Pie in the Sky: Complete Collection on DVD

     Pie in the Sky will finally be available as a Complete Collection this Tuesday, November 1st from Acorn Media. Previously released as five separate sets, the series follows Detective Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths, The History Boys, Harry Potter), who is nearly at retirement. Looking forward to opening his own restaurant, Crabbe is deeply disappointed when he is investigated for taking a bribe. Though Crabbe is completely innocent, his superior, Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair, Casino Royale, V for Vendetta), uses the incident to force Crabbe to take occasional cases. Thus, Pie in the Sky follows Crabbe as he simultaneously serves as a police detective and a chef in a restaurant that shares the series title.

     Crabbe just wants some peace, but it seems he will never have it. Fisher puts him on a number of cases over forty episodes, constantly pulling him out of the kitchen. Thankfully, he has some help on the force. Sophia Cambridge (Bella Enahoro, Mister Johnson) is his partner for much of the run, while Ed Guthrie (Derren Litten, The Catherine Tate Show) and Jane Morton (Mary Woodvine, Doctors) help out in Series 5. Crabbe is obviously the brains of any partnership, seeing that the police force will not allow him to retire. But the trio aren't completely incompetent, and are enough help that Crabbe can get back to his restaurant periodically.

     Not that things are much calmer there. For one thing, his cheap wife, Margaret (Maggie Steed, Clatterford, Born and Bred), who has no palette to speak of, actually owns Pie in the Sky, so Henry is often beholden to her. Not to mention, there are plenty of other employees on staff, including chefs Steve Turner (Joe Duttine, Coronation Street) and Gary Palmer (Nicholas Lamont, Going Off Big Time), both around for about half the show each. Leon Henderson (Nick Raggett, The Sins, Arcadia) supplies the produce and helps clean up. Plus, there's John the waiter (Ashley Russell, Jupiter Moon), and a rotating number of waitresses, including Sally (Marsha Thomason, White Collar, Lost). Not that Henry hates any of these people, as he is a gentle, kind soul — but there is certainly no rest for the weary.

     Pie in the Sky is a light-hearted romp, never taking itself too darkly. Yes, there are crimes that need solving, and dishes that need cooking, but Henry takes both just about as equally serious. That, in of itself, lends a sense of fun that won't be found in the hard boiled dramas that dominate networks today. This distinction is a nostalgic hook, sure to entice many new viewers looking for something different.

     Henry is a great character, whose pain viewers will feel, as he just wants to be left alone to explore his culinary passion. Who cannot sympathize with such longing? Griffiths is a brilliant actor, that handles nuance well, but that's well-known by 2011. It is immediately apparent that Crabbe, this multi-talented man — like the actor who plays him — will be in demand no matter what he is doing. It's a curse as well as a blessing.

     Over the course of five series, Pie in the Sky wracks up its share of notable guest stars. Among them are Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), and Jane Wymark (Midsomer Muders). Do they take these parts just to keep working, or because who wouldn't want to be involved with Griffiths and his charming series? The biggest take away from Pie in the Sky is that it must be delightfully fun to perform on the show, or so it seems by the way the actors devour their roles with relish, excuse the puns.

     At thirteen discs, Pie in the Sky: Complete Collection is a hefty set, value priced, and providing hours of enjoyment. About thirty-two and a half hours, to be more precise. The series is presented in 4:3 full screen format, as it aired, but there are 16:9 widescreen bonus features, in case anyone is worried that corners are being cut. Not all of the original broadcast music survives, but that's common among DVD sets, especially when the series predates such releases, as this one from the mid-1990s does. Still, well worth the price.

     The bonus features are predictably few, with little intention of making such extras as the series is in production. There is a biography of star Richard Griffiths, and filmographies for the rest of the cast. Production notes are interesting. The best part is a nearly twenty minute interview with Griffiths's on-screen wife, Maggie Steed. She is amusing and charming, much like the series, and it's the only feature that actually delves into what making the series was like. It's great that it is included.

     Pie in the Sky: Complete Collection will go on sale this Tuesday, November 1st. Be sure to get yourself a copy. And it would make an excellent Christmas present if you have relations that enjoy older, whimsical, British mystery.

     Click here to order Pie in the Sky: Complete Collection on DVD.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Pie in the Sky - Complete Collection on Blogcritics.

Episodes - "Episode 1"

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     I love the concept of Showtime and BBC2's Episodes. As someone who likes both British and American television, and will gladly watch both versions when one of the 'across the pond' shows is remade here, a tongue in cheek look at a remake is clever. I'm not sure about the execution, though. After only viewing the first episode (of seven), I felt like the whole story barely got started.

     The episode began when Beverly (Tamsin Greig) left her husband, Sean (Stephen Mangan) after catching him wanking to another woman. Beverly then almost crashes her car into Matt LeBlanc (Matt LeBlanc, as a pseudo version of himself). The sequence is extended, taking up a good portion of the episode, but fairly unconnected to the rest, which takes place seven weeks earlier. I'm sure that the scene is going to be the end of the season, but it should have been much shorter, or left out entirely. It was too long to be a simple hook, and didn't explain anything at all.

     Most of the episode concerned Bev and Sean coming to America to remake their popular British show, Lyman's Boys. They are wooed into a deal by Merc Lapidus (John Pankow, Mad About You), a shady Hollywood exec who just tells them what they want to hear. He hasn't actually watched their show, though he raves about it, which does provide one funny line after they find out that tidbit. He also presents the show to them as a done deal that they will control, and when they arrive, they discover otherwise. In fact, they don't learn the truth from Merc, who has little time for them, but from Carol (Kathleen Rose Perkins), who is really going to be working with them on a regular basis instead.

     The first big obstacle, and apparently the main story of the first episode, though it got only a small portion of the screen time, is that Merc won't sign Julian Bullard (the legendary Richard Griffiths) to reprise his role as the star of Lyman's Boys. According to Bev and Sean, Julian is the show, but Merc, again, only pretending he'd watched, insists Julian fly all the way out to L.A. to audition for the part, and then proclaims him 'too English'. When Julian tries re-reading with an American accent, even he knows it's a disaster. Instead, Carol suggests Matt LeBlanc for the role, which the couple are less than thrilled about. I couldn't even tell if they knew who he was.

     And that's really all we got. There was barely any Matt in the episode, even though this has been billed largely as his vehicle. A confused couple shows up in America and doesn't get what they expect. That's how I felt as a viewer, confused and my expectations not met. I'm not saying this is a bad show, but I don't know that it's a good one. I'm more left with, 'That's it?' than a solid opinion. I feel like more of the series must be viewed before I can render judgment. I like Bev, Sean, Carol, and even Merc as characters, but I don't feel I've even met Matt yet.

     There is another cast member as well, Head of Comedy, Morning Randolph (Mircea Monroe). Perhaps because she was not yet fleshed out either, I felt like she was a one-joke comic relief player. Not that there's anything wrong with that, if it's done well, and I saw no reason to complain as of yet.

     I guess my biggest criticism is that I expect a pilot to set up the series for me, introduce me to the characters, let me know what to expect. As a pilot, "Episode 1" failed in most of that regard. It sort of felt like it assumed the viewer had prior knowledge, and just took off, not at a fast pace, but at an unexplained one. I'm interested enough to check out next week's offering, and hopefully I will have a better understanding then.

     Episodes airs Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m. on Showtime.

Article first published as TV Review: Episodes - "Episode 1" on Blogcritics.