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Soap - The Complete First Season
Columbia/Tri-Star // Unrated // September 16, 2003
List Price: $29.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE EPISODES
I hadn't seen an episode of Soap since it ran in syndication, probably sometime around the mid-1980s. So my first apprehension when taking a look at Season One on DVD was the question of whether it would still hold up after all these years.
Well, the good news is that it does. It actually takes about three episodes for things to really get steamrolling (the chemistry between the actors isn't there yet in the first few shows), but once things do, Soap is just as enjoyable and as funny as any sitcom you'll see on the air today. In fact, some of the jokes are still so politically incorrect and edgy, that it's easy to see why there was such an outcry over this program from more conservative groups when it was first on the air.
It would be impossible to go through the entire plot of Season One in this review, but I'll try to set things up for those who are planning to watch the show for the first time, and for those who haven't watched it in so long they forget the premise. Basically Soap tells the story of two families – the Tates and the Campbells, which are connected by two sisters, Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon).
Jessica is married to rich bigwig, Chester (Robert Mandan) who is cheating on her with a number of women. Meanwhile, their adopted daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is just as promiscuous as Chester, and even Jessica goes off and has an affair with a tennis instructor (Robert Urich) who Corrine also happens to be seeing. Meanwhile, their son Billy (Jimmy Baio) is having his own problems with women, while their butler, Benson DuBois (yes that Benson – Robert Guillaume originated his famous role on this program) has to put up with it all – including the family's crazy grandfather, "The Major" (Arthur Peterson) who still thinks World War II is going on.
Just as many problems exist in the Campbell family, starting with Mary's husband Burt (Richard Mulligan), who is hiding the fact that he's the one who killed Mary's last husband and due to his guilt, can't sexually perform. Mary also has two sons – Jodie (Billy Crystal) who is not only gay, but wants to get a sex-change operation; and Danny (Ted Wass) who isn't having any problems with his sexuality, but is wrapped up with the Mob.
Confused? You won't be after this box set of Soap!
THE DVD
Video:
Sadly, the video here isn't in very good shape. The colors have a "washed-out" look, there is apparent pixilation noticeable in many scenes, and the overall video lacks the kind of sharpness you'd expect to find in a DVD transfer. Those familiar with Columbia House's releases of other shows from the 70's, such as All in the Family, can expect the same kind of quality here that were on those sets.
Audio:
Presented in 2.0 Dolby, the audio doesn't sound much better than a mono track. Fortunately, outstanding audio isn't needed for a sitcom like this, and the audio is good enough not to make for a distraction for the viewer.
Extras:
The most disappointing thing about Columbia/Tri Star's release of TV shows onto DVD has been the minimal effort in the area of bonus material. Other than an episode selection (with no chapter breakdown for each show) and four Trailers (American Sweethearts, Hollywood Homicide, plus a trailer for Columbia/Tri Star's TV Action Favorites and one for TV Comedy Favorites - both of which advertise their available TV Show DVDs), there are no other extras to be found on this three-disc set.
As far as episode division goes, the first ten shows are on Disc One, episodes 11 through 20 inhabit Disc Two, and the final five episodes of Season One are on Disc Three, plus the four trailers. There's also an insert that gives a cast list and brief one-sentence description of each episode…but this is info that Columbia/Tri Star should have taken the time to include on the DVD, rather than whipping up an insert for.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Obviously, fans of this series will be scooping up this box set for their collection, but given the lack of extras on these DVDs and what appears to be a lack of effort to provide fans with a real quality transfer of the show, I'm recommending this one for rental only.
I hadn't seen an episode of Soap since it ran in syndication, probably sometime around the mid-1980s. So my first apprehension when taking a look at Season One on DVD was the question of whether it would still hold up after all these years.
Well, the good news is that it does. It actually takes about three episodes for things to really get steamrolling (the chemistry between the actors isn't there yet in the first few shows), but once things do, Soap is just as enjoyable and as funny as any sitcom you'll see on the air today. In fact, some of the jokes are still so politically incorrect and edgy, that it's easy to see why there was such an outcry over this program from more conservative groups when it was first on the air.
It would be impossible to go through the entire plot of Season One in this review, but I'll try to set things up for those who are planning to watch the show for the first time, and for those who haven't watched it in so long they forget the premise. Basically Soap tells the story of two families – the Tates and the Campbells, which are connected by two sisters, Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon).
Jessica is married to rich bigwig, Chester (Robert Mandan) who is cheating on her with a number of women. Meanwhile, their adopted daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is just as promiscuous as Chester, and even Jessica goes off and has an affair with a tennis instructor (Robert Urich) who Corrine also happens to be seeing. Meanwhile, their son Billy (Jimmy Baio) is having his own problems with women, while their butler, Benson DuBois (yes that Benson – Robert Guillaume originated his famous role on this program) has to put up with it all – including the family's crazy grandfather, "The Major" (Arthur Peterson) who still thinks World War II is going on.
Just as many problems exist in the Campbell family, starting with Mary's husband Burt (Richard Mulligan), who is hiding the fact that he's the one who killed Mary's last husband and due to his guilt, can't sexually perform. Mary also has two sons – Jodie (Billy Crystal) who is not only gay, but wants to get a sex-change operation; and Danny (Ted Wass) who isn't having any problems with his sexuality, but is wrapped up with the Mob.
Confused? You won't be after this box set of Soap!
THE DVD
Video:
Sadly, the video here isn't in very good shape. The colors have a "washed-out" look, there is apparent pixilation noticeable in many scenes, and the overall video lacks the kind of sharpness you'd expect to find in a DVD transfer. Those familiar with Columbia House's releases of other shows from the 70's, such as All in the Family, can expect the same kind of quality here that were on those sets.
Audio:
Presented in 2.0 Dolby, the audio doesn't sound much better than a mono track. Fortunately, outstanding audio isn't needed for a sitcom like this, and the audio is good enough not to make for a distraction for the viewer.
Extras:
The most disappointing thing about Columbia/Tri Star's release of TV shows onto DVD has been the minimal effort in the area of bonus material. Other than an episode selection (with no chapter breakdown for each show) and four Trailers (American Sweethearts, Hollywood Homicide, plus a trailer for Columbia/Tri Star's TV Action Favorites and one for TV Comedy Favorites - both of which advertise their available TV Show DVDs), there are no other extras to be found on this three-disc set.
As far as episode division goes, the first ten shows are on Disc One, episodes 11 through 20 inhabit Disc Two, and the final five episodes of Season One are on Disc Three, plus the four trailers. There's also an insert that gives a cast list and brief one-sentence description of each episode…but this is info that Columbia/Tri Star should have taken the time to include on the DVD, rather than whipping up an insert for.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Obviously, fans of this series will be scooping up this box set for their collection, but given the lack of extras on these DVDs and what appears to be a lack of effort to provide fans with a real quality transfer of the show, I'm recommending this one for rental only.
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