The first series of the British comedy “Suburban Shootout” is a clever combination of American favorites “Desperate Housewives,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and even “The Sopranos.” In the pilot episode, we meet Joyce, a middle-aged housewife who has just moved with her husband to the London suburb of Stempington, a seemingly perfect community. There are no burglaries or vandalism or crime of any kind in Stempington. Why? Because the entire town is controlled by rival housewife gangs – yes, you read that correctly – who are now vying for Joyce’s allegiance. Above any content within the individual episodes, it is this overall premise that serves as the ultimate running joke. It makes you wonder if it would have worked better as a more contained feature length film rather than an episodic series. While there is nothing tangibly wrong with the show (solid writing, fine performances by a good cast), there’s not much else to bring you back week after week, therefore making this DVD collection of the complete first series the best viewing choice. Also making the set more beneficial is the fact that all eight episodes on the disc contain optional commentary from various producers, writers and cast members, something too many TV sets are lacking. There is also a Cast Filmography listing, and the “Behind the Scenes” feature serves as a good introduction of the characters and the story and proves more valuable to watch prior to screening any of the episodes.
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