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Single with children is a staple for television sitcoms. This time around the approach is from the guy's side of the post-domestic battle of "Gary Unmarried" ($39.99, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment).
Divorce just isn't what it used to be with new-age nonsense colliding with this guy's "fridge with beer and not much else" lifestyle that will seem rather familiar to many TV viewers.
Jay Mohr as Gary puts a nice spin on the ex-husband and father who is negotiating a divorce full of rules; an ex-wife, Allison (Paula Marshall), who really isn't an ex in so many ways; and two children who are way smarter than their parents. Throw in a supporting cast of some of TV's best and you have 20 episodes of decent comedy taking a poke at the complexity of life after marriage.
The bonus extras include cast and crew commentary, a tour of the set with Mr. Mohr and a visit to supporting actor/eco activist Ed Begley Jr.'s environmentally friendly home. Just wish the bloopers section was longer.
-- Liz Gray, Post-Gazette staff writer
Wow, "Small Wonder" is finally on DVD. My big wonder is: Who was asking for it?
The syndicated half-hour comedy focused on the Lawson family: Ted, a cybernetics engineer; wife Joan, an '80s fashion plate whose catchphrase was a sarcastic "that makes sense"; and precocious son Jamie. The humor comes in when Ted brings home another "child": a Voice Input Child Identicant, V.I.C.I for short, aka Vicki.
The set ($34.99; Shout! Factory) includes all 24 episodes of the first season, which premiered in 1985. As for extras, there are five episodes that feature audio-only commentary from Dick Christie (Ted), Marla Pennington (Joan) and Jerry Supiran (Jamie), and at times creator Howard Leeds and actors Edie McClurg, who played a nosy neighbor and wife of Ted's boss, and Daryl Bartley, who played school nerd Warren. The parents yuk it up while Mr. Supiran seems to have made a better child actor than adult commentator. You'll wonder what these folks look like 15 years later, but that won't be satisfied. Also woefully missing is anything from Tiffany Brissette, who played Vicki, or Emily Schulman, who played neighbor girl Harriet.
Also included are TV promos that are more hokey than the episodes themselves and a rather odd fan art gallery.
-- Karen Carlin, Post-Gazette staff writer
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