The Show
Like many TV shows, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" didn't hit the airwaves in peak form. In fact, it was somewhat dead on arrival, thanks to some questionable casting, a dulling of Foxworthy's trademark comedy and a production that seemed to not understand what made him popular in the first place. But it would take more than time to fix this show. In the end, it would take a new cast, a new network and a new concept, and all that did was extend the show's lifetime by two seasons.

Unfortunately, this DVD set brings home the least impressive of the show's three seasons, its original 1995 run on ABC. Foxworthy runs a heating and air conditioning company, not in his comfortable Georgia locale, but in the Midwest, namely, Illinois. He's saddled with Anita Barone, who plays his wife, Karen (a wife who's a bit too fashionable for him), admired by his son, played by a pre-The Sixth Sense Haley Joel Osment, and annoyed by his younger brother, the always funny Jay Mohr (Suicide Kings, "Action"). It's amazing that Osment is as skilled an actor at this age, as he is in his more recent work. Of course, he's not working with the greatest material, but he makes it work.

Out of his Southern element, the show plays Foxworthy for as many fish-out-of-water punchlines as it can, along with a culture clash with Karen's rich parents. Foxworthy built a career on his "You might be a redneck..." routine, which is present in a big way, but his comedy worked mainly because of the sense of inclusion he developed. Sure, you laughed at the idea that someone might have a TV and refrigerator on their porch, but you could see something of yourself in the simple-life stories he told. This show made him the "country bumpkin" laughing stock, and though he's extrememly likeable in the role, it was hard to go along with the joke.

The comedy is very traditional-sitcom with the dim-witted dad, smart-mouthed kids, the wife's sexed-up best-friend and "wacky" supporting cast. You could probably find almost every non-Southern line and plot was lifted from another sitcom, and the rest came direct from his stand-up routine. In fact, lay this show over "Home Improvement" (note: another stand-up driven show) and you'll find a lot of similarities.

This is all-American comedy, aimed directly at middle America. If you aren't in that group, you still might find something to enjoy here. I didn't think I would, but I found myself enjoying the family-related comedy. But then, I enjoyed "Home Improvement," too.

The DVDs
The 18 full-frame episodes are split over two discs, with nine on each platter. These include one episode that didn't air during the show's original run, "Shootout at the Comedy Corral." There's an option to play all the episodes on each disc, plus an episode collection option. The menus are all static with no music. A four-page insert includes descriptions of each episode and credits.

Disc One: "Jeff's Life 101," "A Non-Affair to Remember," "The Gene Pool," "Elliot and Victoria's Secret," "A Womb with a View," "With Two You Get Cow's Milk," "Jeff & Ray & Rascal's Big Adventure," "A Sore Winner," "He's Making a List, Checking It Twice"

Disc Two: "Foxworthy Family Feud," "Matt About You," "Clan of the Bare Caves," "Before You Say 'No,' Just Hear Me Out," "Deedee Day," "He Ain't Heavy, He's a Bully," "Moonstruck," "Shootout at the Comedy Corral," "One Wedding and a Baby"

(Note: When putting this disc in my DVD-ROM drive, the disc hijacked my computer, and filled the screen with a Columbia Tri-Star DVD menu, that then didn't allow my DVD Player to read the drive, until I ejected and reinserted. I haven't noticed this previously, but it was on another Columbia disc I reviewed after this set.)

The Extras
There are no extras related to the show, but there are four previews for Columbia Tri-Star DVDs, grouped by category, including classic comedy, contempory hits, cult hits and "King of Queens."

The Wrap-Up
Foxworthy deserved better than this show, and eventually he got it in seasons two and three. While this may not be the best of the Foxworthy canon, there are worse things on DVD. If they had thrown in a few bonus features, this would have been an easy purchase for Foxworthy fans. As it is, it's worth checking out for just about anyone.

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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.