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Apparently, everybody hated Chris. But nobody hated Chris more than the studio execs that decided the fourth season of Everybody Hates Chris would be the last. Inspired by the real-life events of comedian Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris enjoyed a rather fruitful four-season tenure on television before getting the axe in 2009. And now, thanks to the marvel that is home video, you can enjoy hating Chris further still with Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season, on DVD from CBS/Paramount.
It’s all here: 22 more misadventures of ninth-grader Chris, fumbling his way through life, with narration provided by Chris Rock himself. I never really got into the show (there are very few modern sitcoms that I can sit through), so this was my introduction to the series as it were. Personally, I didn’t find myself getting into it. Most of jokes (written by people other than Chris Rock) fell flat. And then, Orlando Jones appeared doing his finest Bill Cosby impersonation. Now that had me giggling.
The DVD presentation from CBS/Paramount presents Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season in an anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen with 5.1 English Dolby Digital sound. As this particular season only finished its original network run just a few months prior to this DVD release, the image presentation is commendable. The 5.1 mix didn’t seem to give me a lot of oomph through the rear speakers — most of the sound came through the front speakers. Of course, this is a sitcom, so one shouldn’t expect much.
Several special features can be found on Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season. For starters, there are director webisodes with each episode. These mini promos feature brief interviews with the directors of the individual episodes (these were broadcast over the Internet as promo fodder). The only true purpose for these as far as I can see was to show Soap fans how much Ted Wass has really let himself go. An introduction and audio commentary for the season premiere is provided by excecutive producer Ali LeRoi. Additional bonus materials include a gag reel, deleted scenes, and several featurettes/behind-the-scenes stuff that mostly fans of the series will appreciate.
On the whole, Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season didn’t strike any particular chord with me (good or sour). There weren’t very many memorable moments. But it’s still not enough for me to hate Chris — even if I never really cared for him to begin with.
