TV on DVD

Lou Grant a spinoff series full of newspaper drama

Lou Grant, Season 1
Lou Grant, Season 1

What is it? Lou Grant, Season 1, 22 episodes on five discs from Shout! Factory

How much? $39.97

When? Now

Who is Lou Grant? A crusty, middle-aged newsman (Ed Asner) first introduced on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the producer of WJM-TV news in Minneapolis. At the end of that classic sitcom, Lou was fired, along with most of the staff. This spin-off picks up in the aftermath.

Now at a professional crossroads, Lou heads to Los Angeles and takes over as city editor for the Los Angeles Tribune, working for an old friend and co-worker, Charlie Hume (Mason Adams), the managing editor.

Lou jumps right into the fray, taking on a brewing scandal in the police department and getting to know his staff, like reporters Joe Rossi (Robert Walden), Billie Newman (Linda Kelsey) and, briefly, Carla Mardigian (Rebecca Balding); photographer "Animal" (Daryl Anderson); and assistant city editor Art Donovan (Jack Bannon).

He also answers to publisher Margaret Jones Pynchon (Nancy Marchand), an intimidating grande dame of the newspaper industry who has her own definite ideas on what should and should not appear in her newspaper. The two are destined to butt heads, but they also have a genuine respect and their exchanges are fiery and fun.

Wait, so is this a comedy or a drama? A drama, although it does have some comic elements. This is a rare case of an hour-long drama being spun off from a half-hour sitcom. And, yes, it is successful.

How is it? A compelling, well-acted, well-written, no-frills look behind the scenes of a newspaper.

The series tackles a number of topics such as political corruption, domestic abuse and homelessness. But it also examines issues like journalistic ethics and integrity in a way that's intelligent, enlightening and entertaining.

Yes, it's dated. There are many ways the newspaper world has changed since 1977 and yet, in some ways, it stays the same. Many of the arguments and conversations between reporters and editors sound very familiar almost 40 years later.

Of course, the acting is top-notch. Asner already had seven seasons of playing Lou Grant under his belt by the time this show started, so he hit the ground running and his co-stars didn't need much time to catch up.

Extras? Nope, none this time.

New this week: Suits, Season 5.

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Style on 05/29/2016

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