The Venture Bros.: Season Three

The hippest show on TV
The Venture Bros. is without a doubt my favorite TV show, and has been for a while. There is so much to enjoy about this show it's hard to know where to start. The writers (Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, also the voices of many of the characters) have taken the Jonny Quest concept and warped it beyond recognition into a tremendously enjoyable viewing experience. One thing I love about this show is Doc and Jackson's absolute refusal to dumb down the material in any way, shape or form. If you don't get a joke or a reference, you just have to rewind the DVD and watch again, or go online, or watch earlier shows (shows often refer back to tiny details in past shows, which you're expected to just know). Sometimes the jokes come from so far out of left field I end up shaking my head in amazement, as with an episode where two Men In Black-style government agents identify themselves as lepidopterists (as opposed to philatelists -- it'll make sense in context). Season 3 offers the same...

More than Expected
While you might expect a lot of laughs and a great time while watching Season 3, you might NOT expect the level of F-bombs, S-bombs, and full-frontal nudity included in the home version. This is as uncensored as it gets.

Having said that, this is a must-own set. The show truly hit its stride in Season 3, and the Blu-ray release does not disappoint. No stretched images, everything is crystal clear, and there's a Dolby True-HD soundtrack (curiously not mentioned on the box art specs). The entire season of the Blu-ray version is on a single disc, so you can sit back and watch the whole thing without changing discs.

The bonus CD soundtrack is excellent too.

Go Team Venture
The third season of The Venture Brothers is a big departure from the earlier seasons, and so too, this DVD set. It is pared down, including just the episodes (with/without commentary) and a few deleted scene storyboards. I was a little disappointed that there are no behind the scenes or interview bonus features as there are on the season one and two DVDs.

But that is not to say that I don't enjoy the set: as always, the packaging is hilarious in all its retro details and artwork (this season features an Atari theme).

All in all, I would welcome more bonuses, but the show is so good by itself, I hardly need more than that.

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