Customer Reviews

Dharma & Greg - Season One

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

#1 - "Pilot" - Straight-laced Greg and free-spirited Dharma tell their parents about their engagement.
#2 - "And The In-Laws Meet" - Dharma and Greg throw a celebration party and the Montgomery family meets the Finkelsteins.
#3 - "Shower the People You Love With Love" - Dharma buys Greg a deluxe shower - Kitty misunderstands the word "shower" and prepares for a social event.
#4 - "And Then There's The Wedding" - The newlywed couple decide to have a wedding party to appease their parents but are frustrated by Kitty's plans for a grand country-club affair.
#5 - "The Ex-Files" - Greg's ex-girlfriend Barbara moves back and she still has feelings for Greg.
#6 - "Yoga and Boo Boo" - Dharama hopes to lower Greg's stress level by introducing him to yoga.
#7 - "Indian Summer" - While sunning on the roof, Dharma & Jane meet an elderly Native American who wants to die on the premises, claiming that it was his ancestors' sacred burial ground.
#8 - "Mr. Montgomery Goes to Washington" - Greg runs for Congress but neither he nor Dharma are prepared for the social graces for the job.
#9 - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father" - Family secrets are revealed when Dharma and Greg are given a background check for Greg's security upgrade.
#10 - "The First Thanksgiving" - Dharma volunteers to make Thanksgiving dinner for the entire family.
#11 - "Instant Dharma" - Dharma's yoga students are deserting her class for a popular self-defense class taught by a wacko (Laurie Metcalf).
#12 - "Haus Arrest" - Greg's rebellious teenaged neice comes to visit and Dharma's free spirit is severely challenged.
#13 - "Do You Want Fries With That?" - Greg suffers job burnout and Dharma pushes him to quit and do what he really wants to do - be a short order cook in a hamburger joint.
#14 - "Old Yeller" - Dharma buys an old school bus after tiring of Greg's obsessive rules when driving his car.
#15 - "The Second Coming of Leonard" - Everyone is enamored over Dharma's former boyfriend Leonard - except Greg.
#16 - "Dharma and Greg's First Romantic Valentine's Day Weekend" - All sorts of problems arise during Dharma and Greg's romantic weekend in upstate New York.
#17 - "The Official Dharma and Greg Episode of the 1998 Winter Olympics" - Dharma, Abby and Jane try to help Kitty cope with her 50th birthday while Greg, Edward and Larry go skiing.
#18 - "Daughter of the Bride of Finkelstein" - Dharma and Greg move in with Greg's parents after a plumbing emergency. The Finkelsteins comtemplate marriage after 20 years of living together.
#19 - "Dharma's Tangled Web" - Dharma learns that Kitty and Edward are separating and creates a mess when she tries to keep the news from Greg. Jane Seymour guest stars.
#20 - "The Cat's Out of the Bag" - Dharma attempts to help the Montgomery's sex life by taking Kitty to an adult erotica shop where they naturally run into Larry and Abby.
#21 - "Spring Forward, Step Down" - Dharma and Greg enter a ballroom dancing contest.
#22 - "Much Ado During Nothing" - Dharma and Greg decide to spruce up their sex life by having sex in a public area.
#23 - "Invasion of the Buddy Snatcher" - Dharma wants to get to know Greg's poker buddies but Greg is upset when she starts offering them personal advice.

Others have listed the episodes and their descriptions, so I'll just add some food for thought.

Watching the whole first series, in sequential order, is a real eye-opener. The writing was fantastic and the characters delightfull, but what was truly great about this show was the way it just drew the viewers into these people's lives, the way it dealt with pregnancy scares, criminal backgrounds, menopause, meeting the in-laws, spicing up one's sex life, career changes, personal politics, alcoholism, fear of commitment, identity crisis, jealousy, fear of change, and marriage--all in the first season, and all with a sense of levity that is lacking in much of today's popular television! Watching these 3 DVD's, I laughed until I cried.

Also touching are the commentaries done by the actors that play Dharma, Abbey, and Larry. They truly loved their time working on the series, had a great fondness for their fellow actors, felt at home in the sets (they point out details about the O'Neil/Finkelstein kitchen, and the Finkelstein/Montgomery living room that you probably never noticed, and tell amusing stories about props), and are always willing to laugh at themselves ("Abby's" tales of her ever-changing hair and her real-life husband, who was the inspiration for Larry, and how he beat up Goofy at Disney World, are well worth listening to the commentaries...also not to be missed are "Dharma's" descriptions of eyebrow do's and don'ts, and "Larry's" tips on where to buy hippy clothes).

My favorite moments in this season of the series include: watching Penn (of Penn & Teller) play a man who thinks he is a housecat, seeing two young women trying to cook their first Thanksgiving dinner manage to lose a live lobster, watching Greg attempt yoga, watching Laurie Metcalf (of Roseanne) play a psychotic self-defense instructor who invades Dharma's nightmares, and seeing a woman with gothic make-up, dreds, and black fishnets walk down the aisle in a pink bridesmaid's dress, followed by a rather tall drag-queen on the arm of a short groomsman.

I have to admitt that I never watched "Dharma and Greg" when it was originally on television but, now that it is in syndication I am a huge fan. I was so glad to see that Season 1 had been released so that I could pick it up and, I have to confess, I have not stopped watching the entire first season. This is a laugh out loud sitcom that is just pure fun. The opposites attract premise of the show works well especially in the "fish out of water moments" that both Dharma and Greg go through when they are placed in unfamilliar situations. All-in-all the show works well though. The casting was great and the jokes never got stale or redundant.

About the DVD's themselves, the only draw back is there is not a "play all" option which means you can't just put the remote down and kick your feet up.

Also, the DVDs are made so that episodes 1-4 are on one side while episodes 5-9 are on the other. This normally isn't a problem but if you have one of those ubber sensitive DVDs where even the slightest blemish makes the DVD skip frames then be extra careful when prying the DVD from the package.

The extra features are nice though and I was glad that a cast interview remembering the sitcom was included.

I hope that the next seasons will be coming out soon!!!

1997 saw the arrival of a new sitcom that helped reinvigorate the romantic comedy on network television. Even though it wasn't particularly original, Dharma & Greg it was a very well-written and well-made show featuring two leads that had undeniable chemistry together. Since the show went off the air and entered syndication, fans have wondered when and if it would finally be released on DVD. Well, the wait is finally over.

Some highlights from this season include "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father," which sees Larry going "underground" after he fears a routine background check will uncover his "radical" past. When Greg finds out that Larry doesn't actually have one, Dharma and Abby create a folder with a checkered past for Larry to "steal." This episode showcases just how funny Alan Rachins is - Larry isn't too bright (one too many acid trips back in the `60s perhaps?) and his cluelessness is the source for a lot of the episode's humour.

Jenna Elfman brings a lot of bubbly charm to the role of Dharma. It's hard not to be taken in by her sexy, girl-next-door looks and her character's naïve optimism and New Age ways. Thomas Gibson is perfect as the good-looking straight man to Elfman's loopy Dharma. He's full of inhibitions and being with her helps loosen him up some. They work so well together and make a very believable couple. They balance each other, she's a hopeless romantic and he's the practical one and it is a lot of fun to watch them play off each other. Despite their differences, Dharma and Greg make it work because they truly love each other.

Dharma & Greg, like any successful sitcom, offers personalities that anybody can relate to whether it is the optimist, the realist, the hippies or the conservatives. What makes the show work is that because it is a sitcom, you know that ultimately everything is going to be okay and that's what people want to see. In fact, we are seeing the world predominantly through Dharma's rose-coloured glasses during the age of Bill Clinton when the economy was doing well. The show reflected that domestic, democratic bliss with Dharma as the Clinton-esque goddess who wins out. We need another show like that now in these dark and scary times. At least watching these episodes now they can act as a kind of security blanket, a gentle reminder of how good things were and how they can hopefully be again.

The first disc features an audio commentary on "The Pilot" by cast members Jenna Elfman, Mimi Kennedy and Alan Rachins. They point out friends of cast and crew members, comment on the nuances in each other's performances and even spend a little time catching up with one another in this fun if not frivolous track.

The second disc features a commentary on "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father" with the same participants. Everyone gushes about the set design of Dharma and Greg's apartment and how it changed over the series, pointing out where certain artifacts that decorate it come from.

The third disc features a commentary on "The Official Dharma & Greg Episode of the 1998 Winter Olympics" by the same participants. Apparently, they all had a lot of fun making this episode, getting into the spirit of the Olympics and gently making fun of the excitement that always surrounds it.

"When Worlds Collide: The Dharma & Greg Story" is a retrospective featurette. Most of the cast, with the notable exception of Thomas Gibson, are back for this featurette and talk about such things as how they were cast and recall their favourite moments on the show.

"Vanity Cards." Lorre started writing vanity cards that would appear for two seconds at the end of several episodes. All the ones for this season are included. Most are incredibly funny and very witty as he espoused his "personal beliefs."

Finally, there is "Reaching Your Inner Dharma," a trivia game where you have to answer ten questions to see how close you are to thinking like Dharma.

There are a LARGE group out here awaiting the release of further seasons of Dharma & Greg. It has been issued in UK and Japan so PLEASE give it to us here.
Thanks, Blessings,
Carol

I waited and waited for Season 1 to be released and I hope I don't have to wait years and years for Season 2 to come out on DVD. Dharma and Greg is so creative and fun. The actors were perfect for their characters! Unlike other sitcoms where the married couple's main comedy fodder is making fun of the "loser" spouse, Dharma and Greg have their differences, but respect and love each other. In addition, they have a very magical relationship and are surrounded by a very diverse group of family and friends. NEVER A DULL MOMENT!

Dharma & Greg is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. It is wacky, so funny and yet there always seems to be a positive message lurking in each episode. I was overjoyed when Season One was released - years ago! - and was eagerly awaiting Season Two, Three, etc. I guess there are a lot of us out here that wonder WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR?!

Dharma and Greg is an awesome series and I'm heartbroken that season 2 has not been released yet in Canada and the US. Season 1 is awesome but it's very disappointing to get to the end and then realize that you have no more episodes to watch! Please bring out season 2 soon!!!

I love Dharma and Greg Season 1. When will Seasons 2 thru 5 come out? That's the bummer. I'd love a complete set of this fun TV series.

This was a great show, and I love the DVD set, however season two and three were better then the first one, yet, they are not released (yet).
The way these DVDs were made is a little strange with only a few episodes per one side of the disc, however, the content more then makes up for it.