Boomtown Season One
September 2004 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Having killed Homicide, the best cop show on television, back in 1999, NBC encored in 2003 by axing Boomtown at the end of its first season! To add insult to injury, the network replaced these innovative series with shows that no one can, or will want to, remember.

Boomtown did well with the critics, but the public was slow in catching up. One reason was probably the ingenious format of the show. Taking inspiration from the classic Japanese film Rashomon, each episode was told from several points of view. A placard with white lettering on a black background would come up at the beginning of each sequence to let the viewer know which character was being featured. The first one might be "Tom," and we would follow Jason Gedrick’s character. This might be followed by "Fearless," and for four or five minutes we would get to see what Mykelti Williamson’s character experienced.

This unique method of storytelling was enhanced by out-of-time sequences. The exposition was not always linear, yet it was entirely clear. When the action was repeated for another character’s sequence, it was shown in video that was obviously "processed," so that it could not be confused with new material. Scripting in this way, the writers were able to come up with some neat surprise endings and numerous plot twists. One of the best examples of this is in the fourth episode, "Reelin’ In The Years," where a murderer’s identity is held back until the last possible moment.

The cast worked hand in glove to produce a perfect ensemble. The two teams of detectives were perfectly cast duos: Donnie Wahlberg partnered with Mykelti Williamson and Gary Basaraba with Jason Gedrick. Nina Garbiras was always on hand as a reporter who always got her story, yet managed to keep her integrity. Lana Parrilla added realistic L.A. seasoning as a Hispanic paramedic. Neal McDonough played David McNorris, the most interesting character of all. McNorris was a career-climbing Deputy D.A., a raging alcoholic, and the two episodes that feature this character, "The David McNorris Show" and "Blackout," are chilling, tour de force portraits of a man out of control, and who thinks he is still in charge.

The show, along with two so-so production featurettes, has been put on five DVDs. The video quality is excellent. When the picture looks less good, the effect is deliberate in order to achieve the previously mentioned scene-overlap effect. When the script calls for the present, the focus is sharp, the color rich, and the contrast just right. There is a little grain here and there, which keeps me from giving the video transfer a 4.0. The sound is effective Dolby 2.0 Surround. The matrixed back channels provide atmospheric ambient sound, and the matrixed center channel allows the dialogue to be clearly heard.

In addition to the production featurettes, the extras include commentary for six of the episodes from director Jon Avnet, series producer Graham Yost, and various actors from the series. Six episodes were completed for a projected second season when the show was canceled; these were shown in a haphazard manner by NBC and will presumably make up a two-disc set for Lions Gate on a future release. Since these episodes were not officially a "Season Two," I would have liked it if they put them into this box by adding two more discs, and had the complete Boomtown in one package. Whatever the packaging, you owe it yourself to catch up with one of the greatest TV series that never made it. Thanks, NBC.

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