The Job - The Complete Series

Before the huge FX hit of Rescue Me, there was "The Job". A show that had great potential but was cancelled because ABC just didn't have the vision of the appeal. Though cancelled, The Job was a great experimentation lab of portraying NYC's finest on ABC that evolved into portraying NYC's bravest on FX.The Job stars Denis Leary as NYC detective Mike McNeil as a cop with typical drinking, smoking, self-medicating, and girlfriend/marriage issues. While out of the house, he manages to cope in rather "unorthodox" ways (i.e indulging in his vices) with his girlfriend on the side.At work Leary is joined by many other cast members (Lenny Clarke, Adam Ferrara, and Diane Farr) that are recognizable from Rescue Me that makeup an absurd rag-tag bunch of detectives that take on some rather strange cases (involving anything from chasing a man in a wheelchair, and almost losing him, protecting movie stars Elizabeth Hurley and Gina Gershon, and spying on women using a telescope from evidence lockup). I don't know if I laughed more at the humor itself or just thinking of the fact that ABC was owned by Disney by this time and they actually let this air...for TWO SEASONS!This show is not based on typical police procedurals like NYPD Blue or Law & Order. The Job is more of a short comedy sitcom that dwells on the ridiculous events that seem to happen on a day to day basis for Det. McNeill and his squad, landing him in hot water with their Captain. The Job does not always end up with an arrest in every instance.Special features includes standard gag reels, interviews, and promo commercials. Some select episodes also include a commentary for that particular episode. The commentary must have been done quite some time after the show and well into a season or two of Rescue Me, because creators Denis Leary and Peter Tolan bring Rescue Me into the mix of the commentary many times. So you probably won't get commentary that properly reflects the creators of this show as how this show ties into Rescue Me as a building block to the FX big leagues.If you like Rescue Me, this one is worth it.

It was on the set of 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair where acid-tongued comedian/actor Denis Leary met Mike Charles, a New York City cop and technical advisor on the film. Sharing a sense of humor and a working-class Irish background, the two clicked so well Leary decided to turn the veteran detective's stories into his first TV series. Originally planned for a series run on HBO, it wasn't until Peter Tolan (The Larry Sanders Show) came on as executive producer that ABC got interested, offering a bigger budget. In exchange for giving up cable's freedom to use the "F-word," ABC let Leary "do the show his way." The result was The Job, an acerbic crossing of Hill Street Blues with NYPD Blue and Barney Miller.Denis Leary plays Mike McNeil, a good cop with a bad attitude who's made a name for himself by bending the rules; juggling "the job," a suburban wife (Wendy Makkena), a manhattan girlfriend (Karyn Parsons), too much booze and too many pills. Armed with a superbly hilarious ensemble cast and smart & edgy writing, The Job was easily the funniest new show of 2001. The unforgettable supporting cast includes Bill Nunn (Do The Right Thing, Spider-Man films) as Mike's partner Pip Phillips; gorgeous Diane Farr (Roswell, Loveline) as Det. Jan Fendrich; Adam Ferrara and Lenny Clarke as detectives Tommy Manetti & Frank Harrigan; Julian Acosta and John Ortiz as rookie detectives Al Rodriguez & Ruben Sommariba; and Keith David (The Thing, Gargoyles) as Mike's frustrated boss Lt. Tom Williams.With all 19 episodes from the critically-acclaimed series, it's laughter in the first degree with The Job - The Complete Series. Guest stars include Elizabeth Hurley, Gina Gershon and Janet Hubert-Whitten among others. Here are the contents of this 4-disc collection:Disc 1: Pilot, Elizabeth, Bathroom, Foot, Massage, AngerDisc 2: Sacrilege, Soup, Telescope, Gina, QuitterDisc 3: Gay, Vacation, Neighbor, Boss, DadDisc 4: Parents, Barbeque, BetrayalSpecial Features:Commentary: "Pilot", "Bathroom", "Gina", "Gay" and "Barbeque" by Denis Leary and Peter TolanInterview with creators Denis Leary and Peter TolanGag ReelSeries Premiere Promo SpotsBehind-the-scenes FootageOn-the-set Cast InterviewsOn Location Interview with Peter TolanHighly Recommended!