PJ's: Season 1

I've gotten hold of an early copy of the set, so I figured I'd share some specifics about what the set looks like, what's actually contained, etc. This isn't really a review of the show itself - I figure The PJs is a niche enough show that only fans are likely to stumble across this page anyway - suffice to say, I'd rate the show somewhere in the 4.5/5 region, firmly in the upper echelon of TV animation.

The packaging for the set is pretty basic - standard-width Amaray case, containing two discs, one on a tray. Back cover is pretty uneventful, with a large picture and a brief description of the show. There are, frustratingly, no episode details on either the back of the box or on an insert inside; you have to put the discs in your player to see what's on them.

The menus are static. The main menu plays The PJs theme song in the background and offers two options, "play all" and "episode selection". Pretty self-explanatory. There are no alternative language tracks, there are no subtitle options (not even English). The set is, however, closed-captioned.

The episodes are presented on the set in production order (not airdate order). Thirteen episodes are included. This means that "How the Super Stoled Christmas" is not included, as it was one of the last episodes produced, despite being listed as part of season one on most online episode guides. Wikipedia mentions a "pilot" episode; if that exists, it's not included here either (I say "if", as I've never seen it, and IMDb and TV.com don't list it). The back-of-the-box DVD running time allocates 24 minutes to each episode (more on the *actual* running times later); based on this, July 5th's release of season 2 will contain eighteen episodes. I'd guess at this including the seventeen episodes generally considered to comprise season 2, plus "How the Super Stoled Christmas", but that's pure speculation. (It's anyone's guess how they'll treat the confusing jumble of season three..)

Full episode list:

DISC 1
1. The Door
2. Rich Man, Porn Man
3. Hangin' with Mr. Super
4. Journal Fever
5. Bougie Nights
6. Haiti Sings the Blues
7. Bones, Bugs and Harmony
8. A Hero Ain't Nothing But A Super

DISC 2
9. He's Gotta Have It
10. Boyz 'N The Woods
11. Operation Gumbo Drop
12. U Go Kart
13. House Potty

I haven't had time to check every episode, but I believe they all run their original length (around 22:30). If anyone has anything specific they'd like me to check, please ask. The music *has* been changed in some instances; most noticeably, The Jeffersons theme tune in "Bougie Nights" has been changed to generic music. A crying shame, though I acknowledge that for a cult show like this, the sales would probably never have justified the cost of clearing the originals.

The AV quality of the set is pretty good; marginally better than I might have expected.

When all's said and done, I'm still very happy about this release; I'd resigned myself to never seeing the show on DVD. Now it's here? Well, it's not perfect, but it's way better than nothing. Hope I've helped.

Finally The PJ's is on DVD. My husband and I thought this was one of the funniest shows ever. I can remember years ago looking for this and it of course was nowhere to be found. I was so happy when I found out it was on DVD and ordered it right away. I think we laughed harder than we did when we first saw the show years ago. I have no idea why it was cancelled. I am just happy to be able to get these DVD's now.

I thought I'd never see the day when "The PJs" was released on DVD. The first two seasons are brilliantly funny -- and just politically incorrect enough that I doubt such a show would ever be green-lighted by a major network these days.

I watch "The PJs" on TV One every Saturday morning, and I can only hope that the DVD versions include original music. For example: in the episode "Bougie Fever" (sp?), a five or six second sample of "The Jeffersons" theme song is changed in the syndicated version. The scene absolutely loses its hilarity, and I hope that it's unchanged on the DVD.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews  4.8 out of 5 stars