TV on DVD and Blu-ray: ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘Endeavour,’ ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’
Photo: Shaun Evans and Roger Allam star in Endeavour, season seven, now available on DVD and Blu-ray from PBS. Image courtesy of Mammoth Screen / Provided by PBS press site with permission.
In 2020, the bad year of all bad years, there were a few bright spots on the television scene, especially when considering beloved shows releasing episodes on DVD and Blu-ray. Here are a few to consider as last-minute Christmas gifts or, better yet, after-Christmas guilty pleasures.
Rick and Morty: Season Four, now available on DVD and Blu-ray — Hollywood Soapbox was an early promoter and fan of Rick and Morty. Don’t believe us? Check out our 2013 interview with co-creator Justin Roiland. It’s no wonder so many people jumped on this hilarious sci-fi bandwagon. The adventures of the two title characters are funny and devious — and make for great television. There’s an absurdity to these hijinks that is somehow simultaneously subversive and endearing. Morty is shy and nervous, a perfect foil for his uncle, Rick, who is gross, gregarious and brimming with unexpected turns of phrase. Together they head into the multiverse to save the day against a troupe of baddies in far-flung locales. They are typically home in time for supper.
Season four features 10 episodes, all compiled for the DVD and Blu-ray sets. Adult Swim also throws in a few special features, including “A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4″ and “Creating Snake Jazz.” There are also bits about character creation, prop process and animation challenges.
Act fast because a digital code is included, with an expiration date of Sept. 30, 2021.
Endeavour: The Complete Seventh Season, now available on DVD and Blu-ray — Audiences know it’s British-TV time when Endeavour flashes across the screen. This beloved show, which is an offshoot of the equally beloved Inspector Morse series, stars Shaun Evans and Roger Allam, two actors at the top of their form. Evans plays the title character, Inspector Endeavour Morse, while Allam is Fred Thursday (best TV name ever). Together they investigate a horrible murder at a canal towpath on New Year’s Day. As they try to figure out whodunnit, the series showcases the historic era of the early 1970s. Change is in the air, but somehow Morse and Thursday are still dealing with the same old (frightening) crimes.
Viewers who soak up these Masterpiece: Mystery! shows should find no fault with the seventh season of this landmark series. The mystery is still as vivid as it was in the first season, and the storytelling is top-notch, with interesting characters and an unsolved crime that is a real head-scratcher. Kudos to the creative team, including creator Russell Lewis, who followed the lead of the original author of the Inspector Morse novels, Colin Dexter.
Interesting bit for the seventh season: Evans also directs. He joins Zam Salim and Kate Saxon in the director’s chair.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Fifth Season, now available on DVD and Blu-ray — There’s a theory amongst comic-book fans that Marvel makes better movies than DC, and DC makes better TV shows than Marvel. Most of that statement comes down to personal preference. There’s no denying the Marvel stamp in the world of cinema is enormous and industry-changing, and there’s also no denying that DC, which has struggled at movie theaters, has an impressive slate of TV shows. Case in point: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on The CW.
The show joins other TV entries from the Arrowverse, namely The Flash, Supergirl and Arrow. These have been mostly hits for The CW, although Arrow is done and Supergirl is on its way out.
The fifth season of Legends promises viewers the chance to see what happened after the world-saving in season four. These “legends” become bonafide legends in the world, and that means each of the players has to deal with the toxic price of fame. That said, the partying can only go so far because the world still has its problems, and the legends are needed. For fans of DC, this fun series is a blast, and it’s never boring following the adventures of Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Charlie, Zari Tarazi, Ava Sharpe, Nora Darhk, Nate Heywood, Mick Rory and John Constantine (the best for last, right?).
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
