In Living Color - Season 1
by Terri McCoy
from 20th Century Fox
Unlike the original Saturday Night Live cast, the In Living Color ensemble was definitely ready for prime time. But, was prime time ready for In Living Color? This subversively funny 1990 sketch-comedy series boldly went where SNL feared to tread, particularly in matters of race relations and cultural stereotypes. Series creator Keenen Ivory Wayans was hot after his hilarious blaxploitation spoof, I'm Gonna Git Ya Sucka. But In Living Color was hotter. According to a "Looking Back" segment included in this three-disc set, it took him a year to sell the pilot. He fronted a young, gifted, and mostly black cast, including David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, and T'Keyah "Crystal" Keyman. "James" Carrey and Kelly Coffield were the white Garret Morrises.
Like the first season of SNL, In Living Color played provocateur, with such politically incorrect sketches as "Homeboy Shopping Network," "This Old Box," and "Ted Turner's Very Colorized Classics." Other sketches, such as "Riding Miss Daisy," have a stick-it-to-the-man brazenness. Don King, Mike Tyson, Milli Vanilli, and Arsenio Hall are easy targets, but In Living Color did not spare such icons as Richard Pryor. There is the inevitable Oprah roasting, but also a brilliant Star Trek spoof, "The Wrath of Farrakhan." Among the first season's breakout characters are Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier's finger-snapping "Men on Film," and Damon's Homey D. Clown. Carrey struts his stuff as "female" bodybuilder Vera DeMilo. Coffey is a scream as Samantha Kinison and Andrea Dice Clay. While much of the topical humor has dated, sketches such as "Michael Jackson Potato Head" are timeless. The fun of revisiting this groundbreaking series is watching these fearless and talented performers go for broke, and make the most of their unlikely opportunity. --Donald Liebenson
Two snaps up for In living Color on DVD! This is the first season of the comedy that crossed every line with their raunchy, crude humor and introduced a new generation of talent including Jim Carrey, The Wayans and many more. See classic sketches Men on Film and Homey the Clown on this 3-disc set that is loaded with behind the scenes extras.
In Living Color - Season 2
by Terri McCoy
from 20th Century Fox
To label In Living Color "the black SNL" is to not give this groundbreaking sketch comedy its props. Like its late-night counterpart, In Living Color pushed the envelope with sketches that remain in questionable taste ("Fashion Tampons"). It also presented its share of TV show, movie, and commercial parodies. But its racially charged humor that tackled race relations and subverted cultural stereotypes was something 1990 TV viewers were not used to seeing, especially in prime time. Among the most potent sketches featured series creator Keenen Ivory Wayans and brother Damon as the Brothers Brothers, two oblivious Toms who, in one sketch, act as spokespersons for the Arizona Tourism Commission in the wake of that state's controversial decision not to recognize Martin Luther King's birthday. In another, they are allowed to join an exclusive, all-white country club after proclaiming themselves to be followers of "Jesse" (Helms, not Jackson, about whom they profess to have never heard). Flunking all standards of political correctness is Damon's Handi-Man, the world's first handicapped superhero. "James" Carrey's skeletal Fire Marshall Bill and Damon's the Head Detective join the show's stable of breakout characters (Homey D. Clown, Vera De Milo, the flamboyant Men on Film, and homeless man, Anton). Kim Wayans's Grace Jones and Kelly Coffield's Andrea Dice Clay also make welcome returns. Other memorable characters include David Alan Grier's tell-it-too-much-like-it-is blues singer Calhoun Tubbs, and Coffield's Velma Mulholland, a nifty bit of pre-Pleasantville special-effects wizardry in which Damon's blind date turns out to be a quintessential dame right out of a black-and-white 1940s movie.
Episode 26, a "best of" compilation, serves as a representative introduction to the series and season. A bonus "Appreciating In Living Color" segment on disc 4 puts the series in cultural context. Unlike another Fox network sketch-comedy series, Mad TV, In Living Color has been lamentably missing in action on the syndication circuit, so for those who have never been "Colored," and especially for fans of current critics' darling The Chappelle Show, these 26 bracing episodes will be a revelation. Plus, it's fun to watch force of nature Carrey come into his own, and even try out a few moves that would bring him fame and fortune in his own feature films (in episode 18, he mutters the immortal, "All righty then"). --Donald Liebenson
In Living Color - Season 3
by Terri McCoy
from 20th Century Fox
It's triple the fun with Season Three of TV's most outrageous sketch show, In Living Color. With its off-the-wall humor and in-your-face look at celebrities and pop culture, Keenen Ivory Wayan's creation has a comic boldness all its own. The new season introduces Jamie Foxx to an already outstanding cast. The Fly Girls return with a sexy newcomer named Jennifer Lopez. And the edgy writing is back with a vengeance. This 3-disc Collector's Edition features all 30 hilarious Season Three episodes—and it's gonna rock your world!
In Living Color - Season 4
by Terri McCoy
from 20th Century Fox
Nonstop laughs are in the house with Season Four of In Living Color on DVD! No celebrity was too sacred and no current event was too controversial for this Emmy-winning hit show that pushed the boundaries of sketch comedy—with hilarious results. So join the talented Wayans family (including new cast member Marlon Wayans), along with Jim Carrey, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, Jamie Foxx and the super-sexy fly girls for a howling good time with this 3-disc Collector's Edition, featuring all 33 hilarious Season Four episodes!
In Living Color - Season 5
by Terri McCoy
from 20th Century Fox
Nothing seems to divide a TV show's fan base more than its final season, and in the case of the fearless sketch comedy series In Living Color, there's no exception. Some feel that despite the departure of series creator Keenan Ivory Wayans, siblings/co-stars Damon, Kim, and Shawn, and standout castmate Kelly Coffield (as well as "Fly Girl" Jennifer Lopez) in the fourth season, the show still had some of its old fire, and that's evident from several of the sketches collected in this box, including several "Dirty Dozens" sketches, "The B.S. Brothers Talk Show," and "East Hollywood Squares" (with Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall once again as host) The other side of the debate contends that the show had either suffered from too much intervention from the Fox Network (which had taken a more hands-on approach to the show shortly before the Wayans jumped ship), or had simply run out of gas by its 1993-94 season, and its once-fresh characters and concepts had turned from cutting-edge to offensive for offensive's sake. And that's evident on this set as well: Jim Carrey's Fire Marshall Bill seems more forced than ever, and spoofs of Ike Turner, Barney, and other pop culture piñatas seem like easy targets that would've been overlooked in earlier seasons. Still, there are laughs to be found in season 5, and when it works, the comedy contained here is brighter and more outrageous than most of what passes for sketch comedy on television today. No extras are included in the three double-sided-disc set, though a wealth of comedy and musical guest stars, including Chris Rock, Johnny Gill, Shaquille O'Neal, US3, and others add some sparkle to the episodes. --Paul Gaita
The final season of In Living Color was as outrageous as the first four, having thrust its courageous cast into stardom, especially Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, Chris Rock and Jim Carrey. As usual, nothing was sacred and no public figure was safe, as the hilarious sketches challenged censors and viewers with piercing parody. So bid a fond farewell to one of the freshest, funniest sketch shows of all time with this this 3-disc Collector's Edition, featuring all 26 hilarious Season Five episodes.
In Living Color - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-5 Bundle)
Unlike the original Saturday Night Live cast, the In Living Color ensemble was definitely ready for prime time. But, was prime time ready for In Living Color? This subversively funny 1990 sketch-comedy series boldly went where SNL feared to tread, particularly in matters of race relations and cultural stereotypes. Series creator Keenen Ivory Wayans was hot after his hilarious blaxploitation spoof, I'm Gonna Git Ya Sucka. But In Living Color was hotter. According to a "Looking Back" segment included in this three-disc set, it took him a year to sell the pilot. He fronted a young, gifted, and mostly black cast, including David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, and T'Keyah "Crystal" Keyman. "James" Carrey and Kelly Coffield were the white Garret Morrises.
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