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Suite Life of Zack and Cody - Taking Over the Tipton, The
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // G // July 18, 2006
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Show
Those who aren't familiar with the programming on The Disney Channel may assume that the network shows only cartoons and Disney movies (FYI -- they don't show nearly enough Disney movies). But the channel has many original live-action shows, some of which are sit-coms. Shows such as Lizzie McGuire or Even Stevens were fairly close to the standard network sitcom, but didn't have exactly the same feel. The same can't be said for The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, a show which would have been right at home on ABC's "TGIF" line-up. Disney DVD has recently released a compilation of episodes from the show entitled The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody stars twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Zack and Cody respectively. (The twins have been featured as a single character on Grace Under Fire and Friends and in the film Big Daddy.) In the show, the boys live in Boston's Tipton Hotel, where their mom, Carey (Kim Rhodes), sings in the hotel's nightclub. Because their mother works in the hotel, the boys live in a suite. Zack is impetuous and rowdy, while Cody is smart and responsible. They spend their time mingling with and harassing the other employees and residents of the hotel, including; Mr. Moesby (Phill Lewis), the stuff manager; Maddie (Ashley Tisdale), the candy-counter clerk; London (Brenda Song), the spoiled daughter of the hotel's owner; and Arwin (Brian Stepanek), the bizarre maintenance man.
The episodes included on the The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton DVD are as follows:
"Rock Star in the House" (Original airdate 9/18/05) -- Singer Jesse McCartney visits The Tipton, bringing a swarming mass of fans. Maddie and London both scheme to get near the star, while Zach is busy selling McCartney souvenirs to the fans. Meanwhile, Cody is having difficulty with his science fair projects and gets help from Arwing, although adult assistance is against the rules.
"Kisses & Basketball" (Original airdate 1/1/06) -- When Zack and Cody's basketball team wins an important team, Zack is kissed by teammate Max (Alyson Stoner of the Cheaper by the Dozen films). Zack is very confused by this and now doesn't know how to approach Max, who had been simply a good friend. London's father threatens to cut off her cash supply, so Maddie helps London deal with her shopping addiction.
"Odd Couples" (Original airdate 2/3/06) -- Cody is fed up with being the one to keep the bedroom (which he shares with Zack) clean, so he moves into the coat closet. Despite the fact that she isn't very smart, London pretends that she is to catch the eye of a visiting Merit Scholar.
"French 101" (Original airdate 2/10/06) -- When a French dignitary visits The Tipton, Zack and Cody are both immediately attracted to his daughter, Jolie (Katelyn Pippy). This creates a competition to see who can get a date with this girl who doesn't speak English. Bellhop Esteban (Adrian R'Mante) loses his confidence when he's unable to stop a mugger. Maddie and London create a fake mugging to help Esteban feel useful.
The DVD contains a "Bonus Episode" which is listed in the Special Features menu:
"A Midsummer's Nightmare" (Original airdate 8/11/06) -- Zack and Cody both try out for the school play, which is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Nights Dream". Cody just wants to be in the play, but Zack is doing it to be near a girl. Mirroring the story in the play, the girl who Zack likes falls for Cody and Cody's girlfriend (of one day) begins to like Zack. Carey becomes the assistant director of the play and immediately takes over.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody differs from The Disney Channel's other sitcoms as it's taped before a live studio audience and has that standard "shot on tape" sitcom look. Actually, nearly everything about this show is standard as it's about as middle-of-the-road as a show can get. It isn't bad, but it isn't very good either. Like most mediocre sitcoms, each episode contains some preposterous setup, a few laughs, and a lesson at the end. Being on a cable channel doesn't make this show special, because, again, it would fit right in on any network's lineup (on a weak night). The episodes offer a few laughs (typically courtesy of Arwin, who seems to be in a different show altogether) but little more.
The Sprouse Twins were very good in their small roles as younger children, but they may not have been the best choice to carry a show, as neither are very good actors. Each is called upon to deliver sassy lines and apparently the advice from the director is always "The louder, the better." Despite being veteran actors (at a young age) both give off an awkward vibe. The adult cast is better, but no one really stands out as a great thespian.
As for the DVD, it's a disappointment as well. As full season DVD sets of television shows have become such a wonderful item, I find compilation DVDs quite annoying. However, if you must release a compilation DVD, include the pilot episode on the disc so that newcomers (like myself) will know what's going on in the show. The episodes included here appear to have been picked at random, as there's no common theme. It is quite obvious that there's a chronological leap in the shows, as Dylan and Cole look years older in the last three episodes.
Video
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton checks in on DVD courtesy of Disney DVD. As noted above, the DVD contains five episodes of the show, each of which is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image here is sharp and clear for the most part, although the image gets a tad soft at times. There is no grain or defects from the source material present. The colors look fine and artifacting is kept to a minimum. In short, the video rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
I was surprised to find that the episodes carry a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The stereo effects are good, but the surround sound effects are limited to musical cues and audience laughter. Subwoofer effects are sparse, but noticeable when they do occur.
Extras
Aside from the bonus episode described above, the only other extra on the DVD is "Hangin' with Dylan & Cole" (6 minutes), a short featurette which offers an interview with the twins. They talk about their characters and what it's like to work on the show. There are also comments from Jesse McCartney who sings for some reason.
I'm sure there are those who wonder why anyone would buy TV shows on DVD. I wonder why anyone would buy a DVD with 5 random episodes of a mediocre show. Yes, the show is aimed at pre-adolescents and tweens, but shouldn't they be offered an above average show and not a vehicle which simply recycles old sitcom ideas?
Those who aren't familiar with the programming on The Disney Channel may assume that the network shows only cartoons and Disney movies (FYI -- they don't show nearly enough Disney movies). But the channel has many original live-action shows, some of which are sit-coms. Shows such as Lizzie McGuire or Even Stevens were fairly close to the standard network sitcom, but didn't have exactly the same feel. The same can't be said for The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, a show which would have been right at home on ABC's "TGIF" line-up. Disney DVD has recently released a compilation of episodes from the show entitled The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody stars twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Zack and Cody respectively. (The twins have been featured as a single character on Grace Under Fire and Friends and in the film Big Daddy.) In the show, the boys live in Boston's Tipton Hotel, where their mom, Carey (Kim Rhodes), sings in the hotel's nightclub. Because their mother works in the hotel, the boys live in a suite. Zack is impetuous and rowdy, while Cody is smart and responsible. They spend their time mingling with and harassing the other employees and residents of the hotel, including; Mr. Moesby (Phill Lewis), the stuff manager; Maddie (Ashley Tisdale), the candy-counter clerk; London (Brenda Song), the spoiled daughter of the hotel's owner; and Arwin (Brian Stepanek), the bizarre maintenance man.
The episodes included on the The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton DVD are as follows:
"Rock Star in the House" (Original airdate 9/18/05) -- Singer Jesse McCartney visits The Tipton, bringing a swarming mass of fans. Maddie and London both scheme to get near the star, while Zach is busy selling McCartney souvenirs to the fans. Meanwhile, Cody is having difficulty with his science fair projects and gets help from Arwing, although adult assistance is against the rules.
"Kisses & Basketball" (Original airdate 1/1/06) -- When Zack and Cody's basketball team wins an important team, Zack is kissed by teammate Max (Alyson Stoner of the Cheaper by the Dozen films). Zack is very confused by this and now doesn't know how to approach Max, who had been simply a good friend. London's father threatens to cut off her cash supply, so Maddie helps London deal with her shopping addiction.
"Odd Couples" (Original airdate 2/3/06) -- Cody is fed up with being the one to keep the bedroom (which he shares with Zack) clean, so he moves into the coat closet. Despite the fact that she isn't very smart, London pretends that she is to catch the eye of a visiting Merit Scholar.
"French 101" (Original airdate 2/10/06) -- When a French dignitary visits The Tipton, Zack and Cody are both immediately attracted to his daughter, Jolie (Katelyn Pippy). This creates a competition to see who can get a date with this girl who doesn't speak English. Bellhop Esteban (Adrian R'Mante) loses his confidence when he's unable to stop a mugger. Maddie and London create a fake mugging to help Esteban feel useful.
The DVD contains a "Bonus Episode" which is listed in the Special Features menu:
"A Midsummer's Nightmare" (Original airdate 8/11/06) -- Zack and Cody both try out for the school play, which is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Nights Dream". Cody just wants to be in the play, but Zack is doing it to be near a girl. Mirroring the story in the play, the girl who Zack likes falls for Cody and Cody's girlfriend (of one day) begins to like Zack. Carey becomes the assistant director of the play and immediately takes over.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody differs from The Disney Channel's other sitcoms as it's taped before a live studio audience and has that standard "shot on tape" sitcom look. Actually, nearly everything about this show is standard as it's about as middle-of-the-road as a show can get. It isn't bad, but it isn't very good either. Like most mediocre sitcoms, each episode contains some preposterous setup, a few laughs, and a lesson at the end. Being on a cable channel doesn't make this show special, because, again, it would fit right in on any network's lineup (on a weak night). The episodes offer a few laughs (typically courtesy of Arwin, who seems to be in a different show altogether) but little more.
The Sprouse Twins were very good in their small roles as younger children, but they may not have been the best choice to carry a show, as neither are very good actors. Each is called upon to deliver sassy lines and apparently the advice from the director is always "The louder, the better." Despite being veteran actors (at a young age) both give off an awkward vibe. The adult cast is better, but no one really stands out as a great thespian.
As for the DVD, it's a disappointment as well. As full season DVD sets of television shows have become such a wonderful item, I find compilation DVDs quite annoying. However, if you must release a compilation DVD, include the pilot episode on the disc so that newcomers (like myself) will know what's going on in the show. The episodes included here appear to have been picked at random, as there's no common theme. It is quite obvious that there's a chronological leap in the shows, as Dylan and Cole look years older in the last three episodes.
Video
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over The Tipton checks in on DVD courtesy of Disney DVD. As noted above, the DVD contains five episodes of the show, each of which is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image here is sharp and clear for the most part, although the image gets a tad soft at times. There is no grain or defects from the source material present. The colors look fine and artifacting is kept to a minimum. In short, the video rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
I was surprised to find that the episodes carry a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The stereo effects are good, but the surround sound effects are limited to musical cues and audience laughter. Subwoofer effects are sparse, but noticeable when they do occur.
Extras
Aside from the bonus episode described above, the only other extra on the DVD is "Hangin' with Dylan & Cole" (6 minutes), a short featurette which offers an interview with the twins. They talk about their characters and what it's like to work on the show. There are also comments from Jesse McCartney who sings for some reason.
I'm sure there are those who wonder why anyone would buy TV shows on DVD. I wonder why anyone would buy a DVD with 5 random episodes of a mediocre show. Yes, the show is aimed at pre-adolescents and tweens, but shouldn't they be offered an above average show and not a vehicle which simply recycles old sitcom ideas?
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