Customer Reviews

Kitchen Confidential - The Complete Series

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's just so difficult for me to find a television comedy that really stimulates my interest, my intellect and my funny bone. Face it, we live in a world where "Arrested Development" can't find an audience but "King of Queens" stays on for nearly a decade. But such is life. It just seems that, more often than not, when a new comedy hits the air--if it doesn't perform immediately, it's gone. I credit FOX for sticking with "Arrested" as long as it did and NBC for nurturing "The Office" into a hit--but those are rare examples! I mention "Arrested Development" specifically for a reason. While FOX was trying to save that show, it introduced another high profile (and highly advertised) comedy based on the escapades of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain called "Kitchen Confidential." However, when ratings expectations were not met in its initial airings--"Kitchen" was dumped with only 13 episodes made (many to never see the light of day, until now).

It's really a shame, too. While I won't contend that "Kitchen Confidential" was brilliant, it was a show I felt had real potential to evolve into greatness. Breezy and sexy, particularly for network TV, "Kitchen" succeeded as a bawdy workplace romp. Turning Anthony Bourdain into a fictional character named Jack Bourdain, the show gave us a glimpse into a world where chefs have become rock stars. With rivalries, groupies, and big egos--this comedy explored territory that seemed fresh. Relying on real humor and not encumbered with a laugh track, "Kitchen" wasn't perfect--but it was different. Maybe that was its curse, its ultimate downfall.

Heading up everything as Jack was Bradley Cooper. So unnecessary in "Alias," Cooper proved himself a real star here! Charismatic and commanding, he played Jack as a likable dog. Surrounded by an able supporting cast including Nicholas Brendon ("Buffy"), John Francis Daley ("Freaks & Geeks"--dead before its time), Bonnie Somerville ("Grosse Point"--also killed too soon), Jamie King, and Frank Langella--this was an appealing lineup. The characters became more defined as the show progressed, but everyone contributed to the spirit of the proceedings--it was well balanced and witty. But we'll never know what was to become of them. In a bit of irony, one of the episodes was nominated by the Writer's Guild for Best Writing In An Episodic Comedy. So check it out for something a bit different. It's a show I think might have found an audience in a different time and/or a different place. You could do a lot worse--just flip on your TV now. KGHarris, 04/07.

"Kitchen Confidential" had the misfortune of being aired in the fall of 2005 just before the end of the baseball season. The pennant and series came along and interrupted whatever audience it had built and it never had a chance to build a committed audience.

This is getting to be routine for the Fox network. Take a great program, market it badly, give it a lousy time slot (why start a new show right before you know you're going to show the World Series?!), show episodes out of order, and then cancel it after just a few shows are aired. One would think that there should be some heads rolling at Fox. (I doubt it.) I digress - it's just infuriating to discover another great program only to discover that some morons canceled it while utter crap remains on the air.

"Kitchen Confidential" shares some of the same basic traits (beyond being canceled) with "Wonderfalls." It's tightly edited, funny, cutting edge, and pushes the envelope for network television. A few tweaks on language and nudity and it could easily be a quality show you'd find on Showtime or HBO. With that in mind, KC is a comedy for adults. If you like the humor on "Boston Legal" you'll probably enjoy this show.

In Kitchen Confidential, Bradley Cooper stars as Jack Bourdain, a NYC chef who is working at picking up the pieces of his lackluster career after years of drinking and drugging. In the first episode, Jack is working as a chef at a Chuck E. Cheese-esque kid's Italian restaurant and living with his girlfriend--also the restaurant's manager. When he's offered the position of head chef at hip bistro Nolita, Jack sees his chance to rebuild his name as a great chef, and get out of the rut he's in.

He assembles his kitchen staff from his old coworkers including: Steven, a British thug who's been known to cause plenty of mischief and will serve as Jack's sous-chef; Seth, a pastry chef with a crush on the hostess and a penchant for wearing bandannas as neckties; Teddy, an Asian seafood genius who has a volatile relationship with Jack; and Jim, the nerdy newbie who Jack inherits from the old chef. Together, the team creates an inspiring menu and helps put Nolita on the map as one of the new hip NYC restaurants.

Kitchen Confidential takes all of the best parts of Anthony Bourdain's memoir and twists it just enough to make it entertaining fiction rather than verbatim retelling. Bradley Cooper plays the part of Jack Bourdain with just enough wit and candor to remind viewers of Anthony, but with enough of his individual style to make the role his own. The supporting cast are nothing if not hilarious, and the stories of life inside a kitchen will provide fans of shows like Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen with a little fictional fuel for the culinary interest fire. As always, Fox cancelled the show after only 4 episodes aired, but hopefully with the success of the DVD sales (a la Family Guy) viewers might be in store for more Kitchen Confidential in the future.

It's a real crime that Fox never let this brilliant comedy (they only aired 4 of 13 episodes) find an audience. Like "Arrested Development," it was canned way before its time. Bradley Cooper leads an ensemble cast as a fallen chef who is given a second (or last) chance to prove himself. He gathers a rag tag team and they mix like oil and water with the wait staff, with plenty of laughs and sexual tension thrown in. Some of the best episodes include "Rabbit Test," where today's special arrives alive; "Teddy Takes Off," where the temperamental fish guy wants recognition for his recipes; and the hilarious "French Fight," featuring Cooper's former "Alias" co-star as a rival chef who steals a recipe and starts a war. The casting is great, the writing witty, and the premise is fresh and far more entertaining than all the reality restaurant shows combined.

Extras include a tour of the Nolita restaurant set and interviews with some of the cast who also seem dumbstruck as to why the show was canceled.

Yep, they canceled this and yet junk shows like "Fact of Life" and "Full House" managed to stay on nearly a decade. And God help us, both live on in reruns.

Why do all the good series get canceled after four episodes?

Kitchen Confidental ran only four episodes before it disappeared from FOX network. Like Wonderfalls (see the review), it vanished before finding an audience. It was a very cute show that was not given a chance

This show is a cute comedy.think of... The office taking place in a restaurant...Hell's Kitchen with an imagination...or the Food Network with a laugh track. Too bad Fox didnt give this show a chance

I enjoyed the show, I only wish there was more

The 13 episode set is worth to watch the shows and like good food, enjoy this complete series collection with a fine wine, a good cheese and some summer saugage

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

There really is no justice in the world when a sitcom like this gets cancelled after four episodes--four SUPERB episodes. What was Fox thinking? Alas, its appearance on DVD is some comfort. Commercial TV is full of head-scratching decisions, and this is one of them. But now's your chance: Get the DVD and enjoy what could have been! The cast is uniformly good, the music only adds to the quirkiness and the plots are hilarious. And of course, Bradley Cooper makes a perfect lead.

Ok, so this show should still be on the air. It's a great show! Good acting, writing, casting, you name it. I think this show was a few years ahead of it's time and would probably still be on the air if it had come out 2 to 3 years after it did. If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain, restaurants, cooking, food or laughing...get this DVD!

This is a funny sitcom notably starring Bradley Cooper (from The Hangover) and featuring John Cho (Sulu from the new Star Trek and Harold from the Harold and Kumar movies). Check the other reviews for a more complete discussion of the series, but I just wanted to note that this DVD set is in 16:9/widescreen format, unlike the episodes on Hulu that are in 4:3 format. You get more picture, as well as better picture quality, so if you've already seen the series on Hulu and are looking for an excuse to get this, there you have it. I give it 4 stars just because the series lacks a proper finale due to being cut short by FOX, and it's only VERY loosely based on the book by Anthony Bourdain.

This was one of those shows that I heard great buzz about while it was on the air for about 2 seconds. I never had the pleasure of watching it because I couldn't find it and then it was cancelled. Then dh and I found it on DVD and LOVED it! Bradley Cooper does shine but he is supported by a GREAT cast and this is truly an ensemble project. Plus, how often are we bombarded with Dr. shows, lawyer shows and just plain LAME shows. However, this one being set in a restaurant/kitchen was so fresh and interesting. I loved how unapologetic it was about being a little coarse. Still, this wasn't comedy for idiots. I just wish it had been given a chance to find the audience that it surely would have found. I wish there was a way to bring it back.

They need to bring back this series!! I just watched all 13 episodes on HULU. It is one of the funniest shows I've ever watched... (Never heard of it before..?!?) and I am now officially in love w/ Bradley Cooper! A DEFINATE MUST SEE!!