entirety when it aired on re-runs. However, they did edit a few lines out which are back on the DVD such as Katrina responding to her grandfather still being alive "It must be something in the pickles," and Leopold commenting on how Nell called him "Leo" and how his late wife called him that and he HATED it.
The episode "Baby of the Family" on USA airing made no sense when Katie said "Nell, the Library's at 4th and Elm", but I believe the line was cut out on the USA airing where Nell told Katie if she knew where the library was. That's all intact and included on the DVD release now. So that's proof everything is there.
So yes, these are FULL original network airings and all the songs Nell sang are there. Nothing is left out I believe. All the scenes are there, and they are possibly just the way they aired on NBC. Some openings of the show are not the way USA network did them, as the cast picture in the opening was sometimes different...they edited the show badly on USA and even on UPN at times, messing up the opening theme and cutting out a note or 2 or 3 from the first second of the song...you know, how they'd roll the USA network logos and then quickly jump into the opening of the show?
Speaking of the THEME SONGS...They are all perfect now and not rushed, so you hear the ENTIRE notes from the first second of the theme song in every episode. I recall in season 1-2 they did sort of mess up a note or so when they transferred the show to DVD on a few episodes, but I think the transfer of seasons 3-6, the opening theme came a lot better than seasons 1-2 transfer overall, because all the episodes you can hear the entire notes without any of the first few missing.
Like in the season 5-6 version theme, there is a quick note that you can hear as the theme opens up that was most of the time edited out on reruns because they went into the themes too fast as they did in seasons 3-4...it sounded better than season 3-4 if they went into the theme fast on reruns because it still sounded good, but that one note is there in all the theme openings of seasons 5-6. As in "Joey the Gambler" when it aired on reruns on USA, you can hear that note, and you can also hear that note in other episode openings that don't rush too fast into the theme. I don't know if you get what I'm saying...but it sounds more like a Violin opening the theme if they cut that first note out on re-runs, and on the DVD release, you get that very first ditty note before they add that volinish music, so the entire theme is in full and not edited one bit on the DVD release.
I was afraid that they were going to use rushed versions of the original aired themes, because I'm sure on NBC they also edited the rush in's to the theme song badly at times, cutting out a note or so, but on the DVD, you get every single note, which means they did a good job with the audio transfer. It may just be my TV because it's not a plasma or flatscreen, but the sound quality is not excellent. It's good, but it's not excellent. Maybe it would be best if I played the DVD on a TV that was flatscreen on plasma. But the audio they did a great job not cutting any of the themes first few notes out as they usually did on network airings.
On USA airings, they did not include Sammy Davis Jr.'s credit for "The Lookalike"...it's there now on the DVD release, and they didn't include Simpson's credit from "Joey" I believe, or one of the first few from season 3 which he was in, which is now there in the opening credits. Also, there is ONE episode where Simpson/Addy's credit is side by side in season 4 when they are at the front door. Was this how it was in the original airing? I think it was the VERY first episode where Addy was added to the cast and the first episode she was part of in season 4, then they gave her and Simson their own shot seperately.
Nothing seems re-edited. The live episode "Cat Story" included "In 5, 4, 3,2,1" and the final cast bow. "The Elevator" included "Ladies and gentleman you've just witnessed the 100th performance of GAB, 5 glorious years" and the cake cutting. I was thinking they might have edited those out to just end credits without the cast bows or the introductions, but it's all there, so it's all as it was on NBC.
Video quality is really good. I give it a 10/10 while in a few episodes I give it a 9/10 because of some thick lines of film that quickly flash on the screen. However, there are some episodes that do have a minor flaw here and there, and a little mess up with some lines but the overall quality is really good.
Audio quality...I am pretty sure it's not the best, but in the episode "Grandpa's Secret Life" I was able to make out the line "She still has her own upper teeth." when I recorded it on USA, it sounds like "She still has her own appe-tite" which I had no idea what that meant. So the audio is good, but since my TV is basic and not a plasma or flatscreen, I can hear some flaws in the sound, maybe it's just my TV. But definitely 8/10 sound
Every episode has chapter selections, which is great. They needed these. I am not sure about seasons 1-2 but I also have those on DVD and I forget how they are done. I know the Universal Release for season 1 has skip each episode but the Fremantle has subtitles I believe for season 1 and I don't know about season 2. I think it's basically the same transfer they did for seasons 1-2 and just duplicated the discs again for this set.
Ending themes on re-runs for season 3-6 ended fast and messy, but on the DVD release. they are longer than on the netowork re-runs and without the voice overs for what's on next...I was hoping to hear FULL ending themes... "Christmas In New York" has a really long extended ending theme. But there is never a FULL ending theme to complete the same pacing of the opening theme song with two rounds of "Gimme A Break's!" sung and then all the singers singing it together to end the ending theme. They never did that, I see. I wonder if there is a copy out there somewhere of the 2 versions of the ending theme song from the later seasons that is in full ending theme style or if they just looped it with the singers singing "Gimme a Break!" and faded it out?
But it's good the fans don't have to worry anymore about the show not being back on re-runs or tape trading with horrible transferred quality episodes from USA/UPN network re-runs. Every episode is now on DVD with above average sound and video quality and with chapter selections.
