The story in a nutshell: William and Mary are single parents looking for love, but both are more wrapped up in their respected jobs as an undertaker and mid-wife. While browsing a dating service, William happens upon Mary and is instantly entranced by her. After a series of circumstances that tragically keep them apart, the two finally begin dating. You'd think the two would wind up happily ever after. They do not. Instead, they face a rocky road ahead of them as they encounter obstacles such as past love interests, work dilemmas, and family difficulties. Can the two work through their problems to form a happy, stable life together? You'll have to find out in this two season, 12 episode set (I'm not sure why season three isn't included.)

While "William and Mary" may resemble a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryans collaboration, the show's day in the life portrait of a couple's developing relationship is far from Hollywood hokum. It feels real. Lead actors Martin Clunes and Julie Graham seem like a natural couple being filmed for a documentary. In reality, they are simply acting in a scripted dramedy. Clunes and Graham have such great chemistry in fact that I wouldn't be surprised if they hooked up in real life.

Additionally, the characters are both deeply complex instead of the typical one dimensional couples we often see in shows and films. William is a lonely family man with a bleak life. He may have an interest in music, but death surrounds him. He lost his wife and works as an undertaker. Mary is equally complicated. She's a strong willed opinionated mother of two, but she's made mistakes. She has a history of bad relationships and has trouble keeping her sons in line. What makes their relationship so captivating is that we know the two can pursue a life of happiness together even with all of the twists and turns in their lives.

The show does contain some puzzling elements. For one, the episode formats are often structured like sitcoms in that matters go from bad to worse and a plan is needed to solve the problem. However, the show is not very humorous and is 45 minutes- the length of a drama. It's an interesting departure from the standard formula to be sure, but as the show is a dramedy it could stand to use a healthy dose of humor. Episodes tend to be bogged down by melodrama and out of the blue character drama. For example, the series contains two ongoing subplots. One is the romantic relationship between Mary's ex-boyfriend and her mother and the other relationship is between one of Mary's sons and one of William's daughters. I understand the need to flesh out secondary characters and create tension between the characters, but these relationships go a bit overboard and demolish the realism the series is going for. This isn't a Jerry Springer Show afterall.

The DVD

Video:
The fuzzy, grainy picture doesn't have the most pleasing quality, but it's not overly bad either. The video is presented in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio.

Sound: The Dolby Digial Stereo track does the show justice. As "William and Mary" isn't the type of show that requires a layered stereo track, this Dolby track provides the clear sound needed to hear all the actors and actresses.

Extras: According to my calculations- zero extras.

Final Thoughts:
With great lead character chemistry and characterization, "William and Mary" is well worth a watch despite some questionable story arcs.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.