Synopsis
I presume a synopsis of Cheers would be redundant, because if you’re not familiar with theshow, than this review would hold no interest. Anyway, this first season sets up the bar and thecharacters, in particular the feuding love-hate relationship between Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane(Shelley Long). In fact, in the pilot episode, we see how Diane gets hired in the first place.
Audio
The sound (in 2.0) breaks down pretty much into three categories. The mus…c soundswonderful, with a kind of crystalline delicacy that exceeded my memories. Then there are thesound effects, or rather lack thereof. Essentially, the only effect that gets the surround treatmentis the laugh track. Finally, the dialogue, and here is where the disc disappoints. There is a harshtone to the voices, and they frequently distort, with the flaw worse in some episodes than others.At its worst, the buzzing is very distracting.
Video
The picture looks so nice that the fact that the sound isn’t very good is all the more a shame.The colours are deep and rich, and there is no grain. This is a very handsome transfer. Thecontrasts and blacks are deep and strong, and the flesh tones always accurate. This is one of themost attractive TV series packagings I’ve seen: a real pleasure to look at.
Special Features
Very disappointing. The only extra of any worth is a retrospective interview with TedDanson, and it’s only an 8-minute featurette. Other than an interactive trivia game, all the otherfeatures are 4-minute compilations of clips, focussing on Ted and Diane, Coach, and Norm.Utterly trivial, and the menu is bare-bones too.
Closing Thoughts
A bit of a mixed bag, then, with great picture, iffy sound, and thin extras.
Special Features List
- “Setting the Bar: A Convseration with Ted Danson”
- “Love at First Fight: Opposites Distract”
- “Coach Ernie Pantusso’s Rules of the Game”
- “I’ll Drink to That: Stormin’ Norm-isms”
- “It’s A Little Known Fact…” Cheers Trivia Game
