Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica is a reality television series about the married life of pop stars Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. In the series' first season, Nick and Jessica were just learning what life was like together through ten episodes. I reviewed the first season and found it to be entertaining, which was more or less due to the way Jessica was portrayed. She acts like a spoiled brat and seeing her try to get through some of the most basic everyday situations is pathetic and consequently, entertaining. On the other, Nick comes off in a completely different light. He is a lot more headstrong and able as an individual. He's a really likeable guy. Nonetheless, the two make for quite a couple and this reality series isn't half bad. Although while Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica can be a lot of fun, it can also be quite dull.

In this DVD box set, the newlyweds are no longer newlyweds as they continue their marriage into the second and third years. The first ten episodes included cover the second year (season two) and the second ten episodes cover the third year (season three). For the fans of the first season, you'll be quite happy to know the flow is exactly the same. There is very little difference between the inaugural season and the ones included in this set. However, one major difference is that Nick is no longer surprised by the subtle indifferences between he and Jessica in regards to their ability to handle everyday situations. But Nick still does not accept them with open arms. For instance, Jessica repeatedly fails to understand the concept of money and on more than one occasion she leaves Nick with a headache.

Of the twenty episodes included, not many stand out. The second season opens with the couple recapping their relationship as they prepare for their first anniversary. Within the first segment, Nick mentions there wasn't enough sex, poor guy. This is a little joke that pops up throughout the series. Besides Nick's sex comment, this episode has a slightly different tone than the rest of the season. It is more serious and focused on the romance between the couple. The next episode is about Nick's 30th birthday and the ending is what makes this episode worth watching. Jessica pops out of a cake and Nick gets an even bigger shock later that evening. Another decent episode is "French Lessons". Nick and Jessica have parts in a movie, but Jessica struggles with her lines because they are in French.

The third season introduces a new variable, but the show is still pretty much the same as previous seasons. In the season premiere episode, Jessica's new assistant and best friend Cacee moves in the house. It's double trouble for Nick for a couple of episodes until she moves out. Another interesting episode is "Celebrity Issues". It is slightly different from the show's normal tone. Nick and Jessica suffer the woes of the paparazzi. What makes it interesting is that it shows just how much of a headache being a celebrity can be.

Overall, the second and third seasons of Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica isn't a terribly viewing. I thought the episodes weren't bad to watch here and there. However none of the episodes are so enticing or extremely exciting. The bottom line is that the replay value is pretty low. In addition, too much of Jessica's spoiled behavior can be tiresome and at times hard to stomach.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. The picture quality is pretty good. The image remains fairly sharp with detail looking crisp and clean.

Audio:
The audio is given in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio track is dialogue driven, but is supplemented with plenty of background music. The music came off fairly rich and vibrant. For the dialogue, I noticed that sometimes there tended to be varying sound levels. During voiceovers the sound came off very loud and clear, but some dialogue during the actual footage came off a little too quiet because the microphone did not pick it up. However, this did not occur often enough to be a real problem.

Extras:
The first extra included in this set are "Deleted Scenes". There is a total of 15 scenes, which run for a little over 19 minutes. Next there is the Nick & Jessica MTV Timeline. It provides 13 short clips of MTV events from 1999 to 2004. "Happy Birthday Jessica, Love Nick Special" is like another episode, only 15 minutes long. It details Nick as he setups a big birthday surprise for Jessica. Similar to the first season release, this DVD set comes with "Nick Moments" and "Jessica Moments", which are montages from the second and third season of the two. Finally there are "Newlywed Promos" and some previews.

Final Thoughts:
In my first season review of Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, I stated that the show will make your eyes roll in disgust, while at the same time making you demand more. With the second and third season, I found sometimes the latter did not come with the former. Too much of it can be hard to stomach. Overall, I think this box set is great for a rent if you enjoy reality television programming. It can be fun to watch Nick deal with some of the "quirks" and "kinks" still in their marriage.