Entertainment :: Television
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Complete Series by Brian Callaghan
EDGE ContributorTuesday Oct 20, 2009 The series, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, ran on CBS for six years, from 1993 to 1998. It starred British actress, Jane Seymour, as a rare female doctor, Michaela "Mike" Quinn. who leaves Boston after the Civil War to set up a medical practice in a frontier town in the West.
Her new life in Colorado Springs has her opening her practice, falling in love with hunky, Fabioesque mountain man Byron Sully (played by Joe Lando), and helping to raise three young children when their mother dies.
The series, which is now out in one mammoth 42-disc set of all 150 episodes, was reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie, in that it addressed many of today’s issues in a frontier setting. Feminism, racism, homophobia, breast cancer and even gun control were among the topics discussed in the series’ weekly hour-long episodes. Romance, humor, adventure and family bonding made it popular with viewers of all ages.
In addition to all of the series episodes, two subsequent full-length TV movies are also included in this comprehensive set.
The DVD set also features a wealth of extras:
An A&E Biograph "Jane Seymour: Hollywood’s English Rose" chronicles the star’s life and career.
Four Cast Commentaries have some of the stars of the show, Seymour, Lando, Chad Allen, and Shawn Toovey, reminiscing about particular episodes and their work on the show.
An Interactive Tour of 19th Century Colorado Springs takes viewers on a tour of the frontier town setting for the show.
Boarding House is just a list of some of the guest stars who appeared on the series, including Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Michelle Lee and Maxwell Caulfield.
The Beginnings featurette talks about the show’s roots and how Seymour first decided to take the job because she was in desperate financial straits. While its reviews from many critics were scathing, its ratings were good.
The Favorites featurette has cast members talking about their favorite episodes. Out gay actor Chad Allen talks about the Walt Whitman episode which addressed homophobia - pretty ground-breaking for a family themed show.
Cast Biographies, which are repeated on several discs, provide basic facts on the primary castmembers and Filmographies
Series Awards and Honors is a list of awards the show either won or was nominated for over the years, however it’s often not clear what award the listed nominations are actually for.
There’s also a Trivia Quiz and Photo Galleries from the show.
This set is available in a regular box, as well as in a special deluxe leatherl-bound collection for the truly diehard fans.
|
|
|
Email
Print
Share