Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: animation, surreal comedy, Harvey Birdman, Stephen Colbert
Likes: [adult swim], Paget Brewster, John Michael Higgins, Gary Cole
Dislikes: anime (because it is teh suck)
Hates: Blue Falcon

The Story So Far...
Taking one of Hanna-Barbara's lame '60s superheroes and casting him and his cast of villains in a courtroom comedy that explores the legal problems that face Saturday morning's favorites, this series formed part of the foundation for the successful [adult swim] programming block. With his sidekick/paralegal Peanut, Harvey Birdman navigates a river of oddness as part of the law firm of Sebben and Sebben, defending plenty of accused cartoon criminals. The first volume of episodes was released back in April of 2005, and was followed by volume two in October of 2006. DVDTalk has reviews of both volumes: Volume One | Volume Two.

The Show
I can say, without doubt, that "Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law" is my favorite [adult swim] show ever ("Sealab 2021" and "The Brak Show" are right up there ("Cartoon Planet" wasn't originally [adult swim], so I slide on a technicality there.)) The surreal sense of humor, the wonderful twisting of nostalgia and the fantastic voice cast all added up to a dream project that appealed to the oddball child in everyone who grew up watching Hanna-Barbera cartoons while riding a sugar buzz though the afternoon.

So to see the series end was a serious bummer, but at least the series went out on top, instead of petering out, using the same tired, old jokes to fill out more uninspired episodes (take that as flame-bait about whatever long-running show you might be a fan of.) The final 13 shows, two of which aired only weeks before the DVDs were released, are perfect examples of what made the series so great, and give the series a terrific final burst of comedy.

After adding the wonderful Paget Brewster ("Criminal Minds") as the mental Judy Ken Sebben (a.k.a. Birdgirl) last volume, this volume brings aboard acerbic comic Lewis Black as The Deadly Duplicator. As an evil villain out to destroy Birdman for perceived slights against his dual-focused mind, Lewis is brilliant, bringing every bit of his well-know anger to the part, while adding in the silliness the series demands of its characters. Introduced in the non-stop "Identity Crisis," in which he clones Birdman and everyone else, and appearing in cameos later, The Deadly Duplicator gave the series yet another fine weapon in it's humor arsenal.

Welcoming Black wouldn't be the only change though, as Stephen Colbert left the show for a while, in a move that inspired not only the storyline that followed, leading into the series finale, but also some tremendous in-jokes that brilliantly explained what was happening if you paid attention. Few series have ever handled the loss of a cast member as well as this show, turning what could have been a blow to the franchise into a true strength. No character enjoyed as great a leap in terms of enjoyment as Birdgirl, who handled the situation as only someone with severe mental disorders could.

Volume Three hits some true high notes, thanks to not one, but two episodes focusing on Mentok the Mindtaker (John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), two episodes that broke all formulas, representing a lost episode of the original "Birdman" series and a employee orientation film for Sebben and Sebben, and a finale that is just about the ideal ending to the series. Calling back to the previous 38 episodes, while taking the animation to a level never seen in the series before, the show is as final as any finale cold get, while not feeling like an attempt to tie up loose ends (since there really aren't any.) It just luxuriates in the madness and celebrates a great series along with the viewer.

The DVD
Surprisingly, the [adult swim] design squad managed to resist temptation and allowed the series to complete its run on DVD with just one look, that being the hardcover legal book theme with a textured slipcase (Make sure you read the back.) The two-tray digipak takes the form of a copy of Mandamus, a lad magazine for the legal set, and as usual, it has a bunch of jokes strewn throughout the episode descriptions. Even the promotional insert is part of the joke.

The DVDs have static anamorphic widescreen main menus, with options to play all the episodes on each disc, select shows and adjust the set-up, along with special features on disc two. Unlike previous releases, there doesn't seem to be any hidden material in the menus. Subtitles (in English, Spanish and French) and closed captioning are available, but there are no audio options.

The Quality
The full-frame transfers are excellent, like the previous release. The colors are bright, outlines are crisp and there's not a spot of dirt or damage, at least amongst the new footage. The old footage, especially the Atom Ant material in "Incredible Hippo," is pretty worn, but its flaws are mainly noticeable in contrast with the new footage.

The sound, presented as Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks, delivers the dialogue and sound clearly. Don't expect much, as you shouldn't for a low-budget basic cable comedy cartoon, and you won't be disappointed.

The Extras
After getting nine commentaries on the previous release, we get none for Volume Three, at least none I could find (and believe me, I looked.) So obviously, we're already on the path for disappointment, and the second disc's OK bonus features don't do much to divert us from that destination. The best of the bunch is the ingenious "Joke Timeline," which shows every appearance of 14 of the show's running jokes. It's surprising to see how some of the more well-known gags appeared only a few times in the series.

It's joined by the 30-second "Birdman Characters," a quick montage of the main players, and three clips from the recording studio, which add up to less than five minutes of video, featuring the cast making noises, a prank pulled on one of the actors, and Maurice Lamarche's legendary impersonation cracking up Gary Cole. Cute, but no great shakes.

There's also a five-page origin comic for X the Eliminator, which is presented in an annoying manner that hardly entices you to sit though it. Unfortunately, that's the only way to read it, as otherwise, it's too small and blurry to understand. Things wrap up with eight deleted scenes and two sets of scene animatics. For animation buffs, it might be interesting, but there's nothing all that interesting to watch.

The Bottom Line
If this has to be the way Harvey Birdman ends his run as a cartoon, then at least he went out on top, thanks to some excellent episodes that rank among the series' best work. The addition of Lewis Black to the cast, the great Mentok-focused episodes, Birdgirl's continued greatness, some unique anti-episodes, a great finale...there's so much here to enjoy. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the DVDs, which maintain their solid level of quality, but took the day off in terms of the extras. Maybe they just couldn't bear to say goodbye, but a proper send-off would have been nice. As a result, the discs are mainly for completists, or those who missed out on the goodness the first time around and can't be bothered to stay up all night.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.