Product Details

• Actors: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: HBO STUDIOS
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2011
• Run Time: 326 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003L77GLU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,053 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Bored to Death: The Complete Second Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bored to Death fuses the anxieties of literary life with a pastiche of detective stories in eight tidy episodes. Floundering writer Jonathan Ames (played by Jason Schwartzman and named after series creator and main writer Jonathan Ames) now not only has his sideline as an unlicensed private detective, but also starts teaching a creative writing class (and starts flirting with one of his students). His best friend, frustrated cartoonist Ray (Zach Galifianakis), has a burst of self-esteem when his self-published comic book (about a well-endowed superhero named after himself) grows bizarrely popular, leading him to think he might be able to get back together with his ex (Heather Burns, Miss Congeniality). But this season really takes off when Jonathan's mentor, magazine editor George (Ted Danson), gets diagnosed with prostate cancer. Somehow, this heavy topic gives the show just the hint of gravity it needs to maintain its balance, and gives Danson the opportunity to take his marvelous portrait of pot-smoking self-absorption in new and delightful directions. Bored to Death walks a fine line, and sometimes the wispy self-referentiality of the writing starts to fray, but the cast (Danson in particular) is always enjoyable. Extras include deleted scenes, outtakes, and audio commentaries and interviews with Ames (the real one) that have the same deadpan whimsy as the series itself. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

When we last dropped in on Jonathan Ames – New York writer, romantic, unlicensed private detective – he was taking a pounding in the boxing ring while still licking his (more painful) breakup wounds. Now that his second novel has been completed (and rejected), Jonathan is augmenting his income by moonlighting as a creative-writing teacher, while taking on some new, desperate clients, ranging from a kinky policeman to the publishing rival of his sexagenarian pal, George Christopher. How he solves anything is a mystery.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The fun continues... November 13, 2010

By J. A Bowen

Format:DVD

After the insanely funny, original and stylishly quirky Season One, I seriously doubted that the creator of "Bored to Death", the real Jonathan Ames, would be able to match, much less surpass, what I so admired about his HBO series. But I'm happy to say that the adventures of Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman), George (Ted Danson), and Ray (Zach Galifianakos) continue in high hilarity and unmatched style.

As the season opens we find Jonathan, as usual, down on his luck. His second novel has been rejected and he has to pay back his advance to his publisher (we don't see Bebe Neuwirth this season, worse luck). To help make ends meet, he is teaching a night class in writing at a Brooklyn public high school. The class, in Ames' gifted hands, offers all kinds of opportunities for fun, from a dark, angry Asian writer to a Lolita-like student who has an immediate crush on Jonathan. Jonathan is a bit ashamed of this venue, but as always, aspires earnestly to please.

Ames explores some of society's taboos this season, played out in Jonathan's now full-time occupation as an unlicensed private detective. S and M, adultery (of course), transgenderism, menage a trois, all are explored with Ames' usual witty, sometimes uproarious, but always somehow endearingly earnest, goofiness. He borrows from older movies ("Chinatown" and "On the Waterfront", even "Casablanca") and once again I am reminded of Woody Allen, but Ames puts his own stamp of genius on these monoliths, and makes them his own.

Some old friends re-appear -- Oliver Platt and Kristen Wiig among them -- and some new ones enhance the episodes (Kevin Bacon, F. Murray Abraham, Mary Kay Place). But always it is the magical chemistry of Schwartzman, Danson, and Galifianakos that make it work. "The Onion", in reviewing the series, said Ted Danson hasn't seemed to have this much fun since "Body Heat". That may be true, but how lucky for us! And I have to put a plug in here for Jason Schwartzman. He is absolutely the center of the show, so funny, so literate, so horny, yet somehow so innocent and just plain nice. I love this character. The series has been renewed for a third season, and I await it eagerly.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stoned to death September 2, 2011

By Noel TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray

The excellent original series from writer Jonathan Ames returns for a second series with Jonathan (played by Jason Schwartzman) continuing his private detective work while trying (admittedly not very hard) to get his second novel published. The series opens with Jonathan now teaching an evening creative writing class to repay the advance his publisher gave him for the second novel which was rejected. Meanwhile Ray's (Zach Galifianakis) girlfriend Leah (Heather Burns) breaks up with him so he tries to win her back by putting all of his effort into his comic book "Super Ray" which doesn't win her back but makes his comic book an unexpected success. George (Ted Danson) receives some bad news in this series which he takes with his usual good humour and which subsequently changes the character's world.

"Bored to Death" gets better with this second series. Ted Danson is still the most likeable man on television and still doesn't look like he's in his early 60s and his performance as George is so charming and enjoyable to watch. He is by far the best actor in the series but Zach G and Jason Schwartzman both perform very ably as well. This series might be good for fans critical of Zach G who don't like his overly crazy comedic roles as he plays probably the most balanced character in this group and comes across as almost normal.

There are some excellent cases in this series too, involving S&M dungeons, kidnapping and ransoming, a fight between Jonathan and rival Louis Greene and some drug dealers, an attempted robbery of a café, the rescuing of an Asian transvestite, and a plan to assassinate Ray.

The charming laid back tone of the episodes is great once you get into it - even the threat of drug gangs and murder never causes the tone to dip and in fact turns into whackiness and humour. They don't play yakkity-sax but it wouldn't be out of place in some of the chase sequences.

Great fun to watch, by the end of the series you'll be wishing for more. Once you get into the groove of the way the episodes work in this strange nether world of New York where kidnappers quote Oscar Wilde and fatal news is met with sex, it becomes pure joy to sit back and immerse yourself in this wonderful, bonkers, and very funny series. Excellent original TV, HBO do it again! (Now bring back Deadwood for Season 4!)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "Is it safe to eat the stalker's food?" November 14, 2010

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

His second book has been rejected, and Jonathan Ames has some soul-searching to do... when he isn't working as a private eye or juggling his friends' problems. "Bored to Death: Season Two" maintains the same quirky mix of comedy, mystery and Ames' own personal experiences -- and the trio of Jason Schwartzman, Zak Galifianakis and Ted Danson is perfectly hilarious.

After his book is rejected, Jonathan (Schwartzman) is teaching a writing class at a night school. But of course, he's still doing his oddball detective job -- hired to infiltrate an S&M dungeon, following possibly-adulterous spouses, being kidnapped by drug-running thugs, tracking down a valuable book, busting a dognapper, delivering a love letter at a Chinese spa, and dealing with Ray's psycho stalker.

And though his love life is still a disaster, Jonathan is reinspired as a writer -- he starts turning his detective stories into fiction. At the same time, Ray (Galifianakis) is devastated when his girlfriend dumps him because he didn't like yoga class, and channels his sorrow into his comic books. And George (Danson) discovers that he may have prostate cancer, which unsurprisingly throws him into devastating tizzy.

The second season of "Bored to Death" is not too different from the first one -- it's arty, quirky, infused with New Yorkitude, and full of funny moments that never stray into outright ridiculousness. But while the tone is much the same, the writers weave in some very different subplots, particularly the serious subplot about George's prostate cancer.

And the writing is really, really clever. Without resting too long on any one joke, the writers dabble in humor of all kinds -- elf ears, polyamory, penis-centric comic books, rubber bullets, transvestitism, S&M, and medical mixups. There are plenty of funny scenes (Jonathan spies on a cheating wife... who is cheating with George!) and hilarious dialogue ("You know, I never thought I'd be in a graveyard in a spa robe talking to a beautiful transvestite in the moonlight").

Schwartzman's Jonathan spends the first half of the season treading water, and for awhile it feels like nothing new is happening. Fortunately he does get his butt in gear, and there are hints that Jonathan's new artistic path is one he's destined to stick with. Plus he's getting a bit more gutsy with the slimy Louis. And as always, he tries his best to really help the people around him.

Danson and Galifianakis round out this comic trio nicely, handling their serious subplots (possible prostate cancer and broken heart) with the right combination of humor and poignancy. There's also a new addition to the cast: Ajay Naidu as George's feisty driver Vikram, who is absolutely hilarious. Also: Kevin Bacon makes a small appearance as himself... and he is gutsplittingly funny.

The beginning is a little slow, but "Bored to Death: Season Two" retains its quirky balance of comedy and drama. And it really, really makes you wish the third season was here already.