The best way to review a TV series is to judge it against the goals its producers set, and it would be pointless to hold Blue Collar TV to the same standard as, say, Arrested Development. Blue Collar TV, which aired for two seasons on the WB network, makes no pretense of biting social commentary or cutting satire, but rather aims only to make country music fans and self-described "rednecks" laugh. If the idea of Larry the Cable Guy taking part in a children's etiquette class strikes you as funny, you are indeed part of the target audience for Blue Collar TV.
The program starred Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Bill Engvall in silly sketches, mostly filmed in front of a live audience in Atlanta (you were expecting Manhattan?) and occasionally outside the studio. Foxworthy opens each episode with a short monologue about the theme for that particular show, like "Bad Habits" or "Marriage." I am pleased to report he makes no "you might be a redneck if..." jokes -- at least not in the episodes I saw -- but each program does feature a "redneck yard of the week." There's also "redneck dictionary," "redneck Days of Our Lives," and...you get the idea.
There are a few genuinely amusing moments in Blue Collar TV. I laughed at the "Politically Correct Dukes of Hazzard" bit, for instance, and also a genuinely inspired sketch in which a man is shocked to find his girlfriend, family, and friends making a huge deal about the one-week anniversary of their first date. Foxworthy, Engvall, and most of their supporting players are likable enough, but a little Larry the Cable Guy goes a long, loooooong way.
I'm not sure how many regular Blogcritics readers belong to the "Blue Collar comedy" demographic. I don't belong to it, even though I've gradually turned to country music as I've gotten older, and as rock and pop music have gotten worse (there may be a connection there, come to think of it). But I got a few chuckles and even the occasional laugh out of Blue Collar TV, and that's more than I can say for some sitcoms. Blue Collar TV doesn't aim high, but it does hit its intended target.
Too bad the makers of this DVD set didn't aim a little higher -- there aren't any special features except for a few unaired sketches, no audio commentary, no behind-the-scenes footage, and not even any promos. Maybe the studio didn't think Blue Collar TV fans wanted many features, but I suspect they're as fanatical about their DVDs as the rest of us.
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1 - Joan Hunt
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