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List Price: $29.95 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 23105
Released: July 11, 2006 |
| Our Price: $13.26 |
| Used Price: $12.98 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
When Ellen played by Emmy Award-winner Ellen DeGeneres is invited to return to her hometown of Clark to receive an achievement award she's faced with the fact that the town has not changed one bit. Her sister Catherine is still involved with the wrong men her mother keeps her room exactly the same as she left it her old high school teacher Mr. Munn is still teaching and Rusty Carnouk Ellen's prom date still thinks he and Ellen might have a future together. Then without warning Ellen receives a phone call saying her L.A. dotcom company has gone bankrupt and she does the last thing she thought she'd do ' she stays in Clark.Welcome to The Ellen Show a small town comedy with big time laughs from executive producers Ellen DeGeneres Carol Leifer (Seinfeld) and Mitchell Hurwitz (Golden Girls).System Requirements:Run Time: 399 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 043396150768 Manufacturer No: 15076
Description of The Ellen Show - The Complete Series:
Three years after the series finale of Ellen aired, Ellen DeGeneres gave sitcoms another shot with the genial The Ellen Show, which made its debut in 2001 on CBS. This time around, DeGeneres plays Ellen Richmond, a Los Angeles career woman who moves back to her hometown after her dot-com business goes under. She moves back home to live with her appropriately named mother, Dot (Cloris Leachman), and insecure younger sister Catherine (Emily Rutherfurd), who both idolizes and resents her. Clark is a small town where no one ever moves away. So when Ellen returns to her high school, eventually landing a job as its guidance counselor (she had conveniently earned a teaching degree prior to her L.A. move), she finds it to be pretty much the same place she left. Mr. Munn (a wry Martin Mull) is still the sarcastic principal. Her lunk of a high school boyfriend, Rusty (Jim Gaffigan), is now a teacher there and he doesn't see why her being a lesbian has to get in the way of a relationship. He simply stares blankly when Munn says, "Newsflash, Rusty. She's hopped the net and is swinging a new racquet."
Unlike Ellen, which moved at a faster pace, The Ellen Show takes its sweet time setting up each gag and waiting for the laughs, which are sometimes undeserved. With her chatty, friendly way, DeGeneres is a likeable focal point but the storylines are often unfocused. The series ultimately didn't pack enough oomph to last a full season. Its last episode aired 3-1/2 months after it premiered. This two-disc, 18-episode set includes the handful of shows that never made it on television. Guest stars include Betty White and Mary Tyler Moore, who do a nice job chewing up the scenery. But it's a tiny Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) who steals the show, playing a chatty school-age version of Ellen. --Jae-Ha Kim
The Ellen Show - The Complete Series Reviews:
sadly-neglected sitcom gem 
2009-09-10 - Here's another show (along with "Bette" and "What About Joan") which I'm still surprised didn't have a longer shelf-life. THE ELLEN SHOW was Ellen DeGeneres' followup to her "Ellen" sitcom (which folded in 1998 after it's fourth season when DeGeneres controversially came out both on the show and in real life). DeGeneres wisely avoided the trap which brought the axe down on her previous show, and established her character in THE ELLEN SHOW as gay right from the start, thereby getting the issue out of the way to focus on the stories at hand--of which very few focus on the character's sexuality.
In THE ELLEN SHOW, DeGeneres plays Ellen Richmond, a dot.com company owner who files for Chapter 11, and is forced to move back to her hometown of Clark. There, she finds her mother Dot (Cloris Leachman), crazier than ever, has kept her room exactly as she left it--anticipating the very day that Ellen would return home in precisely these circumstances! Ellen's man-crazy younger sister Catherine (Emily Rutherford) works at the pharmacy/coffee shop, and her former highschool boyfriend Rusty Carnouk (Jim Gaffigan) has a job at the...erm, highschool.
With nothing else to fall back on, Ellen applies for the position of guidance counsellor at her old highschool. A true fish-out-of-water, Ellen tries sharing and applying her "big city" life experiences with her new colleagues, only for everything to always end in disaster!
Due to poor ratings, THE ELLEN SHOW was canned after only one season. Watching the series again on DVD I'm struck by how strong and terribly sharp the writing was. It's a fantastic series! Cloris Leachman is hilarious as Ellen's mother--and Ms Leachman has been extremely discerning in recent years about the TV shows she commits herself to on a permanent basis--so it must have been good enough for her to sign the dotted line. Emily Rutherford (whom many would recognise as one of Jack's main acting students in "Will & Grace") is wonderfully goofy as Catherine. Martin Mull co-stars as highschool principal Mr. Munn--a role not too dissimilar from the one he filled in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch".
COMPLETE EPISODE LISTING:
"Pilot"- Ellen Richmond, a successful dot.com owner, returns in triumph to her hometown of Clark for the very first Ellen Day celebrations, until a phonecall turns her whole life around...
"Walden Pond" - Wondering how to spend the rest of her life - or the life she must lead in Clark - Ellen decides to mull over her throughts by sitting next to a calm river...
"Chain Reaction" - Ellen goes on the campaign trail when P.J. Knockers, a Hooters-esque chain restaurant, announces it will open a franchise in Clark...but is forced to change her tactics when Catherine lands a job there.
"Vanity Hair" - Ellen's set to appear in a "Where Are They Now?" article on failed dot.com execs in Vanity Fair, but first she must do something about her hairstyle...
"The Move" - Jealous of Ellen's new relationship with their mother (involving Tivo, "Judge Judy" and a fancy back-support chair), Catherine moves in with her latest boyfriend...without telling Dot.
"Muskrat Love" - Raccoons are devouring the Richmond lawn, but Ellen's truly disturbed when she discovers who the real culprit is...
"Joe" - Dot's new "gentleman caller" (Tom Poston) seems like a great guy, until Ellen spies him at the AA meetings she frequents because of their fantastic coffee...
"Cathy's Taffy" - Ellen needs a new ticket to success if she ever wants to leave Clark, and Catherine's super popular taffy recipe just might do the trick...
"Missing the Bus" - When Ellen accidentally sets long-time schoolbus driver Mrs Gibson (Betty White) into unwanted retirement, she must take up the steering wheel herself...
"Alive and Kicking" - Ellen tries to negotiate a way she can purchase her favourite brand-name groceries without upsetting Dot's frugal ways.
"Ellen's First Christmas" - Ellen invites Aunt Mary (special guest star Mary Tyler Moore), a successful Chicago journalist, home for Christmas; completely unaware of the feud which has kept her estranged from Dot.
"A Bird in the Hand" - Dot gives Ellen a hideous "family heirloom" brooch which she duly misplaces...
"Just the Duck" - When Catherine and Rusty secretly start dating, Ellen--wanting to dine solo at a fancy restaurant without shame or pity--becomes the third wheel in their relationship.
"Shallow Gal" - Wanting some belated acceptance into the "cool crowd", Ellen befriends former highschool cheerleading queen Rita (Maureen McCormick), alienating herself from her work colleagues in the process...
"Gathering Moss" - When Catherine becomes a mindless follower of motivational speaker Percy Moss (John Ritter), it's up to Ellen for some counter-brainwashing...
"A Matter of Principal" - When Mr. Munn appoints Ellen as his temporary replacement, all hell breaks loose at the highschool...
"Where the Sun Doesn't Shine" - Dot looks almost certain to win a prestigious local award...until Ellen is also nominated...
"One for the Roadshow" - When Ellen finds a sealed first edition Monopoly in the attic, it could provide the money she needs to buy her own place...
Is Ellen, which is good. But not as good as her first series
2009-08-13 - So, I bought this and was really excited to watch Ellen with Martin Mull, and Jimmy G. Long story short, I enjoyed the show, but not as much as her first series. I didn't really like Ellen's sister.
But it is entertaining.
The Ellen Show - The Complete Series 
2009-06-16 - I love this show - has had me laughing for days. Cloris Leachman is hilarious throughout the series. Best episode is "Vanity Hair" - check out the bow and hair.
Very sad that it is the only season made - I could of watched season 2, 3 and 4.
LOVE LOVE LOVE ELLEN DeGeneres!!!
2009-06-13 - LOVE LOVE LOVE Ellen DeGeneres! This is a great 1st season of her 2nd sitcom. Chloris Leachman is hysterical as her mother too!!! As always Martin Mull is great as the principal of her old school. Ellen has certainly answered her calling as a comedian and entertainer.
Great Entertainment
2009-01-19 - This series was very entertaining and was hilarious as Ellen lead a life of a bookstore owner with zany friends and situations.
