Venture Bros: Season 5

Some of these Venture Bros. Blu-rays are seemingly hard to find, but don’t pay crazy collector prices for them. Just wait until you see it at a reasonable price for a standard bluray.

Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer are comedy super-scientists. "The Venture Bros." remains one of the funniest, most f'ed up TV shows around, and one of the strongest offerings in [adult swim]'s history. More than just a wacky parody of old cartoons and toys, VB is rapid-fire in its comic delivery, and razor-sharp in its wit. There's certainly a great deal of fun in playing "spot the reference"; every episode is chock-full of nods both large and small to all manner of popular culture works, and somehow they manage to keep finding new avenues to explore and fit them all into to the bizarre and wonderful world they've created. Yet "The Venture Bros." is so much more than that. Since the first episode of the first season, JP & DH have been crafting a vast, complex, deep, and hilariously weird mythology around the Venture Clan. Season 5 picks up on number of storylines from last season: former Venture bodyguard and super-spy Brock Sampson is back with a newly rejuvenated OSI, Number 21 is now in charge of Sphinx (with only himself as a member), Hank and Dermott are pursuing fortune and fame in Shallow Gravy, and Dean is going goth up in the attic. The only problem with S5 is that it's not long enough. There are so many great characters in this show now and there's only so much time in 8 episodes to get to them all. There's also 2 special episodes -- the rather entertaining "A Very Venture Halloween" and the funny, goofy "Shallow Gravy: From the Ladle to the Grave" VH-1 style documentary. The best thing about "The Venture Bros" is its re-watch-ability -- and this show pretty much demands that you watch over and over, just to get a grip on the incredibly detailed storyline and catch all the jokes. I'm waiting with baited breath for Season 6!

OK, let's get this out of the way right away: The Venture Bros. is the best show on TV, and has been at least since season 2. If you are unfamiliar with the show, please do yourself a favor and start from season 1, because the backstory is so intricate that you would be totally lost starting here. Now, as to this season: it's fantastic! The only negative is that there are so few episodes (only 8 regular-season episodes plus two specials, of which one, the "Shallow Gravy" special, is fairly forgettable). But that said, the quality of the writing is top-notch, and many of the episodes rank up there with anything Doc and Jackson have ever done. I especially loved "What Color is Your Cleansuit?" (undoubtedly one of the most gloriously-whacked episodes of the entire series), "O.S.I. Love You" and "The Devil's Grip". Dean and Hank are definitely maturing in these episodes and are starting to become important characters instead of the window-dressing they often were in past seasons. Billy Quizboy and Pete White feature in multiple episodes, and the Blofeld-meets-Truman-Capote Augustus St. Cloud as Billy's nemesis is absolutely hilarious (he must be one of the silliest villains ever). I really wish that there were more episodes in this season, but if it's a choice between a smaller number of great episodes and a larger number of mediocre ones, I'll gladly take the former. We should be grateful that Doc and Jackson still care enough about this series to keep it going, and I hope they continue as long as possible. Also, I have to give a shout-out for the wonderful Hardy Boys/Tom Swift Jr.-inspired artwork on the DVD box, which is just brilliant!

I love the Venture Brothers and was very excited to get the next season! The show itself is great and this season didn't disappoint, but I would buy it for the commentary alone. Doc Hammer and Jackson Public have hilarious conversations usually about anything EXCEPT what is happening on the screen. Seasons 3-5 have commentary on every episode and it has pretty much cured my insomnia - this is NOT to say it bores me to sleep or anything like that ... it is like listening to two friends having an interesting conversation and it occupies my brain so I don't start overthinking as I am trying to go to sleep. Prescriptions didn't work, advice like cutting caffeine and changing exercise times didn't work - NOTHING worked until the Venture Brothers. But listen to it when you are not trying to fall asleep as well because it is hysterically funny. Occasionally they will talk about what is happening in the show and how the show is made and their creative process ... but more often than not it's just two guys talking. Over the past few seasons I have learned, among other things: Doc Hammer is allergic to belts and lives in a magic apartment that does not smell like cigarettes or cat box, Incognito is a great movie, you need to watch the Eiger Sanction (both to appreciate the inspiration for Dragoon's voice and to see a film filled with outrageously un-PC lines) and that Doc and Jackson grew up in the same region that I did because I remember the same summer camp commercials they do.