What is it? Jeeves & Wooster, Complete Collection, 23 episodes on eight discs from Acorn Media
How much? $59.99
When? Now
Jeeves sounds like a butler. Valet, to be exact. A butler is head of the kitchen and dining room. A valet is more of a personal attendant.
In this case, Jeeves (Stephen Fry) is valet to Bertram Wilberforce Wooster (Hugh Laurie), known to all as "Bertie." Well, to all except Jeeves. Jeeves calls him "Sir."
Those familiar with Laurie from his role as the acerbic title character on House will be in for a bit of a surprise because Bertie is what could best be described as an amiable doofus.
It's the 1920s and Bertie is one of those useless young men with plenty of money but very little in the way of brains, ambition or work ethic. He spends much of his time going to parties and hanging out at The Drones Club -- a gentlemen's club made up of mischievous young men even more useless than Bertie.
That's not to say Bertie is a bad hat. He's loyal, friendly, warmhearted, always eager to help people in trouble. He's just not particularly bright. That, of course, can lead to trouble.
And so he needs Jeeves.
Actually, most people could use a Jeeves -- an upright, coolheaded, unflappable man with what seems to be an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything.
Bertie has a habit of getting himself tangled up in his friends' romantic problems and general acts of mischief -- always to near-disastrous effect. He must avoid the efforts of his domineering aunts, Agatha and Dahlia (each played by several actresses) to improve him. It's always Jeeves who manages to sort things out and save Bertie from social disgrace, jail or, worst of all, matrimony.
Would I like this? That depends. The series is based on characters and stories by P.G. Wodehouse, and Wodehouse humor isn't necessarily to everyone's taste.
It's the kind of series where characters have names like Gussie Fink-Nottle and Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps. Nearly everyone (with the exception of Jeeves) acts in an utterly ridiculous manner. The stories twist and turn in sometimes improbable ways.
But for all the wackiness, this is not a mindless show. Wodehouse was a genius at wordplay and intricate plotting, and that shows through here. Even little throwaway lines can be hugely important to the plot resolution.
Those who do like it may find themselves becoming annoyed during marathon viewings, but one episode at a time can be spirit-lifting. It's smart silliness at its best.
So much of the series relies on the relationship between Bertie and Jeeves -- distant but familiar, respectful and class-conscious. Fry and Laurie have been collaborating since their college days, and their comfort with each other shows because they hit just the right note in this odd duo.
Are there extras? Photo galleries and the first episode of Blandings, another series based on Wodehouse's works.
New this week: The Big House, Complete Series; Boardwalk Empire, Season 5; The Bridge, Season 2; Dallas, Season 3; Episodes, Season 3; The Facts of Life, Complete Series; House of Lies, Season 3; Lovejoy, Season 4; NYPD Blue, Season 8; Tyrant, Season 1.
Next week: Little House on the Prairie, Season 4; Satisfaction, Season 1; Welcome Back, Kotter, Season 2.
Style on 01/11/2015