When we first reviewed Season One of TBS’s new hot comedy Angie Tribeca back in January here at borg.com we could hardly wait for Season Two to arrive.  Angie Tribeca was released Netflix-style Sunday, January 17, 2016, with an all-at-once binge watch marathon.  The first ten episodes provided the flavor of nonstop laughs that we haven’t seen since Leslie Nielsen’s Police Squad! and re-watching the episodes and the special features on the soon-to-be-released DVD release this week made us believers all over again.  The series is laugh-out-loud funny like no other show on television.

The special features on the DVD, which is being released May 17, 2016, give viewers an idea of how difficult this kind of comedy is to create.  We figured the secret to the show’s unique humor was the writing by the funny husband-wife duo of Steve Carell and Nancy (ex-Saturday Night Live’s Nancy Walls) Carell and their staff, but it may be more than that.  Star Rashida Jones explains that as easy as it is to watch and laugh at the comedy on the show, the technical requirements to get the comedy right takes plenty of planning and coordination.  The features also include a sneak peek at Season Two.

You know something funny is going on when you read ad copy for the series, like “Finally!  A show about cops!”  Jones makes a great cop–she could easily fold into a dramatic role on any TV police procedural.  But she also has great comedic timing and is a solid series lead.  Plenty can also be said for the rest of the cast, including Jere Burns (Burn Notice, Breaking Bad, Justified) as the textbook, loud-mouthed lieutenant (named Chet Atkins), Tribeca’s partner J. Geils (yes, there’s a theme here with the names), played by Hayes MacArthur (How I Met Your Mother, Medium), comedian Deon Cole as cop DJ Tanner, partner Officer David Hoffman played by Jagger the shepherd dog, with Andree Vermeulen as the medical examiner, Dr. Scholls.  Gravitas and legitimacy is provided by Alfred Molina as coroner Dr. Edelweiss.  As Burns says in interviews on the DVD, playing the characters with earnest–like Molina performing with the seriousness you might see by a Shakespearean actor–makes the humor work.

Comedy icon Carol Burnett, who called in to the live marathon when the series first aired, called the show “the best, most wonderful, stupid hysterical show I’ve seen in a while”.  We’re betting Burnett will join the cast as one of the many A-list guest spots in future episodes.  The guest stars and cameos are highlighted in the DVD features “Inside the Episodes,” which look behind the scenes with cast interviews about the production of key scenes of each episode.  Friends’ Lisa Kudrow, Office Space’s Gary Cole, TV character actor staple Matthew Glave, comedian Keegan-Michael Key, James Franco (probably the funniest cameo of them all) and Bill Murray all have appearances.

The music, sets, and camera angles all reflect what you’d find in a serious drama.  It also makes the show work.  But the world of Angie Tribeca is askew.  Way askew.

You’ll meet Jagger, the dog that plays Detective Hoffman, in one feature, see what personal items the production designer selected for his office desk, and take a look at the stunt work required for some of the physical humor.

Do yourself a favor and pre-order Angie Tribeca: The Complete First Season on DVD now here at Amazon.com.  It has a release date of May 17, 2016, giving you plenty of time to get caught up before Season Two returns June 6, 2016 on TBS.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com