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Regular Show: The Complete First and Second Seasons (2010-2011)

Warner Home Video
Blu-ray Disc Released: 7/16/2013

All Ratings out of:
Show:
Video: 1/2
Audio:
Extras: 1/2

Review by Sdyny Long, Posted on 7/2/2013

Media aimed at children is always reevaluated and redrawn before it airs anywhere, but there's one key factor that is either taken into consideration or completely abandoned: adult enjoyment. Many families with younger members watch "children" films and shows together nowadays. So while the kids are having fun with their familiar storylines, colorful characters, and juvenile humor, what's left for the parents? Fortunately, this issue has recently been remedied with more sophisticated jokes and clever references that adults will appreciate. One of the best examples of this tiny phenomenon is Regular Show.

The show is centered around indolent buddies, Mordecai (voiced by J.G. Quintel) and Rigby (voiced by William Salyers), twenty-something-year-olds who are employed at the local park. The human-like, equally lazy blue jay and raccoon can be found either avoiding work or confronting the odd creatures that so often invade their dimension. A cast of workers at The Park often join them in these battles, including their easily frustrated, organized boss, Benson (voiced by Sam Marin); the obese and animalistic Muscle Man (voiced by Sam Marin); The Park's owner's jolly, innocent son, Pops (voiced by Sam Marin); a millennium-old, incredibly wise yeti by the name of Skips (voiced by Mark Hamill); and the quiet, but fun-loving High Fives Ghost (voiced by J.G. Quintel).

The Blu-Ray pack consists of two discs, while the DVD pack consists of three, but both include all forty episodes from the first and second seasons. These episodes are:

Season One:

"The Power"/"Just Set Up The Chairs"

"Caffeinated Coffee Tickets"/"Death Punchies"

"Free Cake"/"Meat Your Maker"

"Grilled Cheese Deluxe"/"The Unicorns Have To Go"

"Prank Callers"/"Don"

"Rigby's Body"/"Mordecai and the Rigbys"

Season Two:

"Ello Gov'nor"/"It's Time"

"Appreciation Day"/"Peeps"

"Dizzy"/"My Mom"

"High Score"/"Rage Against The TV"

"Party Pete"/"Brain Eraser"

"Benson Be Gone"/"But I Have a Receipt"

"This Is My Jam"/"Muscle Woman"

"Temp Check"/"Jinx"

"See You There"/"Do Me a Solid"

"Grave Sights"/"Really Real Wrestling"

"The Night Owl"/"A Bunch of Baby Ducks"

"More Smarter"/"First Day"

"Skunked"/"Karaoke Video"

Some highlights from this set are "Don", "It's Time", "Meat Your Maker", and "Ello Gov'nor". In fairness, several of the show's gems are located on these discs (including the very amusing rhyme from Mordecai: "I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast/But I got some hummus for these mini-toast!") For any fan of Regular Show who was disenchanted by the release of DVDs such as "Party Pack" or "The Best DVD in the World" that only had a handful of episodes, this is the set you've been anticipating. Finally, Cartoon Network listened to its objectors and combined two seasons for eager "Regular Show" fans. This is definitely a release to add to your collection.

If you're new to the show itself and hesitant to try it, there's a few matters to consider. For one, it is rich with the adult enjoyment factor mentioned earlier. While Mordecai and Rigby may be immature, they crack jokes that will soar right over kids' heads and evoke a snicker out of even the most reserved parent. There's several references to the eighties and nineties (especially in the episode "This Is My Jam", which explores the dangers of one-hit wonder ear worms). The older audience will be able to sympathize with Mordecai's anxiety about being around Margaret (voiced by Janie Haddad), a pretty robin working at his favorite coffee shop. It's a show the whole family will enjoy watching, as long as you're willing to abide a few pointless explosions and "my mom" jokes, courtesy of Muscle Man.

Here lies the real question, though: is this a smart purchase? My answer is yes. Even if you're not a fan, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself or one of your children to the show. There are still two more seasons to watch after this (and it was recently renewed for a fifth!). In order to entirely appreciate the subtle nods back to previous episodes and continuing storylines (like Mordecai and Margaret's budding affections for one another), I would advise introducing yourself to the series. And this box set is the chance to spend your summer with the not-so-regular gang on Regular Show.

Regular Show: The Complete First and Second Seasons arrives on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Warner Home Video. The episodes are spread across to Discs. The shows have been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains a VC-1 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 15 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing no grain and no defects from the source materials. The colors look very good here, specifically Mordecai's blue, and the image is never overly dark or bright. The HD transfer doesn't expose any issues with the animation, despite the detailed nature of the image. The video rivals HD broadcast quality. The Disc carries a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track which runs at 48 kHz and a constant 192 kbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. Regular Show wouldn't necessarily benefit from a booming 5.1 track, but this track is a disappointment. While the dialogue is fine, most everything is focused on the center channel. Given how wild some episodes get, one can't help but wonder how they would have come across with more dynamic sound.

In contrast to the rather pale bonus features on the previous discs, this release is jam-packed with two hours' worth of treats. Almost every feature is worth watching and will quench many fans' thirst for more knowledge about the show, its origins, and its creator. The most impressive is the inclusion of commentary by the show's creator for all forty episodes. There's also the untitled Regular Show pilot, along with its animatic; "The Power" has its own animatic as well. The viewer can then dive deep into the show's humble beginnings by watching the remaining features: original pencil tests from Sacrom, CG tests for Hodgepodge Monster, 2010 Comic-Con teaser trailer, "The Naïve Man from Lolliland" Student Short (Pops' origin story), Sam Sings Mystery Karaoke, an interview with show creator JG Quintel, JG Quintel pitching "The Power", and the original Regular Show commercials.

Review by Mike Long. Copyright 2013.