I watch a lot of TV, but have never actually seen an episode of Boston Legal during its regular broadcast time. Instead, this is a show that I discovered through DVDs, and that I continue to watch only through DVDs. I borrowed Season One from a friend, then ended up purchasing Season Two for myself because I liked the show so much. Here’s what you can expect to get from your Season Two box set.
This is a 7-disc set that includes all 27 BL episodes that aired during the show’s second season. Most TV series usually run just 22-24 eps per season, so getting these extra eps was pretty cool. These discs come in plastic slimline cases that are in turn enclosed in a rather flimsy cardboard box.
There are four slimline cases, with the first three containing two discs each and the fourth containing just disc seven. The covers feature portraits of the main characters (Alan, Denny, Shirley, and then Denise, Paul, and Brad), while the backs feature episode titles, original airdates, and short plot summaries.
Each episode has its own menu, where you can select subtitles (English, French, and Spanish) or specific scenes. There are no commentaries to any of these episodes, but there are two featurettes at the end of Disc 7. One featurette is called “Exhibit A: The Look of Boston Legal”, and takes viewers behind the scenes of the Crane, Poole & Schmidt office set, while also discussing camera work and wardrobe. The other is called “Legal Pad: The Words of Boston Legal” and is a very short look at the approach the series writers take with each script.
Overall, I was a little disappointed by the lack of commentary and the fact that the extra features were so short. One of the reasons I buy DVD box sets in the first place is for these bonuses, so when they’re missing or simply tacked on to the end, I feel a bit cheated. This is the kind of set that you’d buy just to watch the shows; it’s not really for collectors.
I paid $26 (and change) for this set from Amazon.com a few months ago. I guess that’s a fair price for just watching the eps (works out to about a buck per), but I do wish there were a few more bonuses in there!