Wonder Showzen: The Complete Series DVD review

May 20, 2021- Permalink

After a bit of a shipping delay, I finally got my hands on a review copy of Paramount Home Entertainment’s Wonder Showzen: The Complete Series DVD. For those who are unaware, Wonder Showzen is a twisted series that ran for sixteen episodes on MTV in 2005. Combining segments of animation, live action, and puppets, Wonder Showzen is what Sesame Street would be if Oscar the Grouch had a crippling crack addiction. As a warning at the opening of the show says, “Wonder Showzen contains offensive, despicable content that is too controversial and too awesome for actual children. The stark, ugly and profound truths Wonder Showzen exposes may be soul-crushing to the weak of spirit. If you allow a child to watch this show, you are a bad parent or guardian.” Guest stars on the series included the likes of Flavor Flav, Dick Gregory, Amy Sedaris, Christopher Meloni, David Cross, Judah Friedlander, Amy Poehler, John Oates, Rick Springfield, Corin Tucker, Todd Barry and Zach Galifianakis.

The 16 episodes of this collection are presented in the series’ original 1.33:1 or 4:3 aspect ratio. For those who are too young to remember the days before HD televisions, this almost square image is how TV was in the “good old days” and it means that on today’s TVs you’ll have vertical black bars on either side of the image. Your TVs not broken kids, this is how TV looked. The image is of good quality for a DVD presentation and on the audio side you get an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

The 4 disc set comes with about 80 minutes of bonus material including audio commentaries from Screamin’ Steven J. Hawkins, the art collective PFFR, Dick Gregory, and Gordon Lish. There are a slew of auditions and outtakes, a music video, promos, crazy bits, and a Flava Flav book reading.

If you’re easily offended or don’t have a taste for the bizarrely funny, the Wonder Showzen: The Complete Series DVD set is not for you. Otherwise, enjoy!