 "So sad there was only 1 season!! :(" | 2009-06-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: A338W7LBFW6B9T |
| Loved Undeclared! I hadn't caught the show when it was on TV, but recently saw & loved Freaks & Geeks so I thought I'd give Undeclared a try- SOOOO glad I did, but @ the same time sad that it ended FAR TOO SOON! This is one set of DVDs that will endure many viewings- highly recommend it- the writing is hilarious, smart, and it is perfectly cast- Jason Segel is freakin' hysterical here!! |
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 "Not quite 'Freaks and Geeks', but still very appealing" | 2009-05-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3DHQ5WO80X1IZ |
| From Judd Apatow, of 'Freaks and Geeks' and '40-Year Old Virgin' fame. Not up to the high level of 'Freaks', which perfectly captured high school (at least the era that I was there). But still an entertaining comedy with some smart writing, a good cast of characters, and some genuine laugh moments. Also, perfect for airplane watching. |
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| "underrated" | 2009-04-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1M5ZT35YX6TIN |
| This show is hilarious! For anyone that loves the recent apatow movies or the shows predecessor Freaks and Geeks. You will be amazed at all the now famous comedians with bit parts in this show. Jenna Fisher even had a brief cameo. Check out this show! |
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| "Yet another in a seemingly endless number of excellent shows that FOX developed and then cancelled" | 2009-04-14 |
| - Reviewed By robertwmoore |
I really enjoyed watching this show on DVD (I didn't catch it when it was broadcast), but it has had the side effect of increasing my irritation at FOX. Jut how many excellent shows have they developed only to cancel over the years? FOX has demonstrated a wonderful ability to choose great shows to order for broadcast, but a stunning inability to support and develop them. They are seemingly incapable of nurturing a show. Their attitude seems to be that if a show isn't an instant and huge hit, can it. Things seem to have improved a bit under Kevin Reilly, though I remain nervous that DOLLHOUSE, one of the most provocative and interesting shows on TV, might not make it to a second season, largely because it has pulled in only average numbers after being stuck on Friday nights. FOX has actually developed enough great shows over the years to fill the schedule of two networks, but their ineptness and failure to stick with dozens of fine shows has fostered tremendous fan irritation and ill will.
I loved watching UNDECLARED despite being a complete nonfan of Judd Apatow and his cadre of fellow filmmakers. The only thing he has been associated with that I have loved completely has been FREAKS AND GEEKS. I should add that I'm especially a nonfan of Seth Rogen, whose box office success is one of the more unfathomable mysteries of the past decade. So, when I say that I enjoyed UNDECLARED, this is the opinion of someone who disliked THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP.
I suspect that one of the unsung heroes of both UNDECLARED and FREAKS AND GEEKS is casting director Allison Jones. Both of these shows feature an amazing number of talented young actors. Watching either you see an amazing number of actors who have gone on in this decade to have success either in film or on TV. What this means is that Jones has a great eye for talent. In the series pilot, for instance, two small roles are filled by Jenna Fischer (who has gotten Emmy nominations for playing Pam on THE OFFICE) and Tom Welling (who has for the past eight years been Clark Kent on SMALLVILLE). One could cite a huge number of examples of minor characters played by people who later because better known for other roles. A few would include Kevin Rankin (best known perhaps as Herc on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), Sarah Jane Morris (BROTHERS AND SISTERS), Alexa Davalos (ANGEL and REUNION), Lizzie Caplan (TRUE BLOOD and currently on PARTY DOWN), David Krumholtz (SERENITY and NUMBERS), Amy Poehler (at about the same time she joined the cast of SNL, but definitely before she was well known), and Felicia Day (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG). And a huge number of FREAKS AND GEEKS actors appeared on the show. In addition to Seth Rogen, who was not only one of the main actors on the show but also a major writer, Jason Segal had a recurring role. And a huge number of people associated with F&G showed up, including Busy Philipps, Martin Short, Samm Levine, Natasha Melnick (Cindy Sanders, Sam Weir's big crush on F&G), Mike White, Lizzy Caplan, and many others in either very small roles in each or in more sizable guest cameos, like Ben Stiller. Now, these aren't by and large major stars, but UNDECLARED nonetheless had a substantial number of quite talented individuals, and this unquestionably contributed to the show's success.
I very much enjoyed the core cast for UNDECLARED, most of whom had no connection to FREAKS AND GEEKS. I even enjoyed Seth Rogen, who I hated in F&G. I loved Jay
Baruchel in the lead role of Stephen Karp (whose dad was played excellently by the funny songwriter Louden Wainwright) and thought that Carla Gallo was really cute and sweet as his first college girlfriend Lizzie. The rest of the cast was also strong and as a group had great chemistry. All in all, it easily goes down as one of the best shows about college in the history of TV. I'm not sure why, but while there have been numerous excellent shows dealing with high school life, there have been astonishingly few dealing with college. Even truly great shows like BUFFY and VERONICA MARS stumbled somewhat when they hit college.
Unfortunately, FOX did what FOX does . . . well, if not best, at least all too frequently. It killed it. Over the years the list of shows that FOX has killed off definitely exceeds in quality the list of those that they keep around. Like I said at the outset, it may be improving under Kevin Reilly. What he decides to do with the two superb series DOLLHOUSE and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES will show whether he is breaking with FOX's past or if he will perpetuate the network's tradition of killing off good shows.
I watched this via DVDs that I rented from Netflix. I don't know how to account for this, but the discs that I received duplicated an episode. "Truth or Dare" was on two of the discs, while "Rush and Pledge" was on none. I wouldn't have caught the omission of "Rush and Pledge" but for the "Previously on . . . " that began the episode "Hell Week." Also, if you compare the play order as the episodes appear on the DVDs with their original broadcast order, they are dramatically different. Usually this indicates that the network dictated a reordering of the episodes. But the odd thing is that there are numerous timeline incompatibilities on the DVDs as a result. Because I was renting rather than buying, I didn't take the time to work through the commentaries. Perhaps the conflicts are explained there.
Speaking of commentaries, UNDECLARED, like FREAKS AND GEEKS, has a vast number of special features. There are commentaries, deleted scenes, and a bonus disc. I wish all DVD versions of TV series were so generous. For instance, I love FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (in fact, much more than either FREAKS AND GEEKS or UNDECLARED), but it is relatively devoid of special features. |
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| "A Fine Example of Judd Apatow's Excellence" | 2009-01-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: ARMVAHWQQ9S8A |
Judd Apatow, who would later go on to become the "Mayor of Comedy" (though I think he's the reigning king), started his career by working on fantastic television shows. He executive produced Freaks and Geeks, the best high school comedy/drama ever, and created/executive produced this show, UNDECLARED. Much like Freaks and Geeks, UNDECLARED was hilarious, heartfelt, and explored the painful and sometimes hopeful truths of adolescent life in a really unconventional way. Unfortunately, like Freaks and Geeks, UNDECLARED was cancelled after its first season. But the story doesn't end there. Again like Freaks and Geeks, UNDECLARED lives on and thrives in this expansive DVD set, collecting all the episodes and a whole bunch of special features. Fans of the show from when it was aired will get a healthy dose of nostalgia and be reminded why the show rocks so much, and newer Judd Apatow fans (after 2007 and 2008, who isn't a Judd fan?) will be thrilled that the guy put as much humor and heart into the show as he does into his movies.
UNDECLARED isn't one of those shows that creeps up on you and, halfway into the season, you love the characters. Nope. What you see in the pilot is pretty much what you get. Consistent quality and laughs throughout. Fans of Freaks and Geeks and Judd's films will recognize a lot of the cast members from his other works, which is awesome to say the least. It makes the creative team and acting talent feel like a cohesive unit, almost like a family of extremely talented folks with like minds, working together to create goodness. The best comparison I can think of regarding the show isn't to the tone of Freaks and Geeks, because it's a lot less of a drama than that show was. It's more of a network TV sitcom version of the The 40-Year-Old Virgin crew or the Knocked Up guys set in college. I initially panicked at the word sitcom, too, but don't worry. The ba-dum-cha! humor of sitcoms isn't here, it's all Judd. Also... no laugh track.
Couldn't do a review of a Judd Apatow project without talking about the characters. We've got Steven Karp, played by Jay Baruchel, who is the lanky, dorky protagonist. Other Judd regulars are here, such as Seth Rogen, who plays Ron and is also a writer for the show. He and Jason Segel (who plays a recurring role as Eric) were the main attractions for me--other than Judd, of course--because they're such talented dudes that they can turn a seemingly every day conversation into a laugh fit. And no one plays lovesick better than Jason Segel. Carla Gallo, the beautiful Monica Keena, Charlie Hunnam, the most convincing slacker Timm Sharp, and folk singer Loudon Wainwright III round out the cast. Judd and the producers worked on the characters based not on initial scripts, but based on the personality of the actor. It lead to great and believable performances from everyone.
I'm almost glad I wasn't aware of the show when it first aired, because the cancellation really would have hurt. But even though the show didn't get the run it deserved, at least we know this. We've got a great DVD set, and Judd Apatow is a) making millions now and b) makes movies that we all love.
8/10 |
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| "Loved the show, love the DVD set." | 2008-12-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3AYP3026XZP41 |
| My family enjoyed this show when it was on TV. My son came home with the "Freaks and Geeks" box set, at which time I looked to see if Undeclared was available on DVD. Had to have it for our collection. Great series showcasing a lot of young talent that viewers will recognize as the stars of some of today's most popular movies and TV shows. The series is based on a group of freshman college students and what life can be like that first year living on your own in a dorm and trying to decide what to do with the rest of your life. Great writing, talented acting - I can't understand why it was cancelled in the first place but am glad to have the DVD set. |
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