I know more and more people who are passing up single season DVD sets of their favorite shows so that they can buy the huge boxed set of the whole series. It’s because of this that I find the release of FlashForward Season 1 Part 1 on DVD so surprising. The two disc set contains the first ten episodes of the show and a couple brief special features. I’m not quite sure what the thought behind these mini-sets is, but I’m seeing them around more and more. Is it for people who want to catch up on a show? Superfans who can’t wait for the entire season set?
In any case, if you’re looking for the first ten episodes of FlashForward, this is the set for you! The real draw of any DVD set is the special features, though. I have to give the producers of this set credit, because there actually are a couple special features, even though this is only half a season of a show. There aren’t many, that’s for sure, but there is something there. There is a ten minute featurette about the special effects that went into some of the impressive sequences in the pilot episode (including all of those car crashes). There are also five minutes of the next new episode of the show. It certainly doesn’t give away much, but if you’re dying for a fix of FlashForward, this will definitely do it for you. Other than that, this is a pretty straightforward DVD collection.
If you’re a fan of the show, I would recommend holding out for the full season set. I’m sure there will be more special features there, and I would be surprised if the behind-the-scenes feature on this set wasn’t on the full season set. There is one thing that I can say in favor of the set, though. After looking through it, I’m a little surprised to find that I’m excited about the show’s return. I haven’t really been missing the show, but after reflecting on some of the high points, I’m hopeful that the series is going to be able to realize its potential and end the season with some great episodes.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 04, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
I imagine it’ll become standard practice for shows with split seasons many months apart. The trick will be to release it early enough for the first half to circulate through Netflix queues to hopefully raise live viewership for the second half of the season.
There will be blind gifts as well, although I imagine those numbers would be insignificant, unless the show is already hot. I remember the poor planning of releasing the Glee half season a few days after Christmas, so I had to run around delivering late presents to a few of my friends.