Good Neighbors: The Complete Series 1-3 Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't review this specific DVD set, as it has not been released yet at this time. But I own all of these episodes on VHS, and so had to write something to encourage anyone looking at this item to purchase it.
"The Good Life" is at its base the story of Tom and Barbara Good, a happily married couple living in Surbiton, a London suburb. Tom designs toy prizes for cereal boxes until the night he decides that he and Barbara should try something new: living in an entirely self-sufficient manner. What this translates to is transforming their suburban home into a smallholding (farm).
How this happens, and the Good's adventures in farming, are only part of the humor. Tom and Barbara are funny, but it's their neighbor, Margot Leadbetter, who makes tis show really stand out. Margot's husband Jerry used to be Tom's boss, and they've all been friends for a long time. Margot is a dreadful snob, even thought deep down she truly is a good and caring friend. It's an indication of the writing quality (and the quality of Penelope Keith's performance) that while Margot could have become a caricature, she never does. Instead she is slowly revealed as a fascinating and affectionate woman who, although she thinks Tom and Barbara are crazy, nonetheless loves them and wants to be their friend.
The actors are all solid, and soldily funny, the concept cute and fertile ground for jokes, but it's the timelessness and non-gimicky friendship of the show's characters, and the solid cast, that makes "The Good Life" a classic, not just in British comedy, but all comedy. The fact that this show was selected to do a Royal Command Performance will give some indication of how enormously popular and funny it was.
If you like "Fawlty Towers," "The Office," "Father Ted," etc., you will love The Good Life. If you like American shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Friends", "Arrested Development", you will also love The Good Life.
I can't say enough good things! I am thrilled to see this will be released on DVD soon!

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GOOD NEIGHBORS:COMPLETE SERIES 1-3 - DVD Movie

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Good Neighbors - The Complete Series 4 (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am eagerly awaiting this release. I notice that BBC Warner is the studio, so hopefully this version will be of as high technical quality as BBC Warner's release of Series 1-3. The main complaints about the previously available version (by Acorn Media) of Series 4 was that the transfer to DVD was not very good.
Glad to see the Royal Appearance is still included with this new version and right now the price ($19+) is fantastic!
Update: after purchasing this set, I can happily say that the quality of the DVD transfer is on par with the release of Series 1-3. Also, the Royal Appearance episode is really a treat and a much better "ending" for the series than the somewhat bittersweet "Anniversary" episode. One of the few series I'll want to go back to and watch again and again for all time.
Now if someone would just release "The Norman Conquests" (which features Richard Briers & Penelope Keith as husband and wife and stars Tom Conti in a fantastic performance) and "Lovejoy" (in an upgraded, reasonably priced box set), my life would be complete...

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On Tom Good's fortieth birthday, he decides to escape the rat race for a life of self-sufficiency with his wife, Barbara. Soon they're plowing a field in their suburban yard and tending to a goat and pigs, much to the dismay of their upwardly mobile neighbors and friends the Leadbetters. In this final season, the hilarity continues, especially when the Goods take a holiday, leaving the Leadbetters in charge! This series, known as The Good Life in the UK, was so popular the queen requested a viewing, and the Royal Command Performance is featured here, including footage of Her Royal Highness meeting the cast.

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