Well-documented is the sad and tragic tale of one Dave Chappelle, the charismatic host of Comedy Central's runaway hit Chappelle's Show. Enjoying tremendous ratings and even more impressive DVD sales, his sketch comedy sensation fizzled out by the end of the second season---and not because the ratings slumped, either. After being offered a huge contract by the network, Chappelle left because he felt the show wasn't going in the right direction; though fans around the world were disappointed, it was certainly an admirable decision from an artistic standpoint. This was his baby, so the content was more important than the paycheck.

Before he finally parted ways with the network, a handful of sketches were shot and prepared for broadcast---and though a number of them offer glimpses of sheer comedic genius, this isn't really Chappelle's Show for one simple reason: Chappelle himself isn't hosting it. These duties were assigned to co-stars Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings; though the rowdy pair do a decent job of filling Chappelle's shoes, it obviously just ain't the same. It's still an entertaining trio of episodes overall, though the scant 60-odd minutes of material are over far too quickly.

Surefire winners include "Lil' Jon in Love" (guest starring Susan Sarandon!), a tongue-in-cheek look at 2Pac's posthumous album releases, an over-the-top spoof of MTV's "Cribs" and several others. Less impressive efforts, like a sketch about "racial pixies", stick out for the wrong reasons; in fact, a portion of the episode in question is dedicated to awkward audience participation (though an included audio commentary sheds a bit of light on the situation). Here's the bottom line: even though they're slightly uneven from start to finish, they're still an entertaining mix of sketches. You might not laugh the whole way through, but The Lost Episodes offers plenty of chuckles along the way.

Strangely enough, Comedy Central aired these three episodes before the DVD release in question, though anyone who didn't tape the originals will be glad to have them preserved on disc. A number of uneven but worthwhile extras help to round out this release nicely, while the technical presentation manages to hold its own weight. All things considered, The Lost Episodes is a lightweight but solid one-disc release that sketch comedy fans should enjoy.

The menu designs (seen above) make use of the opening sequence's stark, simple atmosphere, combining a basic layout with easy navigation. A chapter index is not present for any of the episodes, though each one includes a handful of breaks for easy scanning. The packaging design is obviously a bit slimmer this time around, as this one-disc release is housed inside a standard clear keepcase highlighted by attractive double-sided artwork. A matching slipcover and a series of Comedy Central promotional inserts are also included.

It's good to see a few worthwhile bonus features on board, especially since the episode count is so slim. First up is a trio of Audio Commentaries featuring new hosts Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, joined by co-creator Neal Brennan. These three offer quite a few entertaining stories and light-hearted moments, though there's still a surprising amount of dead time during each one. Chappelle himself is practically nowhere to be found during these bonus features (at least the retrospective ones), but it's the commentaries where his absence may be the most noticeable.

Also here is the lightweight but entertaining "Making of Season 3-ish" featurette, naturally hosted by Murphy and Rawlings. It runs a bit long for its own good (especially after hearing the audio commentaries), but this brief look behind-the-scenes is still worth checking out. Up next is a batch of five Unaired Segments, which offer little in the way of comedy (with the exception of "Daddy Day Care 2", below left) due to their rough stages of completion. Luckily, also included is a collection of Bloopers; not only are they entertaining in their own right, they're often funnier than the final versions of each sketch. Rounding out the extras is a pair of Musical Performances (featuring Dead Prez and John Legend), as well as a series of Comedy Central Quickies and DVD Previews.

The episodes are a bit uneven (and so are the bonus features), but it's hard not to recommend Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes to fans of the short-lived but memorable series. Comedy Central's DVD holds its own with a decent technical presentation---which, in all honesty, is fairly well stacked for a one-disc release---and though the replay value might not be quite as high this time around, there's enough here to make The Lost Episodes worth looking into. Those new to the series are strongly encouraged to pick up Seasons 1 and 2 first, while die-hard Chappelle disciples shouldn't mind opening their hearts and wallets one last time...for now, at least. Mildly Recommended.