Customer Reviews

Samantha Who?: The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
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In 2007-2008, the first season of "Samantha WHO?" debuted after ABC''s "Dancing with the Stars" and the show immediately was a big hit and received praise from many reviewers and viewers. And eventually, the show was successful and was the highest rated sitcom for that year.

Unfortunately, the second season had a new schedule and no successful lead-in show and put up against other successful shows and the ratings dropped. Although not a significant drop in viewership, ABC opted not to renew the show due to economic reasons (the network wanted producers to cut $500,000 from the budget per episode).

Despite the shocking cancellation of the series, fortunately "Samantha WHO? - The Complete Second and Final Season" is released on DVD and those who missed the final seven episodes can now catch it with this final release.

"Samantha WHO?" is a sitcom created by Cecelia Ahern (writer of the 2007 novel "P.S. I Love You") and Donald Todd (writer for "Ugly Betty", "Life As We Know It" and "Caroline in the City").

The series is about a woman named Samantha (Christina Applegate, "Married with Children", "Jesse") who was a rude and not so kind person. But after being a hit by a car, she has amnesia and doesn't remember too much about how she was in her past but with a few memories and what she learns about herself, she wants to make herself a better person.

Because she forgot so much, she is unable to work and is trying to piece together her life and thus she depends on her parents Howard (Kevin Dunn, "Transformers" films, "Gridiron Gang", "7th Heaven") and Regina (Jean Smart, "24', "Frasier" and "Designing Women") for their assistance.

And to help her through life are her two best friends and former co-workers such as the bad/party girl Andrea Belladonna (Jennifer Esposito, "Rescue Me", "Related" and "Conspiracy") and the chirpy Dena (Melissa McCarthy, "Gilmore Girls"), her ex-boyfriend Todd (Barry Watson, "What About Brian" and "7th Heaven") and her apartment doorman Frank (Tim Russ, "Star Trek: Voyager", "Life Free and Die Hard" and "iCarly").

But as she has her memories of the way she was back then, she does have occasional memories of Todd and when they were a couple and how badly she treated him and even being proposed by him. The problem is that once she has these memories, she forgets them. Nevertheless, with friends and family she starts to get her life all situated.

For "Samantha WHO? - The Complete Second and Final Season", 17 episodes are featured on three discs. Here is a listing of the episodes on each disc (note: the following are spoiler-less summaries):

DISC 1:

* EPISODE 16 - So I Think I Can Dance - Regina's rival (played by Cybil Shepherd) challenges her to a dance competition and wants Samantha to be her partner. Problem is, Samantha doesn't remember how to dance.
* EPISODE 17 - Out of Africa - Samantha tells her parents that she is going to Africa but doesn't go. Due to civil war in Africa, her parents are freaking out and think she's dead.
* EPISODE 18 - The Pill - Samantha's doctor gives her experimental pills that helps her regain her memory. Meanwhile, Andrea tries to prove to Dena that she can attract women.
* EPISODE 19 - The Building - Samantha and Regina try to sell a building but Samantha doesn't want to use anything sexual by any means to get the building sold (like she used to back then).
* EPISODE 20 - Help! - Samantha tries to help a girl (played by Mary-Kate Olsen) who tends to get in trouble.
* EPISODE 21 - The Ex-Girlfriend - Samantha tells Owen that her ex-boyfriend lives with her and Owen tells Samantha that his best friend is his ex-girlfriend. What happens when all four get together.
* EPISODE 22 - The Farm - Samantha brings Owen home to meet her parents.

DISC 2:

* EPISODE 23 - The Park - Samantha tries to become an environmentalist to make Owen happy.
* EPISODE 24 - The Family Vacation - Samantha and her parents go on a vacation at a lodge (with her best friends).
* EPISODE 25 - My Best Friend's Boyfriend - Samantha and Todd go out on a double date with Andrea and her pro basketball player date, Tony Dane. But Todd learn's the basketball player's secret.
* EPISODE 26 - The Dog - Samantha feels that she wants to have a child, so for practice, she decides to take care of Dena's dog.
* EPISODE 27 - The Amazing Racist - After being accused of being racist, Samantha tries to become good friends with Frank.
* EPISODE 28 - The Debt - Samantha and her parents go to Vegas.

DISC 3:

* EPISODE 29 - The Rock Star - Samantha goes out with a rockstar and stops hanging out with her friends.
* EPISODE 30 - Todd's Job - Samantha tries to help Todd get a job, while Regina puts Dena's house on the market without letting her know.
* EPISODE 31 - The Sister - Samantha finds out that she has an aunt and grandmother.
* EPISODE 32 - The Dream Job - Samantha is hired to run a charity foundation. Meanwhile, Dena hopes that Andrea will select her as a bridesmaid.
* EPISODE 33 - The First Date - Samantha wants to balance her time at work and with Todd. Meanwhile, Regina is not so thrilled about Howard's retirement.
* EPISODE 34 - The Other Woman - The women make a major step towards the men in their lives but Regina gets caught up in a love triangle.
* EPISODE 35 - With This Ring - Andrea is to marry Tony Dane while Samantha must make a choice... Todd or Winston.

NOTE: On Disc 3, "The Rock Star", "Todd's Job" and "The Sister" are not part of the "Samantha WHO?" 17-episode listing and are in a section called "More Sam...".

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Samantha WHO?" is a sitcom presented in Widescreen (with an aspect ratio of 1:78:1) that is shot via a single camera and not the typical multiple camera setup. So, one thing that people will realize about the series is that it looks more like a drama series and although shot on set, there are many scenes where the show is shot outdoors and the picture quality on DVD is very good. For the most part, the series is well-lit and doesn't have the problems of excessive low-noise or high compression.

As for the audio, "Samantha WHO?" is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is primarily dialogue driven, so it's primarily front and center channel-driven. I was hoping to hear an episode such as "The Rock Star" which takes place in a small concert stage with the audience cheering utilizing the surround channels, but I didn't really hear anything.

So, pretty much the series is front and channel driven but if you have a receiver capable of stereo on all channels. Personally, I found that setting the best for watching the show.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Samantha WHO? - The Complete Second and Final Season" comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

Not necessarily a special feature but if you select "play all" instead of individual episodes, you will be treated with the "Samantha WHO? - Season One" starter kit which is a recap of season 1.

DISC 2:

* Deleted Scenes - Seven deleted scenes with an intro for each scene by Executive Producer Donald Todd. Scenes deleted due to time conflicts.
* Bloopers - (:53) Blooper reel
* Set Tour With Christina Applegate - (4:42) Christina Applegate takes the viewers on a tour of "Samantha WHO?" and why there are chickens everywhere on the set of her family's home and more.
* Christina Dance Moment - (3:11) Executive Producer Donald Todd talks about how Christina Applegate wanted to do an episode that involved dancing and how she had to dance badly and how difficult it was to film Christina and Jean doing bad dance choreography.
* Girl Chat - (2:24) Christina Applegate, Jennifer Esposito and Melissa McCarthy answer questions about their character and relating to the show.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I have to admit that I was shocked that ABC canceled "Samantha WHO?". After all, the series was the top rated sitcom for its first season, Christina Applegate was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress in 2008 and how courageous Applegate was by doing the show even though he had to face a mastectomy.

Needless to say, the show's viewership may have went down due to not having "Dancing with the Stars" as a lead in show but still, the show had millions of viewers and truthfully, many viewers and even entertainment magazine editors felt the show didn't deserve to be canceled.

But here we are with "Samantha WHO? - The Complete Second and Final Season" and fortunately, now people who missed the final seven episodes, can catch the second season in its entirety on DVD. And for those who are wondering about how the series ended, fortunately the creators of the show managed to create a satisfying conclusion to the series. Also, a bit open ended just in case another network wanted to pick it up.

The characters are just enjoyable to watch. There are many episodes featuring Samantha remembering her past life and trying to start over with her new life despite not having any past memories. Her mother Regina is actually quite interesting and to see the mother and daughter dynamics at work is quite hilarious. Especially since Regine and Samantha have drifted apart since Samantha was a much different and crude person in the past.

Jennifer Esposito as Andrea Belladonna was very enjoyable to watch. As Kim Cattrall's character of Samantha was for Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex & The City", Andrea is that sexy vixen who also has that crude/party girl humor that she brings into the friendship between her and Samantha. And Melissa McCarthy as Dena is also quite interesting because she is so different from Samantha and Dena but she's still part of that circle and brings that perky ditsyness but also logical thinking at times. So, for the most part, what makes "Samantha WHO?" so enjoyable is its characters and the wackiness that ensues in each episode.

Overall, "Samantha WHO?" was an enjoyable sitcom with plenty of comedy and every character was fun to watch. In fact, there wasn't any episode that seemed boring at all. Again, I think it was a wrong decision by ABC to cancel the series but for those who were curious about the sitcom or fans who enjoyed the series, definitely pick up both seasons of "Samantha WHO?" on DVD. You definitely won't be disappointed!

While the DVD set lists 17 episodes, the "missing" three episodes are here under the "More Sam" bonus feature.

Samantha Who? was a show I had written off as silly and pretentious but I was wrong and now I can't get enough of this now cancelled show. Without Christina Applegate playing the title role, I don't think the show would have been so refreshing and witty. Applegate is a gifted actress, I remember her on Married... with Children and even then she had this natural talent for slapstick comedy. Applegate was the backbone of this little show, I never saw season 1 but season 2 is clever, frank, and well-written. The chemistry is evident and Jean Smart is freakin' hilarious! Too bad this show wasn't given a proper send-off but hopefully this gem will become a cult classic one day. I highly recommend it!

This was one of my favorite TV shoes. I was devastated when it was canceled, but was so glad when I found the first and second seasons offered on Amazon. At least I can watch them again and again and be entertained.

It's a pity the show was canceled. Applegate is an outstanding and very talented actress. Whatever she does is awesome. Since the shows go on and off depending on the ratings, and in this case, the ratings went down due to a change of exhibition time which faced a harsh competition, the only thing that was left for us fans was the second season turned into a final one. I hope ABC would have a second thought on that, but they never do. So, let's wait for C. Applegate's next work.

The New Samantha is wonderfully funny and a much better person than the Old Samantha. I loved her adventures into a life that she knew nothing about and becoming someone to be friends with. I'm upset that the show was cancelled/ the TV schedulers totally ruined the chances of this program becoming a success. It was so unfair!.

The second season was really good. We got to know more about the characters and began to identify with them and then...it was canceled. Since they didn't know it was going to be canceled there was no real "finale" to the show. We were left with big cliffhangers and no answers. It's really unfortunate that it wasn't renewed...it was a lighthearted sitcom that had so much potential. If you liked the first season then you will really enjoy the second season even more. I would recommend that right before you watch the last episode that you watch the three "extra" episodes under "More Sam". You get a little more info before the actual last episode.

I loved Samantha Who. Few shows can make me literally laugh out loud, and this one made me laugh several times per episode.

The second season (which is also the final season) DVD set is a little strange. If you watch all the episodes in the order on which they play automatically, you'll see all the aired episodes first, then the finale episode, then 3 random episodes which were never aired but chronologically belong in season 2 before the finale. Just be aware of that because it can be confusing.

I love this show & I am really not happy with ABC for cancelling it. I understand that it was b/c it lost ratings in the 2nd season but that is b/c ABC put it up against some more successful shows. I think that was a bad move- yes it had done well in its 1st season & yes its cast was 'seasoned' but the show itself was still in its infancy & not ready to stand on its own. I think it had a couple more seasons left but Samantha...I will miss you, and I hope others feel the same.

I gave it 4 stars (although that is based on my opinion) Some general information: 3 discs, 17 episodes as well as 3 bonus episodes of hilarious, romantic, somewhat quirky Sam & friends. The set also features bloopers, deleted scenes and other fun filled facts about the series. If you enjoyed season one of this series I would definitely recommend season two.

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