The Show
The now-defunct cable network Trio, which most people probably never saw or don't remember, had a decent line-up of syndicated TV reruns and original programming, but nothing better than its "Brilliant, But Cancelled" material, which focused on shows yanked from the air for the crime of going over the heads of the unwashed masses. The concept is coming back, this time as a broadband offering from the Bravo network, and hopefully they will roll out all of the "B.B.C." shows. To get things started, Bravo is putting out a pair of "B.B.C." DVDs, one of which showcases the work of writer/director Paul Haggis.

Haggis has grown in reputation in recent years, after bringing the world the acclaimed dramas Million Dollar Baby and Crash. He has claimed the reason he wrote them was to balance his resume, which is marked by a large slate of TV work, including "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes", as well as bringing the world "Walker, Texas Ranger." If more people knew about his early work on "EZ Streets," there would be no reason to make excuses.

Ken Olin ("thirtysomething") stars as Detective Cam Quinn, a cop dealing with the aftermath of his partner's murder in the midst of an undercover operation. A large amount of money being used for the case has gone missing, and suspicion falls on Quinn. As the battles an internal investigation, he's also trying to find out who killed his friend and why it happened.

The man responsible might be Jimmy Murtha (Joe Pantoliano, The Matrix), a smooth criminal who runs the streets of Alphabet City. Murtha is an extremely likable, but ruthless man, a point proven when he has a rival killed over a baseball game. Murtha is also very loyal, which is why he helps out Danny Rooney (Jason Gedrick, "Boomtown"), a good guy who got in trouble and took a rap for Murtha. Rooney just wants to be with his daughter, but he's got to get his life in order to do so.

The three men go about their lives against a backdrop of crime and corruption, as the city's mayor is working with Murtha's enemies to drive him out of town, and the cops aren't playing by the rules. Haggis does an effective job of laying out a crime story populated by real, three-dimensional people, instead of the usual gangster cartoons. Though his dialogue is as overwrought as ever, here delivered almost like soliloquies, his touch helps make the show beautiful, right down to the haunting Irish music and sweeping overhead shots.

Though Olin and Gedrick are good in their roles, Pantoliano is excellent, bringing heart and humor to his gang leader part, making him the stand-out character of the show. There's rarely a moment when he's on screen that doesn't demand you watch, as Murtha manipulates and controls the lives around him. He's an example of how the characters on this show take on a life of their own, forming one of the most intriguing casts that have been seen on over-the-air TV.

This disc has three of the show's nine episodes, including the pilot, and episodes six and seven. The selection seems to have been done well, as nothing in the plots seemed highly out of place, but it's almost a certainty that the story arcs aren't being served by the large chunk of episodes missing. What's worse though is the reality that this choice makes it very likely we will never see the other six episodes of the show on DVD, which would have to be made up of a selection of in-the-middle episodes and the last two shows. That's never a recipe for sales.

The DVD
One of the first "Brilliant But Cancelled" DVDs, these three episodes of "EZ Streets" arrive on one DVD, packed in a standard keepcase with no insert. The disc has a static full-frame main menu, with options to play all the episodes, select individual shows, and adjust languages. The episode menu has still previews, while the only language options are English SDH subtitles.

The Quality
"EZ Streets has a very deliberate look, and these full-frame transfers present it in pretty good quality. The show is very cold in its color palette and looks a bit soft and dirty, which is an intended choice. Some video noise is evident, along with a bit of edge enhancement. Overall though, it's a good-looking disc.

The mono audio is presented in a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and it sounds as good as one would expect from pre-HD network TV. The dialogue is clean and clear, and the music, which helps drive the series' emotion, is very strong.

The Extras
There are no bonus features included, which is a real disappointment. They call these shows "brilliant," but a bit of explanation, maybe a short featurette with a critic, or an essay, would have been nice. Understandably, these aren't special editions, but barebones isn't going to sell a partial disc of episodes that will be available for free online.

The Bottom Line
Guided by Haggis, "EZ Streets" is a fine, artistic show, with a strong story and an excellent role for Pantoliano, but the way it's been brought to DVD is a let-down. When it comes to DVDTV, I'm really an all-or-nothing guy, so three non-sequential shows from the series' nine-episode run doesn't satisfy me. At least the presentation the show has been given is solid, because extras aren't around to punch up the package. If you're a Haggis fan, or just want to check this quality show out, give this disc a rental, but be prepared to be left hanging.

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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.