SAMANTHA WHO? (TV SERIES) - DVD review

So much for going with a sure thing. ABC-TV had a hit with "Samantha Who?," and its star, Christina Applegate, seemed to be on top of the world after making the People magazine list of Most Beautiful and surviving a cancer scare. Then the popular series was cancelled, a victim of numbers. Following in the agile footsteps of "Dancing with the Stars," this sitcom about a coma patient who awakens to discover she doesn't remember who she was only managed to keep 6.75 million of the 10.76 million viewers who watched "Dancing." That number fell to 5.24 million near the end of the second season, and it was all the excuse ABC execs needed to pull the plug on the perky amnesiac.

That's too bad, because "Samantha Who?" is a funny show with a talented cast and a star who was clearly having fun with her role. It was ABC's answer to the popular "My Name is Earl" situation comedy. This young woman who wakes from an eight-day coma discovers that she has absolutely no recollection of who she is or how many people she's trod upon in her thirty-some years. Every day is a revelation, and what she discovers about herself isn't pretty. "I did that?" becomes a refrain that ends up driving Samantha to see her amnesia as a positive thing, a chance for a "do-over," like Earl. Only instead of a list of those she's wronged that she has to make good on, it's a gradual revealing of her past and the people from her past that gives her the chance to make amends . . . or not. Traces of the old Sam slip out, which raises the question, can a leopard really change its spots? Can the new Samantha be the good person inside that she would rather be?

Applegate ("Married, with Children") takes her acting to a whole new level as the title character, displaying a maturity and range that's just plain fun to watch. Her facial expressions, her body language, and the modulation of her voice provide nuances of character that I hadn't seen before. Applegate received an Emmy nomination for her role, which all but acknowledges that she's shed the broad comedic style she developed during the "Married with Children" years (1987-97) the way that Samantha seemed to leave her past behind. In a way, "Samantha Who?" is her second chance, and she makes the most of it.

A hit-and-run victim, Samantha snaps out of her coma to find her sarcastic mother, Regina (Jean Smart), hovering over her for the first time in years--though, of course, Samantha assumes they have a normal, loving relationship. Her wisecracking dad, Howard (Kevin Dunn), never gave her the attention she craved, but she doesn't know that either. She's surprised to learn that she had a live-in photographer boyfriend named Todd (Barry Watson), whom she cheated on with a married man (Timothy Olyphant as Winston Funk). Though she assumes they're going to live together still, it turns out that they're estranged now, because Sam led quite the life before that nasty whack on the head. She finds out that she was also having an off-again-on-again thing with a guy named Rene (William Abadie)--well, at least she's not bisexual.

Like the old cartoon that had poor confused Pluto influenced by a good angel whispering in one ear and a little devil trying to get his other ear, Samantha finds herself befriended by two women. One of them was her best friend from childhood whom Samantha jettisoned after Dena (Melissa McCarthy) gained weight and wasn't nearly as "cool." Though she hasn't seen her since then, Dena's wanting to reconnect, and she turns up at the hospital after hearing about Samantha's accident. Dena is a "good girl" who, of course, can only reconnect with her old friend if her old friend turns over a new leaf. Rasping away at her other ear is Andrea (Jennifer Esposito), a colleague from the real-estate firm she works at who loves to party as much as she does . . . did . . . might still. Andrea just wants her friend to snap out of it and get back to her old, trendy, lascivious self. What makes the show fascinating, apart from Applegate's winning performance and the "do-over" chance that she gets, is the whole underlying idea that drives this premise: nature versus nurture. Can a leopard change its spots? Anyone who's ever had friends try to influence them will identify with this show.

There are certainly elements to suggest that Samantha is a better person than she's been in the past, and it all starts with her instinctual treatment of "the help," as was the case with Goldie Hawn's character in "Overboard." At first doorman Frank (Tim Russ) is skeptical, but as an unlikely friendship develops from her suddenly civil treatment of him, viewers come to understand that Samantha has a darned good chance of becoming the kind of person she wants. "Samantha Who?" is a smartly written show, with writers Donald Todd ("Dave's World," "Ugly Betty") and newcomer Cecelia Ahern leading the way.

The second and final season of "Samantha Who?" contains 17 episodes on three discs that are housed in a single-width keep case--one on the front inside cover, and two overlapping on the back inside cover. Fans annoyed at the cancellation will also be miffed that descriptions of the episodes and bonus features are buried under the discs--printed on the back of the cover insert--especially when there are the usual promo materials tucked inside. The episodes are also out of order, with three of them ("The Rock Star," "Todd's Job," and "The Sister") inserted as "More Sam" bonus episodes, so a Play All function just won't work.

If you want to watch them according to airdates, after episode 13, "The Debt," pop in the three bonus episodes and then go back to episode 14. Here's a brief rundown on the episodes:

1) "So I Think I Can Dance" is a funny wink at the show's placement in the ABC line-up, with Regina desperately wanting to win a dance competition and Sam watching footage of herself as a REALLY good dancer. Trouble is, she's apparently forgotten where her right foot is.

2) "Out of Africa." When Sam bails on an Africa trip, she hides out with Dena and Andrea to avoid her parents' "I told you so"s.

3) "The Pill." Sam joins a clinical trial group to try to improve her memory, but once again the memories that return are of a person she no longer likes. Meanwhile, Andrea is miffed when someone things she and Dena are gay.

4) "The Building." Sam and Regina start a realty company.

5) "Help!" Sam is sentenced to community service after a run-in with a cop, and it leads her to try to help a young woman with more problems than she has.

6) "The Ex." Sam breaks the news to current boyfriend Owen that Todd is not only her roommate, but also her ex-boyfriend. No problem, because Owen is living with his ex-girlfriend.

7) "The Farm." Owen ruins dinner at Regina and Howard's by going off on chicken farms. ("You got a PROBLEM with chickens?")

8) "The Park." To please Owen, Sam tries to become a raging environmentalist.

9) "The Family Vacation." Wanna get away? Sam does after she breaks up with Owen, but the whole gang at a lodge leads to weird things.

10) "My Best Friend's Boyfriend." Andrea and her boyfriend double date with Sam and Todd, and Sam ends up causing trouble.

11) "The Dog." Sam watches Dena's dog as a test to see if she has enough nurturing instincts to have a child.

12) "The Amazing Racist." Sam thinks she may have been a racist in her past life, and tries to deliberately become friends with Frank.

13) "The Debt." Sam craps out in Las Vegas and runs into her old boss, Winston Funk.

(Bonus) "The Rock Star." Sam dates a rock star, and that drives Dena and Andrea to act like a couple of groupies.

(Bonus) "Todd's Job." Sam works behind the scenes to distract the competition that's up for the same job as Todd.

(Bonus) "The Sister." Sam learns that a family heirloom was at the center of a longstanding family feud.

14) "The Dream Job." Sam asks Andrea to help her find an assistant.

15) "The First Date." Sam's new job is intruding on her relationship, and she tries to keep things in balance.

16) "The Other Woman." Sam starts to remember what happened right before the car accident.

17) "With This Ring." Andrea gets married and it makes Sam question whether she belongs with Winston or her ex-boyfriend.

Video:
"Samantha Who?" is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, and the colors are bright and near-fully saturated, with a decent level of detail. This being standard def, though, there's also a slight graininess throughout.

Audio:
The audio is a robust Dolby Digital 5.1 with Spanish and French subtitles. Tones are rich and clear, and there's a nice spread across the front speakers.

Extras:
Aside from the three "bonus episodes" (which I'm not counting), on disc two there's a short blooper reel, seven deleted scenes with intros by executive producer Donald Todd, a four-and-a-half-minute set tour with Applegate, a "Christina Dance Moment" that's equally brief, and a two-minute superficial "Girl Chat" that's the kind of feature you'd expect if this was a teen show. In it, Applegate sits on a couch with the actors who play Andrea and Dena as they giggle and banter over questions asked of the group. A chicken has more depth. In other words, these are the kind of features that make you think, "Why bother?" Haven't these people heard about not going gently into that good night? Where's the outrage, the spunk, the reaction, the explanation?

Bottom Line:
"Samantha Who?" is going to make a fine question for a trivia game years from now. Which TV show earned an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Jean Smart) and a second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress (Applegate) the year it was canceled? And I have to say this: "Samantha Who?" is one of the best canceled shows that I've seen.