Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date: Sept 1st, 2009
MSRP: $59.99

Stars: Calisita Flockhart, Sally Fields, Rob Lowe, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, Patrica Wettig, Tom Skerritt

Brothers & Sisters features some of the best actors working on TV today. Nearly the entire cast has a resume that includes a leading role in a previous hit show: Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Rob Lowe (The West Wing), Tom Skerritt (Picket Fences), Patricia Wettig (thirtysomething) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under). Of course there is also Sally Field at the center of the series, who may not have any Emmys for The Flying Nun, but she has 2 Oscars so she gets a pass.

The first two seasons of this series were a marvel in ensemble acting. Unfortunately season 3 went another route and the storylines feature far too much of Rob Lowe and Calista Flockhart, leaving the rest of the family to scramble for storylines of their own. It makes sense in the current TV climate that producers would focus on the sexier of its stars, but wasting the talents of Sally Field, Ron Rifkin and Ken Olin is a crying shame. I know ABC is selling advertising time to hipper products than Boniva or diabetic testing supplies, but favoring the lesser talents of Dave Annable over Norma bloody Rae is not going to sell iPhones either.

That said, the show’s new format is still very solid; it’s just not what fans of the show have come to expect after the first couple of seasons. However, what fans can expect with this DVD release is the usual ABC royal treatment. There is an entire disc devoted to special features, of which there are many. Deleted scenes, bloopers, commentaries and a half dozen informative featurettes are all included. Overall, it’s worth a buy for fans of the show who don’t mind the shift from Brothers & Sisters to Sister & Husband.

Order season three of BROTHERS & SISTERS.

Bradley Hayward
For more reviews from Bradley, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.