Customer Reviews

So NoTORIous - The Complete Series

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First thing's first - how many Tori Spelling fans were really out there in the 90's? Just some teenagers who were addicted to Beverly Hills 90210 and probably sent her enough fan mail to suffocate a horse with. But I'd have to say she was one of the least popular members of that cast. She made a safe transition after this show to Lifetime television movies and independent films, but failed to have the bigtime Hollywood career she always wanted. How many fans can you possibly gain with movies like Scary Movie 2, A Friend to Die For, Co-Ed Call Girl, and Mother May I Sleep with Danger?

So, probably the most interesting thing about her was her famous parents and what we could only imagine her life was like - on a megahit TV show about teens that wasn't very good while still experiencing all the same pratfalls as someone slightly more talented on a better show. Then moving onto a truly miserable career in TV obscurity, still being that name everyone knows without a great career to argue her name's worth being on the tip of our tongues. Her career may have just lived in infamy as Scream 2 being the best and brightest spot on her resume.

That is, until 2006, when VH1 debuted her new reality-show-esque sitcom about chaotic distortions upon what must be her actual life. If there's one part Tori could win an award for playing - it's herself. Who could argue with that? Just one thing left to ponder: is the show any good?

I happen to think it's very good.

First of all, the show arrives in a sea of scripted reality-shot shows about pre-teen girls trying to make it in the music industry, snooty twenty-something's (that act like pre-teen girls- even the boys) working at high-fashion magazines, and teenagers just chillin' on the beach. God, when you consider the competition - this show is a genuine breath of fresh air. It has a lot of the same elements of those shows, only it's still a scripted sitcom and feels like it. Best of all, the 'characters' are smarter than those dumb kids on the beach, in the hills, and anywhere you can imagine (including MTV's once stellar The Real World) - even when they are playing dumb.

So the key to this show is intelligence. And it has truly superior writing. What it does excellently, I think, is it sort of sees that niche that international Britcom success Absolutely Fabulous has in the American market, and picks up where Cybill and the last season of Roseanne left off trying to emulate AbFab, and succeeds in actually drowning the viewer in fads, trends, quirky characters, and controlled comedic performances. One of the great things about AbFab's cast were their ability to restrain themselves from going over the top, because the writing itself was as over the top as any given episode needed to feel. So, So NoTorious follows in that vein. Closely.

It even manages to go from simply entertaining, to hilariously funny in some episodes. Most notably, "Whole" and "Street." This show is complexly written and it really deserves a pat on the back for being more than entertaining for some... It sort of fills the void of a really great TV show. It's also nice to see this sort of cool show come in participation from someone who could always use the good publicitiy. Like Tori Spelling.

But I did read some good reviews of this show before it began and decided to program it into my TiVo [product placement-1].

I watched the first episode and was hooked. It's not a reality show. It's based on being a celeb and it's better than Kirstie's on that pioneer pay channel or Lisa K's on the other big pay channel.
This show was actually funny which is rare for a sitcom these days and it had a female lead; another rarity in this new century.

I loved the running gags like the gates to Aaron's Mansion playing the Charlie's Angel's theme or never seeing Aaron but hearing his voice ala-Charlie.
Loni Anderson was the PERFECT choice for Tori's mom and some of quirks were deadly funny. I loved the Christmas room in the mansion.

Why did they make only 9 or 10 eps? Why when I recorded an episode with title "A" did the ep with title "c" show up? and this was during a "marathon". [Not on VH1 but another channel showing it...I forget which one]. So I never saw all 9 eps on regular TV. I think I saw 5 at most.
Now I have the DVD set and I can enjoy it and share a good comedy with friends. [and encourage them to buy their own].

I never liked 90210 but Tori spelling can be funny and make fun of herself while being a good sport about it.

Oh and the limo getting stuck in the drive-thru was truly funny.

This season Tori Spelling fans will have two new releases to choose from. Earlier this season Paramount released Beverly Hills 90210 The Complete First Season on DVD. Now her VH-1 original series So Notorious is available on DVD. The DVD release includes the entire series which consists of 10 episodes.

The most surprising thing about So Notorious is just how funny the darn show is. On Beverly Hills 90210, Tori Spelling didn't get to show off her comedic chops. The actress has also starred in a handful of series themed Lifetime movies, so most people didn't know what Tori had to offer comedy wise.

So Notorious can most easily be compared to the Kirstie Alley series Fat Actress. Similar to Fat Actress where Kirstie Alley starred as Kirstie Alley with actors cast as her friends, in So Notorious Tori stars as a fictional character named Tori, with actors playing the roles of her family and friends. In the series, Tori explores post 90210 life which includes dating, friends, family, tabloids and Beverly Hills life.

There are some really funny moments in the series. The guys who want to hook up with her because her father is a famous producer. Some of the greatest scenes in the series include actress Lonnie Anderson who stars as Tori's mother KiKi in the series. Hands down one of the funniest episodes of the series is the episode "Charitable." In this episode, Tori takes a disadvantaged "teen" under her wing. Before she knows it
she is throwing the young girl a huge party. When the "teen" doesn't get her way she threatens to go to the tabloids. Things really come to a head when Tori learns the teen isn't a teen after all, she really is a grown woman.

So Notorious is a cute show. The DVD set includes 9 episodes that aired and a 10th episode that never aired on the network. Special features include episode commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes and cast interviews.

I had heard great things about this show (critically) and then the last I had heard it was then abruptly cancelled. I have very little history of Tori Spelling's career, 90210, and I don't even have access to VH-1, so I went in with little context and much to my delectation found it to be quite hysterical. The one-liners come fast and furiously and the script is extremely clever, self-effacing, and entirely topical. Tori obviously has a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humour and you're very aware that her character is a very close representation of who she probably really is, which is a good thing because she's very likeable. Spelling has really come into her own with this vehicle, and it's a shame that there won't be more episodes. I've become decidedly fond of her and her eclectic cast of characters. Loni Anderson absolutely deserves an emmy for her turn as Tori's mother "Kiki" - she is simply too funny to be believed - yet utterly believable! Torina - you've made me a fan!

So NoTORIous is hilarious. I am biased as I've been a fan of Tori Spelling's for many years, but I've read online reviews from many people who say "I hated her til I saw this show-now I have to admit I'm a fan". Sadly, while many critics and fans gave the show a very enthusiastic 2 thumbs up, Vh1 decided to cancel it which well, sucked. Luckily Tori has other projects in the pipeline at the moment as this stint gives her long-overdue credibility for her "better than decent comedic timing" as 1 critic put it.

So NoTORIous(on which Tori serves as co-exec producer, co-creator as well as the main character) is very well-written and laugh-out-loud funny, with numerous pop-culture references littered throughout the script such as Tori's 90210 and childhood flashbacks, a cop mockingly volunteering to call Starsky and Hutch "and maybe the Mod Squad" after she reports her Blackberry as stolen, her apparent lingering fear of Shannen Doherty resurfaces after seeing her in a sex shop and roommate Pete's skanky girlfriend-of-the-week claiming Tori "looks better in person" (a real-life comment Tori says she is often told) and that she never watched 90210 as it was "so gay-everyone on it was like 40 and still a virgin".

You get the picture lol. Friend Janey's sarcastic remarks, Sasan's haughtiness, Pete's girl-craziness, manager Ruthie's constant praise of her "marvellous whore" of a client (Tori) and Kiki's bleedingly obvious disdain of her daughter's lack of perfection are more than enough reason (along with Tori's own performance) to buy this DVD.

Tori's real-life fashion-conscious pug, Mimi LaRue is also a cute addition and 1 interesting fact is that Loni Anderson(Kiki)is a long-time family friend of Aaron&Candy, Tori's real parents and has known Tori for over 20 years so their on-screen relationship is even more realistic.

You may be pleasantly surprised to watch this funny show. Tori doesn't do too bad of a job. She is fairly good at comedy (who knew?!?) and really pulls this off.
She plays Tori Spelling who is living in an apartment that her parents paid for. She has a roomate - Pete, and a GBFF - Sasan and a BBF - Janey. She has a distant mother Kiki (is this really how her relationship with her real mother is like?) and a vertually non-existant visual relationship with her famous dad Aaron (they always comunicate via intercom). Loni Anderson plays her mom and let me say she looks terrible - too much work done, but she was fantastic in this.
Throughout the series, we see Tori and her friends in different situations. In each episode there are 'flashbacks' to Tori's traumatic past which in themselves are quite funny. There is the hilarious episode where Pete brings his girlfriend over to the apartment and Tori has to leave and the funny (yet sometimes annoying) episode where Tori becomes a big sister.
Don't be prejudice before buying this. Don't think that because Tori Spelling is in it, that it won't be good. It is good and really worth taking a look at. I absolutely love it and glad that I made the purchase. (I also like the outtakes at the end of each episode).

I have been a long fan of Tori Spelling. I am always happy to see how humble she is to everyone and everything she has in her life. So Notorious is a great insight on the life of Tori Spelling, based on some actual storylines that have happened in her life. This show was very under rated. She is a great comedian and anyone that is so talked about in public that can push that aside and make fun of herself I say has great character. The best part of the series are her vivid flashbacks on her life of things that happened to her and her response always is "I don't know...". She says it in the best way and always plays the underdog trying to gain respect. I think people underestimate Tori Spelling and how talented she really is. This show was a perfect showcase on her acting, writing and comedic abilities.

This show is 5 stars, and if there was a 10-star category, I would rate it! All the production, script, scenes and a REBORN Tori make this series over the TOP! It's amazing how it's produced and well written, full of witty humor.
If you liked Clueless and Legally Blonde, this is a MUST! I hope they shoot 5 seasons of it, 'cause I will buy them all!

I bought this because I love Zachary Quinto. I never watched the series on VH1 but i know it has a cult following. So I bought it watched every episode and all the out takes. Its SO funny. Tori is fabulous and Zach's character is wonderful. If you love silly comedy and Zachary Quinto this is the series for you! Amazon always ships quickly and the price for this dvd set was good too.

Never thought to much of her when she was on 90210, but found her so funny in her show with Dean. Took a chance and bought this, all my friends sat around 1 night and watched the entire series and laughed and laughed. If you need a good laugh watch this. Loni Anderson playing Candy Spelling is truly a stunning performance.