Customer Reviews

Better Off Ted: Season One [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Veridian Dynamics is a large corporatation that invents, tests and markets everything from deadly pumpkins to beef that tastes like despair. Ted works there as a manager. He's a good and sane man in a heartless--and often insane--corporate environment. The comedy in this series comes from seeing just how insane work at Veridian can be and the hoops Ted jumps through to keep the insanity in check.

Each episode begins with a commercial for Veridian Dynamics, parodies of commercials put out by real world corporations. These commercials are so biting--and funny--one wonders who would dare advertise on a show like this. Portia De Rodsi steals the show as Ted's boss, Veronica, who embodies all that is beautiful, perfect, devious and heartless at Veridian. Veronica is the kind of woman who likes having Ted's young daughter around, because her presense makes it easier for Veronica to fire people.

The show never lets you get too comfortable, and that's a good thing. It is brilliant, hysterically funny and original, so much so that it's a wonder it hasn't been taken off the air . . . yet. On TV or DVD, catch it while you can.

In 2009, executive producer Victor Fresco (consulting producer of "My Name is Earl" and executive producer of "Andy Richter Saves the Universe") unveiled his single-camera sitcom "Better Off Ted" in Spring 2009 on ABC.

The series revolves around a company, Veridian Dynamics which creates various products in the world (for home and for military) and focuses on the Research and Development department headed by Ted Crisp. Each episode, we see various products/ideas being developed by the scientists. From experiments which include freezing one of their employees, pumpkins that can be used for warfare, goo that ignites on contact with paper to bunnies used as weapons, Veridian Dynamics is a company that will develop anything that their clients ask for. These products are implemented under the direction of Ted's emotionless boss Veronica and the research and development is overseen by Ted and then later tested courtesy of the Testing Department headed by Linda.

What makes the series so entertaining is the fact that Veronica is a no-nonsense, emotionless boss who only cares about making money for the company. Ted, although the R&D director sides with his boss and the company but yet morally, his perspective is kept in check by his young daughter Rose. Meanwhile, there is sexual tension between Ted and Linda, while the lab scientists provide the comic relief by developing the craziest experiments that typically has some interesting side effects.

The series is shot mostly during at work inside the building of Veridian Dynamics but the hijinks that happens during each day at work is quite fun, hilarious and just outright crazy. "Better Off Ted" was nominated by Entertainment Weekly's "Ewwy Award" for "Best Comedy" Series and a second season was greenlighted and will begin airing on December 2009. And just in time before the second season premiere, "Better Off Ted - The Complete First Season" is now available on DVD via 2-DVD set featuring all 13 episodes.

A total of 13 episodes are included on two DVD's. Included are (note: spoiler-less summaries):

DISC 1:

* EPISODE 1 - PILOT - Veridian wants to freeze Phil for a year to test out a cryogenic chamber. Meanwhile, Ted gets to know Andrea from the Testing Department.
* EPISODE 2 - HEROES - Veronica asks Ted to fire Phil because of his annoying squawking (a side effect from the improper thawing of his body from the last episode).
* EPISODE 3 - THROUGH ROSE COLORED HAZMAT SUITS - Ted brings his daughter Rose to his work but for some reason, his daughter is bonding with Linda.
* EPISODE 4 - RACIAL SENSITIVITY - The security at Veridian Dynamics seems to not work on Black people and thus doesn't work on Lem. Meanwhile, Linda has a boyfriend.
* EPISODE 5 - WIN SOME, DOSE SOME. - Linda is exposed to an experimental energy patch that looks like a band-aid and suffers from side effects. Meanwhile, Ted helps his daughter in a competition but Veronica tries to help out as well.
* EPISODE 6 - GOODBYE MR. CHIPS - Ted accidentally erases his employee record and because of that, loses his job and must now must re-apply for his position. Now Linda must temporarily take on the leadership role and work with the scientists.

DISC 2:

* EPISODE 7 - GET HAPPY - Veronica is told by her superiors to improve company morale, so she must make changes in the office, including being nice to the employees.
* EPISODE 8 - YOU ARE THE BOSS OF ME - Ted wants to get closer to the scientists Lem and Phil and so he joins their Medieval Fight Club.
* EPISODE 9 - BIOSHUFFLE - Toxic ooze starts to flow in the office causing a disruption of work at Veridian Dynamics.
* EPISODE 10 - TRUST AND CONSEQUENCES - Veridian Dynamics is being sued for a perfume which causes insects to attack the women wearing it. So, each of the main members are under investigation.
* EPISODE 11 - FATHER, CAN YOU HAIR ME? - The lab starts testing on a hair-growth product (which goes out of control) while Veronica hears sad news about her father (CEO of a rival company) and tries to have a father and daughter relationship.
* EPISODE 12 - JABBERWOCKY - Linda believes the whole office is going eco-friendly because of a Viridian commercial of going green.
* EPISODE 13 - SECRETS AND LIVES - A Veridian invention which takes an image of a person and scans the Internet of private photos reveals some images of Veronica with a magician. Meanwhile, Linda tries to set Ted up on a date witha friend.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Better Off Ted - The Complete First Season" is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1). The sitcom is filmed via single camera and has a fine layer of grain. During the Veridian Dynamics commercials, because those commercials use stock video, you see the compression artifacts quite a bit but fortunately the commercials are short. For the most part, the sitcom is on par with other comedy sitcoms on DVD.

Audio is featured in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish Dolby Surround. The series is mostly front and center channel driven. Dialogue is clear and understandable and the music from the series sounds crystal clear. My preference was to have my receiver on stereo on all channels.

Subtitles are included in English SDH, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Better Off Ted - The Complete First Season" box set does not contain any special features.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Better Off Ted" is definitely a fun sitcom and personally, I like the awkwardness of the whole series. A sitcom based on a research and development company is actually quite fascinating to me and to see how they could make a comedy series based on the experiments that go on at these companies can definitely lead to some fun and awkward storylines.

Every episode for the first season has been quirky, campy and fun. Portia de Rossi does a great job in playing Veronica, the emotionless boss at Veridian Dynamics. Jay Harrington as Ted Crisp, the R&D director who is caught between what the company wants and what is right, especially when his daughter is the one who gets into his moral conscience and reminding him of what is right. Andrea Anders as Linda of the Testing Department has had her share of interesting roles in "Joey" and "The Class". The employee who believed in Veridian Dynamics and starting to learn how the company she thought was great is actually quite immoral in some ways. And finally the comedy relief comes from the two scientists, the emotional Phil (John Slavin) and the logical Lem (Malcolm Barrett).

Part of my favorite episodes in the first season include the first two episode in which Phil is froze for scientific testing for the company, "Father, Can You Hair Me?" featuring Veronica trying to have a relationship with her father and hair growing from Ted's desk, "Through Rose Colored Hazmat Suits" featuring Ted's daughter Rose bonding with Linda which makes Ted and Linda's sexual tension much more awkward and "Racial Sensitivity" which was just hilarious.

As for the DVD release of "Better Off Ted - The Complete First Season", my only disappointment with this set is the fact that there are no special features included. You would hope there would be some featurette, some commentary, anything or something but there's nothing.

But aside from that, I really enjoyed the first season of the series. It's crazy, fun and definitely stands out from other comedy sitcoms currently on television. Overall, "Better Off Ted" is a fun series, sometimes clever, sometimes campy but for the most part, definitely keeps things quite fun and enjoyable. If you enjoyed the series or even a few episodes and watch a comedy-based series, definitely give "Better Off Ted - The Complete First Season" a try!

Excellent writing makes this a great show that's among the best I've seen! I can even laugh while watching this show alone. I hope this stays around for many seasons.

This is really a two-part review. The first is for the show itself.
There is something wrong with the taste of the TV-viewing public if BETTER OFF TED cannot survive in prime time. It's a funny show and deserved better. Portia deRossi-- who knew she was so funny?! The woman is hysterical and needs a show of her own. Jay Harrington, as the titular Ted, was a perfect straight man for the bizarre shenanigans and outright evil of Veridian, the fictional corp for which he slaved, and he also deserves a second life on TV.
I could go on and on, but this is supposed to be about the DVD as well.
The DVD is a disappointment. Honestly, rating ONLY the DVD, I would give it one star. It seems the company had no interest in spending a nickel beyond the absolute minimum, reusing a publicity photo for the art and adding ZERO bonus material. Really-- zero. No commentary, no behind the scenes, no liner notes, not even a commercial or trailer from ABC. Like I said, disappointing. It's the most bare-bones DVD I have ever bought--even direct-to-DVD movies have more than this. It makes the show itself--which is great--seem cheap, sad and forgotten.
If you want to see the show, and I mean REALLY want to see it, buy the DVD but know what you're getting. Just the episodes, nothing (NOTHING!) else.
Consider this a case study in how a show is written off with an obligatory DVD.

This is one of the funniest show on tv. Good thing ABC renew this show. I can't wait for the second season. All characters are funny as hell but Veronica stands out on her own.

Put simply, "Better Off Ted" is irresistible! With its combination of wit, sarcasm, and good old-fashioned silliness, this show is a winner on every level. The characters are engaging, the acting is superb, the storylines and setup are clever and ridiculously believable, and the promotional advertisements for the fictitious Veridian Dynamics are hilarious.

If you like "The Office," you'll probably love this show as well--it's like a grownup version at a much larger and more realistic mega-corporation. Even better, although Ted addresses the camera from time to time, there's no film crew that is part of the show, so you feel like he's just sharing some insights with you.

One final note: You may not be completely enthralled after the first episode, but once you get that second one under your belt, you'll be addicted. Consider yourself warned <=b

This was easily the funniest thing on TV in the Spring of 2009, far more brilliant and promising than the tired Office rehash "Parks and Recreation" (as much as I love the stars of that show). Recommended for fans of the rapid fire, occasionally absurd humor of "30 Rock" and "Arrested Development". Season one was cut woefully short, so I can't wait for the full run to come out on video!

I had not even heard of this one until it was cancelled. I don't watch many shows over and over, but this one I do, and it's still funny! I'm amazed that something this good got cut. Both seasons are on Netflix, but I didn't hesitate when I saw the DVD on Amazon. This is highly original comic genius.

There is an episode of BOT in Season 1 called "Racial Diversity". It may be the funniest episode of a sitcom I've seen since back in the Seinfeld days.

This show is brilliant. The writing is sharp; the actors are first-rate; and there's no pandering to the audience. You really have to watch each episode a few times to catch all of the jokes in it. I got everyone I know to watch BOT, and they all love it. You should, too.

A coworker recommended this show to me, and I'm so glad she did. I don't watch a lot of mainstream TV anymore, so I had completely missed it--and what a tragedy it would have been for me to be forever unaware of such brilliance!

When I first watched it, I was stunned at how awesome "Better Of Ted" is. Then... as I neared the end of the second season, I realized there was no more, and my soul died a little.

This show is cleverly written, cutting edge, perfectly cast (chemistry like this is SO rare!), brilliant, and tongue-in-cheek. It nips at the crux of working for soulless Corporate America (which means a vast array of people can relate to it). It has budding office romance, quirky characters, a good premise surrounding the people who work for Ted (R&D manager) and their office antics, even some SCA-type stuff thrown in. It even has a child as one of the main characters and she only serves to improve the show, rather than drag it down, which is high praise coming from me.

My favorite episode is when Ted's brother comes to town and, amidst causing other mayhem, teaches Phil and Lem to be more confident by inspiring them with lines like, "Deal with it!" When Lem puts on the leather pants and talks about how he can't believe the lower half of his body is letting the upper half of his body hang out with it, I always giggle. And then when Phil gets all inspired after yelling "Deal with it!" at a total stranger and proudly announces his intent to get "a ---- cube of cheese" and determinedly struts off, I completely lose it! Another favorite is when Chumly, the cleaning robot, gets decommissioned and Phil and Lem (they are so my favorite characters) decide to rescue him... but Chumly "doesn't come back quite right" and turns on them. So funny!

The only negative? The show was canceled in its prime. It still had a lot of life left in it with unexplored storylines and other stories that were begun left undone. While I have stopped being surprised when this kind of thing happens (think "Firefly" ::sigh::) to very clever shows that contain social commentary and challenge mainstream thinking, I have a hard time "just dealing with" the disappointment. Not only was it canceled, but it seems questionable as to whether the second season will even be released on DVD. I have a sneaky suspicion that if "Better Off Ted" had been on cable instead of a regular network, it would not have been canceled.

And now I will stop harping on the fact that this show was apparently canceled.




Whyyyy?? Why was this show canceled???





(Sorry. I couldn't help myself.)