Customer Reviews

Hearts Afire - The Complete Third Season

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, we all miss John Ritter. It's really strange to turn on the TV and not find him on somewhere, except in reruns of "Three's Company."

The release of this TV series on DVD is exciting news for John Ritter fans. For those unfamiliar with it, "Hearts Afire" was his 1992-1995 sitcom co-starring Markie Post. John is a senator's aide in Washington, D.C. who is surrounded by funny characters and funny situations. The dialogue is sophisticated and snappy, the chemistry between Ritter and Post is hot, and the supporting players (paticularly the hilarious Conchata Ferrell) couldn't have been better cast.

"Hearts Afire" is notable today because it co-starred a then-unknown actor named Billy Bob Thornton. It should be no surprise that Billy Bob scored many of the show's funniest lines. He stole nearly every scene he was in. It was on this series that Ritter met Billy Bob and the writer/director hired the king of pratfalls against type for what would become one of his most famous roles, the gay man in "Sling Blade."

If you know this show, you'll be buying this set. If you are unfamiliar with it, rent it. You'll fall in love with it and return here to buy it.

Now let's hope other Ritter series and TV movies will also show up on DVD -- with "Hooperman" leading the list.

I have been waiting for this series to be released in some fashion since it went off the air.

Image Entertainment did a very nice job in transferring the first season to DVD. The menus are easy to use. The episodes, I believe, are uncut/unedited. I hear that when reruns were shown on the USA Network, that they had edited the episodes. They are shown on DVD in all their original glory.

I had very few complaints concerning this set. Unfortunately it looks as though IE was unable to obtain rights to some of the music that had been in the episodes originally - such as Born on the Bayou, Respect, Let's Give Them Something To Talk About and I'm A Believer. They filled in it in with some instrumental music and it's not so bad. I just wish we could have had the original tunes because they so fit the scenes.

I also noticed that some of the scenes seem a little fuzzy as if they didn't transfer well - could have been something from the original filming though. It in no way takes away from the show itself. And last, but not least, there is no "Play All" option available on the discs. It does get a little annoying having to go through two different menus to get to an episode - though the menus are easy to use as I stated earlier.

Overall this DVD set is well worth the price I paid for it and I'm on pins and needles waiting for season two. If you are a John Ritter or Markie Post fan in the least, please do yourself a favor and get this DVD set. The two of them fit together so well and made this show my absolute all-time favorite. I don't think you'll regret it in the least!

By the time Linda-Bloodworth Thomason rolled out season 3 of CBS' Hearts Afire, the sarcastic yet enormously funny series
had been shuffled all over prime-time slots (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays...then repeat..) as viewers became confused of its air-time which led to an unfortunate uninterest in the series until CBS finally chose to ax it in February '95. Although the series wasn't given the going-away party that it deserved, it has suddenly appeared in a respectful DVD package worthy of a retro resurrection of sorts that any fan of the show must be ecstatic! 1st Season viewers may be shocked to see cast changes that ousted Senator Schmithers, innocent yet ridiculously dumb Dee Dee, and Mavis, Billy Bob's liberal and challenging wife. Set in the small town of Somewhere, KY, Bloodworth-Thomason brought her left-wing political scripts from Washington to Mayberry. However, unlike Season 1 where politics dominated episode after episode, Seasons 2 and especially 3 became more sitcom-silly and soon became undeniably the funniest comedy that no one was watching. Leslie Jordan's character Lonnie Garr and office-space therapist Madeline (played by funny lady Cochatta Ferrell) were carefully chosen for Season 2 and continued to ride on the hilarious and successful formula that exposed the viewer to life at the Daily Beacon week after week. From the major characters to the minor, the casting for this series was flawless. John Hartman's son Elliot (Clark Duke), who has been underrated throughout every review of this series, shared the spotlight once more with Carson Lee (Billy Bob's daughter) and brother Ben. Ritter, Post, and Thornton also returned and created three of CBS' most beloved characters. With so much talent under their belts, it is amazing that this show wasn't the pre-Raymond or an Emmy nominee. The combination of personalities (John's conservative yet quick-on-the-draw remarks, for example) with each situation (from the Beacon's first group therapy meeting to the delivery of the Harman baby Emilia) is absolutely priceless. Shows come and go; I suppose this one did too. However, if you must own any of the seasons of Hearts Afire, and full-blown laugh out loud comedy is what you're seeking, seasons 2 or 3 are it. For any fan of smart-comedy including Designing Women (another Bloodworth-Thomason classic), this series is highly recommended!

I have been wanting this series and was very excited when I found it on Amazon. Also shipped very quickly.

I was never a Ritter fan--until this series! For lighthearted comedy and romance, this is the ticket for lots of fun...

We had looked forward to getting these episodes. They are loaded with talent and so well written. Will order further seasons as we view what we have received.

If your into "womens lib, battle of the sexes" and which seems to be unending trivial female critisizems (sp)of men/husbands, then this DVD is for you.
The cast is terrific---story lines/plots are poor.

For all Hearts Afire fans, this is a true gem. Billy Bob Thornton is excellent in this sitcom, showing 100% of his funny side. You won't be disappointed!!

Excellent sit-com: funny, sexy, intelligent humor. Looking forward to the next DVD of this series.

This political sitcom stars many TV veterans,those being the late great John Ritter,Markie Post,Wendie Jo Sperber and George Gaynes. Ritter,late of The Waltons,Three's Company and Hooperman is Congressman John Hartman who appoints Georgie Lahti(Post) as his personal secretary. Gaynes is another senator and Sperber is a secretary also. Rounding out the cast is Billy Bob Thornton,another congressman. This sitcom led to the longtine friendship between Ritter and Thornton. The pair would later do the films SLING BLADE(written and directed by Thornton) and BAD SANTA(Ritter's last film that was finished shortly before his death). Post wasn't unemployed for long because this series began just after her previous NBC sitcom Night Court got the Nielsen axe. Gaynes was previously a cast member of NBC's Punky Brewster. He also delighted audiences in the six POLICE ACADEMY movies,made one by one between 1983 and 1988. Gaynes also returned for the sixth and most recent sequel POLICE ACADEMY-MISSION TO MOSCOW,released in 1994. Sperber previously played Amy,a friend of the respective characters of Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari on ABC's Bosom Buddies from 1980 to about 1983. This CBS sitcom premiered on September 14,1992 and almost got the Nielsen axe after the first season. This is dedicated to the memory of Ritter who died suddenly of a heart ailment at age 54 in September 2003. Post-Hearts Afire,Ritter and Katey Sagal,late of Fox's Married...With Children starred on ABC's 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter". 8 Simple Rules is still aired on the network and Sagal is still on that sitcom.