DVD Review: Adult Swim’s Hilarious ‘The Venture Bros. Season 4: Vol. 1’

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CHICAGO – Just a few years ago, it felt like TV animation for adults was in a golden age with the return of “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons” and “South Park” still going relatively strong, and Adult Swim truly breaking new ground in what could be done in animated form. It feels now like it’s plateaued a bit with many of the shows that were at the top of their game a few years back sliding down a bit in terms of quality. One such program is Adult Swim’s “The Venture Bros.,” a show that is still incredibly creative but doesn’t click like it used to do every week.

HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0
DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0

I think part of the problem with “The Venture Bros.” has been that absence can destroy the rhythm of a program like this one and the creators of “The Venture Bros.” really take their time. The show debuted in 2003 and has only aired 55 episodes in that entire time. Even the DVD releases don’t exactly strike while the iron is hot. Season four began airing in October of 2009 and now eight episodes of that season are being released in a one-disc, DVD-only release a full year later.

Venture Bros. Season 4: Vol. 1 was released on DVD on October 26th, 2010
Venture Bros. Season 4: Vol. 1 was released on DVD on October 26th, 2010
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

In March of 2009, season three was released on Blu-ray with tons of special features. In October of 2010, part of season four has been released on one standard-only disc (although there are rumors of a Blu-ray release once both halves of the season are available). What does this tell you about the show? Are they really expecting fans to buy half a season on standard and then buy it again in HD? That feels like a desperate move of a program in decline.


Of course, the most important thing is that, despite being more inconsistent, the program itself and it can still be damn funny, especially in uncensored form. These eight episodes aired in the fall of 2009 and open with the gang divided after the departure of the hilarious Brock. Dr. Venture is forced to deal with a new, bumbling bodyguard named Sergeant Hatred while The Monarch returns as the primary villain of this half of the season. An episode featuring the memorable Captain Sunshine is particularly memorable.

It’s not that “The Venture Bros.” isn’t good any more. It’s still damn funny, but it used to be absolutely brilliant. There was a time when “The Venture Bros.” stood next to “South Park,” “Robot Chicken,” and “Family Guy” as the funniest adult cartoons on the air. The fact is that they’re all down a little bit.

Hopefully, the genre will come back to its prime. Until that day, make sure you’re caught up on the adventures of the “The Venture Bros.” with “The Venture Bros. Season 4: Vol. 1.”

Special Features:
o Creators’ commentaries
o Deleted scenes
o Comic-Con promo
o “Lost” Open

‘The Venture Bros. Season 4: Vol. 1’ was released on DVD on October 26th, 2010. It is not rated and runs 182 minutes.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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