{"id":3198504,"date":"2008-08-21T10:32:07","date_gmt":"2008-08-21T16:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thedvdlounge.com\/?p=76062"},"modified":"2008-08-21T10:32:07","modified_gmt":"2008-08-21T16:32:07","slug":"everybody-hates-chris-the-third-season-dvd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insidepulse.com\/2008\/08\/21\/everybody-hates-chris-the-third-season-dvd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Everybody Hates Chris: The Third Season – DVD Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Available at Amazon.com<\/a><\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n
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Everyone knows by now that the “Big 4” television networks of ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX all own at least one cable or secondary network. With FOX it’s the FX cable network; with NBC it’s the USA cable network; with ABC it’s the ABC Family cable network; and with CBS it’s the MTV cable network among others. With those facts, it’s often interesting to see what channel certain television shows land on these days. For the most part, if a show has debuted on a cable network channel it stays on that channel forever, no matter how good it is. However, if a show debuts on one of the major networks and then doesn’t get enough viewers to keep it on that network, it could still land on one of that network’s secondary or cable networks if its smaller fanbase yells loud enough. Why great shows on cable networks that are “family-friendly” don’t get a chance to shine on a bigger stage is beyond me, but one such criminal example is Everybody Hates Chris<\/i> on The CW.<\/p>\n

Everybody Hates Chris<\/i> is inspired by the childhood experiences of Chris Rock. Chris Rock narrates this story of a teenager growing up as the oldest of three children in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1980s. Filled with dreams of being a cool teenager, Chris (Tyler James Williams) moves with his family from the projects to the “Bed-Stuy: Do or Die” neighborhood. As the family’s emergency adult while his parents are working, he’s responsible for taking care of his younger brother Drew (Tequan Richmond), who’s taller and more confident than Chris, and sister Tonya (Imani Hakim), who gets all the parents’ attention. Chris’s rough, cost-conscious father Julius (Terry Crews) works numerous jobs to properly support his family. Sassy mom Rochelle (Martin<\/i>‘s Tichina Arnold) runs the household on a tight budget, is very strict, and works part-time in a small real estate office. With his mom determined to see him in a good school, though Drew and Tonya go to the same school in their old neighborhood, Chris reluctantly faces multiple bus transfers every day to attend Corleone Junior High in the fiercely Italian neighborhood, South Shore. Despite being an immediate target for bullies, Chris’ innate charm and sharp wit enable him to make new friends, like Greg (Vincent Martella), another smart, nice kid, who can’t fight.<\/p>\n

The third season story lines are very similar to the previous two seasons. Chris has gotten one year older and is now in the 9th grade. This will be the last year he goes to school at Corleone Junior High as high school is up next for him. It’s both an exciting and nervous time for Chris. Remembering that this series is loosely based on Chris Rock’s real-life growing up experiences, it’s still intriguing to witness some of the events that shaped Chris Rock’s personality as a comedian. Of course, not everything that happens during this show happened to Chris Rock, but with his experiences and guidance behind-the-scenes the third season is just as funny, if not funnier than the first two seasons.<\/p>\n

One of the main reasons this series has gotten much praise is because of the acting. The actors playing Chris Rock’s fictional family feel like a real family. Besides the main cast, who each perform their roles perfectly, the great guest star list just keeps getting longer. Phylicia Rashad, Jimmie Walker, Tommy Davidson, Todd Bridges, T.K. Carter, Ernest Thomas, Antonio Fargas, and Jack\u00e9e all guest star in certain episodes and some even recur throughout the entire season. But perhaps the most interesting guest star is Chris Rock himself, who plays the fictional Chris’ guidance consuelor in the first episode of season three.<\/p>\n

Everybody Hates Chris<\/i> is the best “family comedy” since the The Cosby Show<\/i>. The third season is just as funny and entertaining as the first two seasons. The only complaint that could be said about this season is that this is the third year of junior high for Chris and his surroundings are quite familiar. That will all change next year, though, when Chris goes to high school. Unfortunately the four season of the show will still be on THE CW. Many may not know that the “C” from the supposedly “fifth major” network, THE CW, comes from CBS (with the “W” coming from Warner Brothers and former WB channel). CBS has consistently been the “most-watched” television network over the past decade and as a result has been able to acquire many secondary networks. So Everybody Hates Chris<\/i> could easily make the jump to CBS, possibly behind the New Adventures of Old Christine<\/i> on CBS’s new “Wednesday Night Comedy Block”, where it would get more viewers. Until that happens, everyone should give this show a chance on DVD if they haven’t seen it yet.<\/p>\n

Episodes:<\/u><\/b><\/font><\/p>\n

Disc One:<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode 1 – Everybody Hates the Guidance Counselor<\/i>
\nWhen Chris does poorly on an exam, Ms. Morello sends him to the school’s guidance counselor, Mr. Abbott. The counselor gives Chris a series of mental evaluations and ultimately determines that he must take a remedial course.<\/p>\n

Episode 2 – Everybody Hates Caruso<\/i>
\nAfter getting bullied Caruso stops bullying everyone else which upsets the balance at school. Julius tries to keep secret that he’s been forced to take his vacation days.<\/p>\n

Episode 3 – Everybody Hates Driving<\/i>
\nWhen Chris offers to move his father’s car, things get worse when he drives to school to show off for Tasha.<\/p>\n

Episode 4 – Everybody Hates Blackie<\/i>
\nChris has to reluctantly train the family’s new dog into a security dog after their house is robbed, yet he just wants a pet. Meanwhile, Tonya and Drew are bored without a television, so they find other means to keep themselves entertained – including making prank phone calls.<\/p>\n

Episode 5 – Everybody Hates the Bachelor Pad<\/i>
\nChris is left alone in Mr. Omar’s apartment when his family comes down with the flu and Mr. Omar, who’s supposed to look after him until the family recovers, leaves him for a widowed woman. Greg then suggests he invite Tasha over for some ‘alone time’. However, things spiral out of control when news spreads of Chris’ newfound independence.<\/p>\n

Episode 6 – Everybody Hates Bed-Stuy<\/i>
\nChris joins the school newspaper’s writing staff but his skills as a writer doesn’t go down well so he invents a scandalous story that goes too far when it accidentally causes a panic in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Disc Two:<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode 7 – Everybody Hates Houseguests<\/i>
\nGreg comes to stay at Chris’s house while his father is out of town but Chris starts to have regrets. To make extra money, Julius drives taxis in his spare time where one of his customers turns out to be a fugitive.<\/p>\n

Episode 8 – Everybody Hates Minimum Wage<\/i>
\nChris goes to work at a Chinese restaurant after Doc refuses to give him a raise. Drew is failing a class so Rochelle and Julius have to go in to meet the teacher.<\/p>\n

Episode 9 – Everybody Hates The New Kid<\/i>
\nWhen another African American kid goes to Corleone he and Chris hit it off, unfortunately Albert doesn’t get along with most of the other kids including Greg. When Julius and Rochelle get a tax refund Julius thinks it’s a mistake and is afraid when he finds out Rochelle spent it.<\/p>\n

Episode 10 – Everybody Hates Kwanzaa<\/i>
\nChris has to do a school assignment during the holiday break. He decides to do a good deed and helps Kill Moves find his estranged mother. Meanwhile, Julius decides that the family should celebrate Kwanzaa instead of Christmas because it’s less expensive.<\/p>\n

Episode 11 – Everybody Hates the Port<\/i>
\nThe family take a trip down South when a distant relative of Julius dies. While waiting for a bus at Port Authority, Chris and Julius are conned into a gambling scam and lose all their money…Will they tell Rochelle?<\/p>\n

Episode 12 – Everybody Hates Bad Boys<\/i>
\nChris goes through a transitional phase when he discovers Tasha, his long-standing crush, likes “bad boys” and ditches his “nice guy” image. Meanwhile, Julius is named employee of the month and wins a free family dinner at a fancy restaurant with surprising restrictions.<\/p>\n

Disc Three:<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode 13 – Everybody Hates the First Kiss<\/i>
\nChris makes plans to get invited to a party so he can experience his first kiss with Tasha. Julius makes Tonya spy on her mother when the family spot Rochelle’s ex at dinner. Drew shows his dark side when he lends Mr. Omar five dollars.<\/p>\n

Episode 14 – Everybody Hates Easter<\/i>
\nChris wants to take Tasha to her Easter pageant after she breaks up with her boyfriend but Chris already has a commitment. Rochelle competes with a new member of the church to win the Easter Pageant Hat-Off competition, which she has won for four years in a row. Julius pretends he has to work so he can stay home and watch a baseball game.<\/p>\n

Episode 15 – Everybody Hates Gretzky<\/i>
\nWhen Drew decides to cut school to find Wayne Gretzky, Chris reluctantly agrees to go with him.<\/p>\n

Episode 16 – Everybody Hates the BFD<\/i>
\nChris has to take part in Mr. Omar’s Black Funeral Director’s scholarship fund when he tries to raise enough money to go to a Run DMC concert. Meanwhile, Rochelle jumps at the chance to get a break at home when she injures her arm.<\/p>\n

Episode 17 – Everybody Hates Ex-Cons<\/i>
\nMalvo returns and enlists Chris’s help to make a fresh start. Drew inadvertently upsets Julius when he declares himself a Mets fan instead of a Dodgers fan like his father; and Rochelle steps in when she witnesses poor parenting skills from one of Tonya’s friend’s parents.<\/p>\n

Disc Four:<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode 18 – Everybody Hates Earth Day<\/i>
\nIt’s Earth Day in Bed Stuy and Chris decides to collect cans because he believes it will be easy and that he can get Julius to help. Meanwhile, Rochelle is called into Tonya’s school for inappropriate behavior and realizes just where Tonya’s attitude comes from.<\/p>\n

Episode 19 – Everybody Hates Being Cool<\/i>
\nChris’s attempt to be a cool kid lands him in hot water when he is caught with cigarettes and is suspended from school. Kicking him while he’s down, Tonya blackmails him when she finds out before their parents do. Meanwhile, Rochelle decides to teach Julius a lesson.<\/p>\n

Episode 20 – Everybody Hates the Ninth-Grade Dance<\/i>
\nWhen Chris becomes the only boy in school without a date for the ninth-grade dance, Greg suggests he ask a loner girl without a date. She accepts, but trouble ensues when word gets out about the inter-racial pairing. Meanwhile, Rochelle gets excited about Tanya’s request to take ballet classes and Drew joins Julius’ brother in a new venture.<\/p>\n

Episode 21 – Everybody Hates Mother’s Day<\/i>
\nWhen Chris attempts to buy Rochelle perfume as a Mother’s Day gift, he discovers he cannot afford it and buys it from Risky. However, Rochelle breaks out in hives and takes Chris to the store she believes he bought it from. Meanwhile, Drew and Julius do a spot of spring cleaning and make an expensive find.<\/p>\n

Episode 22 – Everybody Hates Graduation<\/i>
\nChris is disappointed when he finds out that Greg will be going to a different high school next year. He tries to get the necessary grant money so he can afford to go to Greg’s school. Rochelle volunteers Drew to be Tanya’s dance partner in Swan Lake after her ballet partner gets hurt.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The video is given in anamorphic widescreen color with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, which is enhanced for 16X9 TVs. The transfer is pretty good with minimal grain. It’s slightly better than the original presentation on TV, but here are no major problems at all.<\/p>\n

The audio included is in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound or English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. No major problems here either and the overall quality is a little better than your average TV on DVD set.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Audio Commentaries<\/b> –
\nThere are two audio commentaries on this set for two separate episodes. Ali LeRoi (creator) comments on the Everybody Hates the Counselor<\/i> episode. It is your usual informational commentary. Vincent Martella (cast member) comments on the Everybody Hates Houseguests<\/i> episode. But this commentary is completely different and unique. This commentary is basically more of a video commentary than an audio commentary. Every minute or so, Vincent Martella will pop up on the corner of the screen to say what he wants about the scene and the episode. Very interesting and different to watch.<\/p>\n

Director Webisodes<\/b> –
\nThese are short 2 or 3 minute “behind-the-scenes” interviews from the directors of every episode in this season. For each episode, the director talks specifically about making each episode. Very entertaining and informational.<\/p>\n

“Off the Cuff”<\/i> Cast Interviews<\/b> –
\nThere are 20 minutes worth of interviews and clips from the main cast, as well as guest stars, including Antonio Fargas, Phylicia Rashad, Jimmie Walker, Tommy Davidson, Wayne Brady, among others. Most of the talk is centered on the amazing list of guest stars for this season. Another fun thing to watch.<\/p>\n

“Chris Rock: V.O. Session Unplugged”<\/i> Featurette<\/b> –
\nThis runs 9 minutes and we go into the studio with Chris Rock as he records voiceovers for one of the episodes. Very entertaining.<\/p>\n

“Location, Location, Location”<\/i> Featurette<\/b> –
\nThis runs 4 minutes and the production designer for the series talks about finding locations to shoot scenes and entire episodes from the season. There are video clips from some of the episodes as well.<\/p>\n

“More Ms. Morello-isms”<\/i> Featurette<\/b> –
\nThis runs 2 minutes and it compiles some of the funniest moments of Chris’s teacher and her views upon black people. Most of the things she says borders on being racist, but you can’t help but laugh at this since you know Chris Rock is behind this completely.<\/p>\n

Deleted Scenes<\/b> –
\nThere are 14 minutes worth of deleted scenes for this season. There’s actually a lot of good stuff in here, so don’t forget to check out these.<\/p>\n

Gag Reel<\/b> –
\nThis is 6 minutes worth of bloopers from this season. Very funny as expected.<\/p>\n

“Slaver Slav” Music Video<\/b> –
\nThis runs 1 and 1\/2 minutes and it’s basically a parody music video of Flavor Flav. This was used to promote the show as well.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you haven’t seen why Everybody Hates Chris<\/i>, run out and rent this. You don’t have to start with season one to enjoy and understand this show. This season is just as good as any as a starting point. Fans of the show will enjoy the hours and hours of excellent extras as well, and will no doubt want to buy this set.<\/p>\n

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………<\/font><\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n


\nParamount Home Video presents Everybody Hates Chris – Season 3<\/i>. Created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi. Starring Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, Vincent Martella. Running time: 457 minutes. Rated: NOT RATED. Released on DVD: August 26, 2008. Available at Amazon.com<\/a><\/b><\/font><\/div>\n

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Remembering that this series is loosely based on Chris Rock’s real-life growing up experiences, it’s still intriguing to witness some of the events that shaped Chris Rock’s personality as a comedian. Of course, not everything that happens during this show happened to Chris Rock, but with his experiences and guidance behind-the-scenes the third season is just as funny, if not funnier than the first two seasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10934,2082,23],"tags":[12483,19101,8433],"zone":[121874],"series":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/insidepulse.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/insidepulse.com\/feed\/podcast\/inside-pulse","embedCode":"

Everybody Hates Chris: The Third Season – DVD Review<\/a><\/blockquote>