The show combines a good amount of real household tips with a solid parody of the stereotypical 1950s/1960s housewife and a love of campy goodness. Brini, a remarkably feminine cross dresser, rarely references her hidden self, and instead dives in head-first to become the ideal woman that was the classic suburban housewife. If Martha Stewart has existed as a conglomerate in the Age of Aquarius, she would be Brini, who coolly and humorously takes a theme each time and works her concepts, including "Make Yourself at Home," a segment on handy creations, and "Out and About," which sees Brini hit the road in search of more fabulousness.

Brini (played by Ben Sander, with an elegance Martha would envy) seems like another perfect housewife out to spread her well-earned domestic genius, but in watching the series, there's a subtle bit of characterization at work, as Brini can go through a series of emotions in a single line read, looking like she's happy, content, alert and concerned in a span of five seconds. One wonders if the character is supposed to be utilizing "Mommy's little helpers" to get through her busy day. It would certainly explain some of the style choices she makes (such as a room colored in Number 2 Pencil Yellow and Peg Board Brown.) When she finds herself arguing with herself or second-guessing herself, its as real and hilarious as any of these series gets

Each show is just 22 minutes long, and, made up of a variety of segments, they move with rapid speed. Though Brini is quite funny and there's a sense of ridiculous humor that informs the bits (keep an eye on the text pop-ups for hidden jokes), those looking solely for laughs will find this series a bit slow, as the crafts and tips can take up a good deal of time. But when she snobbishly asks "Why didn't you think of that?" it makes it all worthwhile. Just beware the point when the uber-catchy theme song buries itself in your brain.

Among the most entertaining episodes in this season are the look at flying, in which Brini provides several very valuable tips, and goes for a very funny flight, an exploration of hibernation that ends with a goofy bit of wood-panel magic, and a look at camouflage, which provides her with a chance to make some cheeky references to her dual identity, but doesn't ruin the joke. That's what seems to be the show's biggest strength: the ability to take a joke to its limits, but not stretch past them.

The DVDs
Flip over the two discs that make up this set, and you know immediately that they are different from the purple tint to the plastic. These discs are DVD-Rs, produced by CustomFlix, an on-demand DVD production house. Instead of printing a massive run, they print a set when its ordered, which may be the future of DVDTV, as cult series are created to fill demand only. This set is probably the highest-profile collection done by CustomFlix to this point. The discs arrive in a single-width keepcase with disc wells on the inside of both sides.

The discs feature a static full-frame main menu, which follows the series' opening titles, and 13 episodes in all, seven on Disc One and six on Disc Two. The discs provide options to view the episodes all at once or select individual episodes. There are no language or subtitle options, and no closed captioning.

The Quality
The quality of these full-frame DVDs isn't quite ideal for a series that's far from old. Mosquito noise surrounds overlaying lettering on-screen, and noise can be seen in many places during the episodes. The episodes have a gauzy, hazy look to them, which is part of the joke to be certain. As a result, the colors can be a bit muted, and the level of detail isn't exactly sharp. Sadly, the series has looked better on TV, without the digital artifacts.

The audio, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, is serviceable, and equivalent to the broadcast presentation. Nothing in this series demanded a massive DTS mix, and the treatment it received does a fine job of reproducing the dialogue and music used in the show.

The Extras
There's not a single extra on this set. That's would be one of the reasons I hope these sets do not represent the future of DVDTV.

The Bottom Line
"The Brini Maxwell Show" is a classic case of an idea whose time has come. Combining the public's love of make-better shows, retro kitsch and camp cool, this series crosses plenty of boundaries, and results in a fun and silly half-hour that might teach you something if you aren't careful. Unfortunately, the delivery isn't the smoothest, there's nothing in terms of extras and there could be some trouble with older players when it comes to playing a DVD-R. At $30, this is a costly set, one that will only appeal to hardcore fans of the show.

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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.