New Zealand folk singing duo Flight of the Conchords is made up of Bret and Jemaine (McKenzie and Clement). They have lived in New York City for more than a year trying to further their music careers. They receive the mostly idiotic advice of manager Murray (Rhys Darcy) and talk to their friends, including weirdly fixated fan Mel (Kristen Schall). Many financial and personal setbacks never divest the duo of their love of music, as seen in many musical numbers filling each episode.

CRITIQUE

Television is becoming a medium which is more reliable than film for high-quality material, and many of the premium cable channels now offer wonderful shows that are proof of this fact: Showtime’s The Tudors and AMC’s Mad Men to name a few. This series is one more example; Flight of the Conchords delivers a second season full of humor and music, entertaining in every way imaginable.

Having never seen any of Season One of Conchords, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect watching this series but the show quickly establishes the tone and content the audience should expect throughout. And it puts a smile on your face. The integration of music into the series is evident from even the first frame of the credits that begin each episode, and the various songs that the duo performs can only be described as fun and sometimes side-splittingly funny.

One completely hilarious song is found in the second episode and is titled “Sugarlumps.” These numbers are not only clever and enjoyable to watch, but the songs also usually tie in with whatever is happening to Bret and Jemaine at the time. Their various triumphs and tribulations in their careers and romance provide plenty of material, that’s for sure.

A very dry, deadpan tone to the comedy here is another source of entertainment for viewers, as it creates a wry rhythm to the jokes that is like music itself. It’s also a nice source of dramatic irony, placing the intelligence of the audience above that of nearly all the characters. The performances here are ingenious pieces of comic art. McKenzie and Clement co-write the series and do all the songs aside from acting, so they prove themselves true multi-hyphenates.

As inept manager/consulate aide Murray, Darby makes his character a marvel of dumbness. The Conchords’ first fan, in the person of Kristen Schall, is both a funny and slightly frightening character. Top that off with an ending to the finale that is a bit of a surprise. The combination of all this results in the best comedy-musical series airing on television.

All aspects of Flight of the Conchords entertains, and viewers will laugh and dance along to the second season so much that season three will feel too far away.

THE VIDEO

The show is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, and seeing the entire filmed frame in a transfer that retains color and picture is the best a viewer can ask for.

THE AUDIO

The format of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround is perfect for a production filled with this much music, and expected for the English track on this disc. The Spanish language track is in 2.0 surround. There are no other language tracks but there are subtitles for English, French, and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

Flight of the Conchords: On Air: Running a little under a half-hour, this documentary about the show is full of great interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. McKenzie and Clement are joined by their fellow writer Bobin, other cast members, and producers to talk about how the show came about and the success it has had. There is a lot of footage of radio interviews the leads gave upon the premiere of the show, and I like all the coverage of their actual music gigs because that is what started it all.

Dave’s Pawn Shop Commercials: Commercials for the pawn shop that Dave and his father run made for the show are included here and are quite funny. They all include humorous songs like the show itself but truly fit the character of Dave. Fun to watch once.

Deleted Scenes: 15 scenes are gathered here in this extra and they are as entertaining and funny as the episodes themselves. The additions where Bret is trying to impress a girl and when Jemaine achieves his first success as he’s trying to be a male prostitute are the best. Definitely watch these.

Outtakes: This is the typical gag reel, with a lot of cracking up on set. The best is when their in some of their crazier costumes. It is quite funny, so watch it once.

New Zealand Consulate Meetings with Murray and Greg: These are very brief but funny scenes of Murray and Greg in the New Zealand consulate. One involves a crossword and the other brilliantly continues Murray’s idiocy by having him purchase pirated DVDs that either aren’t films or aren’t even in production yet!

FINAL THOUGHTS