If you watch any cable TV on a regular basis, you're bound to have heard of Duane "Dog" Chapman, the ex-con turned bail bondsman and bounty hunter whose show, Dog The Bounty Hunter has been a big ratings hit on A&E. Having never watched the show myself, I was intrigued by the new four-disc boxed set, Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3. However, I would imagine previous buyers of the Best of... discs are more than a little "intrigued" by this new collection; I suspect they're going to be downright upset. After all; Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3 contains exactly the same discs and episodes from the earlier DVD releases, all at a much lower price. The inclusion of The Wedding Special disc will only further annoy people who special ordered that disc at a premium price, as well.

Therefore, this kind of review is fairly easy to write. There's really no point in discussing the actual merits of the box set itself, since the collections are the exact same ones that have already been reviewed by our experts here at DVDTalk. Nothing is different on the discs, either from a technical or content standpoint; even the incorrect labeling of an episode off Disc One is still there. The only new variable worth mentioning is the lower price - a substantial savings which is sure to turn previous Dog DVD buyers into "tweaking ice heads" when they get out their calculators and see how much they overpaid.

As for my own opinions about the show, I'm faced with a similar dilemma I had when reviewing a recent re-release of The Outer Limits. I could talk about the series, but seriously, what's the point if this box set is exactly the same as the previous releases? Readers who like to tweak critics' noses here at DVDTalk for daring to discuss content, when we should really just discuss the technical merits of the actual video disc, will no doubt agree with the above. And as much as I disagree with that position, I must admit that for this particular box set, those readers may be right.

Besides, fans of the show who may be reading this review for advice on whether or not to double dip this box set, won't really want to hear my opinion anyway, since I'm afraid I didn't find Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3 as valuable a show as did other reviewers here at DVDTalk (see how I still slipped in my opinion, nose tweakers?). Initially entertaining, I found the episodes eventually repetitive, with the cross-cutting between Duane's family and the hunt for the fugitives, rote and predictable. Quite a few episodes seemed to promise more excitement than they delivered (certainly the granddaddy of all modern reality TV shows, Cops, has way more action), while the family drama often came off as forced and trivial.

Don't get me wrong. The Chapmans are presented as a loving, law-abiding family. And Dog and his crew perform an absolutely necessary job that few people think about, and even fewer people understand. However, each episode's clichéd ending, where Duane reaches out to the now magically meek, mild and polite criminals, offering Christian help and understanding, wore more and more on me as the series progressed. While it's true that according to Christian faith, the most unworthy deserve the most love and forgiveness, I'd be curious to hear what some of these "repentant" criminals' victims have to say about how these aggressors are portrayed on the show. Frankly, my sympathies lie with those unseen participants in this overdrawn, overblown series.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full frame video image for Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3 looks fairly sharp, with sold color values and a crisp, clean image.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 2.0 stereo mix is quite good, although there were times when close-captioning might have helped; unfortunately, it's not available.

The Extras:
Not counting the addition of The Wedding Special disc, the same extras are included here that were on the previous releases, including the Catch 'Em if You Can episode of Dirty Jobs that launched the series. Everything else - on air promos, cast bios, featurettes - are all the same, as well.

Final Thoughts:
I didn't find Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3 particularly entertaining or edifying. That will mean little to fans of the show and buyers of the previous DVD releases. What you want to hear is whether or not Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3 is worth a double dip? In a word: no. They're the exact same discs you already own - and at a much cheaper price. You will want to skip Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best of Season 1, 2 & 3. Newcomers? Rent first.