Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Cops, Good documentaries, Tasers
Likes: A good police chase
Dislikes: Best-of DVDs
Hates: White trash, criminal culture

The Show
"COPS" follows the adventures of law enforcement agents across America, in a cinema verite style that puts you in the shoes of a law-enforcement agent. There's no ongoing plot, and the characters change every episode, but the thrill of being in the squad car has kept the show on the air for 20 years as of 2008. It's also been popular enough with viewers to garner a handful of DVD releases, all best-of compilations. DVDTalk has reviews of three of them: Caught in the Act | Bad Girls | Shots Fired

The Show
"COPS" is, at its core, a simple show. A camera crew rides along with law enforcement as they do their job. That's it. That's all you get. No stars, no recurring characters, no dramatic cre-editing. And yet, it is incredibly addictive and utterly fascinating watching the police defend society from the degenerates, drunks and dirtbags that inhabit society's underbelly. That's why it's lasted 20 years on television and has become, for better or worse, a cultural institution. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, the key to the series is that it is wholly real, unlike 99 percent of the reality TV that followed in its pioneering footsteps.

To celebrate two decades of documentary goodness, a special double-length 44-minute "all-star" episode was compiled, bringing together the most memorable moments from the show's history, organized neatly into categories representing the series' most popular moments, including car pursuits, people resisting arrest and generally stupid people. It's the kind of amazing video the show has built an empire on, and would represent the greatest "COPS" episode ever.

I've watched a lot of "COPS" episodes in my day, but there were plenty of moments here that were new to me and had me peeking through my fingers. One arrest, with an insane wife wielding a 12-inch knife is amazing to watch, and is just one of many that will make you appreciate the danger cops face on the job every day and the amazing images, including some brutally graphic moments, that the show brought into peoples' homes each week. Of course, there are also plenty of moments that will make you bust out in laughter. One section didn't have that effect though, even though it was obviously intended to. Stumbling drunks falling out from behind the wheel, including one in a horrific flipping crash, isn't all that funny when you consider how many families are destroyed by the actions of such people.

Seeing this unique overview of the show, one takes quite a few observations away, besides the fact that it's never a good idea to run from the cops and that the police profiled somehow manage to not curse, no matter what. One of the most interesting things you notice is the racial make-up of the bad guys. Whereas the stereotype is that minorities make up an excessive percentage of the criminal class, on "COPS," it's just as common that the lunatic taking police on a high-speed chase or the drunken lout fighting with his wife will be simple white trash. You also get to see what incredible shape the police are in, as they chase down perps, and that the cameramen are in even better shape, chasing the cops with their heavy cameras. That they are able to maintain, for the most part, a rather clean view of the action, makes them some of the most incredible documentary filmmakers ever.

But more important than anything else, is the entertainment value of the taser. There's something utterly joyful about watching a massive thug or a skinny tweaker getting jolted with that magic needle gun, and then seeing how it takes away their bravado in a flash. That's just one aspect of why you watch "COPS": the schadenfreude factor. It can be fun to see others suffer, especially if they are bad people. But like I said, that's just one aspect. "COPS" works on many levels: as a procedural, as a documentary, as a guilty pleasure and as a cautionary tale for trailer-park residents everywhere. Because everyone can take something different from the show, it's a universal show that we'll probably never tire of, simply because humans can always find a new, interesting way to be bad to each other, and the cops will be there to step in.

The DVDs
A two-disc set, the DVDs are packaged in a standard-width keepcase with a tray for the second disc, and feature animated full-frame menu, with options to select an episode or check out special features. Scene selections are found after choosing an episode, and Language options are available following episode selections, and include English, Spanish and French subtitles, along with closed captioning. There are no audio options.

The Quality
Considering that the DVDs cover two decades of television, there's obviously a mix of quality in the full-frame transfers, but generally they look good, especially as the clips become more recent. Overall, there are no noticeable problems with imperfections or digital artifacts, and the color and detail improve with time, after starting off kind of dull and soft.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are exactly what you'd expect for a basic TV documentary series, delivering a clean, crisp sound with good dialogue and nice natural audio details. Everything is center-channel focused and without any kind of dynamic mix.

The Extras
Here's where this set truly shines. Though the main feature is just 44-minutes-long, the two-discs are packed with bonus footage from across the series' 20 years, starting with two bonus episodes on Disc One. Up first is the show's 44-minute pilot, which will feel a bit foreign to fans of the show, as the "COPS" style hadn't been established. There's less of a sense of being a part of the team, as the camera is more of an outsider, there's a musical score and the series follows the cops home after their shifts, which is practicallysacrilege for the show. Thankfully, things got better. The episode has an optional audio commentary with executive producer John Langley, former president of Fox Television Stations Steven Chao, former sherriff Nick Navarro and Sargeant Jerry Wurms. Langley obviously pulls no punches, indicating his displeasure with the pilot and the interference of the studio, and he acts as moderator for the quartet, who split the discussion between remembering the experience and the experience of being a cop.

A second vintage double-length episode, "Las Vegas Heat," is an unusual one for the show, as it's kind of a mix between "C.S.I." and "COPS." The show intertwines a handful of stories, covering not only police response, but also investigation, as they try to solve a homicide, while the usual in-the-car moments pace things out. It's interesting, but it's not quite "COPS." This episode has a commentary by Langley, former sherriff Bill Young, Detective Sheila Huggins and Sargeant Tom Jenkins, and once again Langley is excellent in keeping things moving and keeping everyone involved.

Also on Disc One is a collection of parodies and tributes to "COPS", which runs about 15 minutes. The expected references are all here, including clips from "My Name is Earl," "The X-Files," "Futurama," and "Reno: 911!" It also includes what I believe is the entire short film "Troops," which sets "COPS" in the Star Warsuniverse, to excellent effect. It's joined by a 12-minute featurette with famous fans of the show paying tribute, including three members of the Reno Sherriff's department, Chris O'Donnell, Richard Donner, Larry the Cable Guy, Luke Wilson, Paul Rodriguez, Marlee Matlin and Pete Sampras. There are actually some interesting insights provided by this odd collection of stars, especially from Donner and, surprisingly, Larry the Cable Guy and Rodriguez, and the clips included are entertaining (and feature the set's only unblurred nudity.)

The second disc features two extended featurettes, First Ten Seasons and Second Ten Seasons, which have one great scene from each season. They run over a combined two hours and 21 minutes, and feature some incredible footage. Among the highlights are a trojan horse drug bust with a Howard Stern imitator, a gruesome murder, a botched suicide, an incendiary hostage stand-off, some Mardi Gras arrests, a loony shoplifter and some bonus tasering. It all wraps with an insane traffic stop that results in a shooting and one severe manhunt, making it a perfect capper to the featurettes, which are as entertaining as anything you've seen on "COPS."

The extras don't stop there though, as you get a 22-minute history of the show, featuring Langley, as he talks about the origins of the series, including the selection of the iconic theme song. It's an excellent background on the show, supplementing what you get on the pilot commentary, instead of repeating it. If you want to hear from the police involved though, you'll want to check out the 31-minute "Cops on COPS," which presents several memorable scenes from the show, and lets the cop involved talk about it. It's fascinating stuff, and again, it's not covering the same ground as the other bonuses.

If you're a "COPS" fan who's in it for the action though, the final extra is for you, as the 35-minute "Lights! Camera! Action! Toughest Takedowns" is exactly what the tile says (including tasering!) There are some seriously wild chases in this one, and you can learn all about the Stop Stick, and see an expertly deployed example.

The Bottom Line
"COPS" is disarmingly brilliant and yet, beautifully simple, which is why anyone can watch it, and why it has survived on the TV landscape so long. This DVD set is an excellent way to remember when, and for the snobs, a chance to see what all the talk is about. Though the main feature is slim, it's loaded with the show's best, and the discs, which look and sound solid, are loaded with bonus material that isn't the usual fluff, amounting to over seven hours of running-perp fun. If you love the show, it's well worth checking out this set, and if you aren't sure, give it a look anyway. If only for the tasering.

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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.