Back when I was younger I used to hit the Comedy Clubs in Dallas almost every weekend. It was more fun than a restaurant and not as sleazy as a bar. Over the years I got to see a lot of up-and-coming comics, most of which never really made it past the club stage. Occasionally however, I would catch one that later went on to fame and fortune. One New Year’s Eve, I happened into the Comedy Corner for a double bill. The headliner was Bob Saget, who is much… much funnier on stage than he ever was on “America’s Funniest Videos.” Opening for him was a comedienne I had seen a couple of times on TV by the name of Ellen DeGeneres. At the time she was just beginning to make a name for herself, and let me tell you she deserved every stand-up comedy award she ever won. She was hysterical. And not a hint of the bombs she was to drop on America’s audiences years later. Her humor was (and actually still is) pretty clean, which these days really makes it hard for a comic to successful.

About ten years ago, DeGeneres got the opportunity to head up her own TV series called “These Friends of Mine.” It was kind of a cross between “Friends” and every other sitcom that ever made it on air. The first season was a rocky one, with all manner of cast changes, and in some cases, character changes. But the show somehow survived that tumultuous freshman season and stayed on for a total of five seasons.

Arts & Entertainment Home Video released the first season on DVD last week, but not under the show’s original name. One of the big changes the series went through as it went into its second season was dropping the title “These Friends of Mine”, and re-naming it simply, “Ellen.” That was the name that was being used to market the first season set.

Having only seen the show much later in its original run, I never had the chance to catch this first season. Sitting through it for the first time, I could see all the problems they had finding the right chemistry between the actors. Many of the episodes are still quite funny, but not as funny as the series would become later on. Of course, there is no mention in the series of DeGeneres’ sexual preferences, as matter of fact many of the episodes deal with dating the opposite sex. It wasn’t until the fourth season that hints began to drop as to where the show was heading, in terms of “Ellen” coming out.

A couple of months ago, the 2nd season of “Ellen” made its way onto DVD and you could almost immediately tell the difference in the feel of the show. Two of the characters disappeared completely (Holly Fulger’s ‘Holly’ and Maggie Wheeler’s ‘Anita’), while a brand new Best Friend was brought on board in the form of highly-talented Joely Fisher (Paige). Thankfully Arye Gross stayed along for the ride and returned as Ellen’s partner in puns, Adam.

Whereas the episodes in the 1st season were rather hit and miss in terms of good comedy, almost the entire 2nd season is full of very funny episodes. Right off the bat, the first episode (“The Dentist’) gives DeGeneres the opportunity to give it her all when she falls for a dentist while under the influence of laughing gas. Plus, the 2nd season offers up some great cameos by Bob Saget, Patrick Warburtonand Kathy Najimy. Even Mary Kate Olsen (or was that Ashley??) stops by for a quick appearance.

As for extras, there really aren’t many to speak of. There is a commentary on wo of the episodes by actors Joely Fisher and David Anthony Higgins, which are interesting, but not necessarily entertaining. Other than that, pretty much all you get are all episodes and some cast biographies. I really am curious to know where DeGeneres was during the production of the DVD. Her commentary or at least an interview would have been great.

Episodes:
The Dentist
Saint Ellen
The Thirty Minute Man
The Note
The Fix-Up
So Funny
The Toast
Adam’s Birthday
The Trainer
Mrs. Kroger
Ellen’s New Friend
The Christmas Show
Ellen’s Improvement
The Apartment Hunt
The Spa
Ballet Class
Guns ‘n’ Ellen
The Sleep Clinic
Gladiators
$5,000
Three Strikes
The Therapy Episode
Thirty Kilo Man, Part 1
Thirty Kilo Man, Part 2

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Holly Fulger, Maggie Wheeler, Arye Gross
Extras: Commentary by Joely Fisher and David Anthony Higgins on "The Trainer" and "Mrs. Kroger"
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: Arts & Entertainment / New Video
Release Date: 2/22/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Ellen: Season 2 a B.