“Spaced” is a must own series.

The sitcom’s premise: Friends Daisy and Tim pretend to be a married couple in order to live in a flat. Throughout the two season 14 episode series, we learn about these characters and their goals (or lack thereof) as well as their friends, neighbors, and relationships with others.

 

“Spaced” may sound like your average “Friends” esque sitcom, but “Spaced” is anything but average. What sets this show apart from others is its focus on quirky pop culture loving characters that are all somehow believable as the show strives for realism. Unlike these fantastical, unbelievable sitcoms that plague television, “Spaced” is about real people and that’s why the show works. True, the show’s constant references and dream sequences involving everything from “Star Wars” to “Matrix” makes the show even more enjoyable, but it’s the character’s relatable personalities that make us keep watching.

 

I will say the show does take a bit of getting used to at first. The first season starts off a tad shaky as we try to get accustomed to the characters and their lives. However, in season two, the show really finds its footing and manages to deliver more memorable comedic bits.

 

The only real downside to this set is that there may not be any more “Spaced” DVD releases as the series only had two seasons. It’s possible we could see a movie or reunion special down the line, but with Pegg and company rising to stardom, who knows if that will ever happen.

I know it was intentional, but the 16:9 widescreen picture quality looks a bit too cloudy in season 1. Thankfully, season 2 does not have this effect at all and thus it looks much sharper.

The Dolby Digital Stereo track does not have the best quality, but you can hear the dialogue well enough. I’m just grateful we’re getting this series on DVD at all. Now, if we could only get “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace” on DVD…

Disc 1:
* Homage-O-Meter- Anytime a film/tv/comic book reference appears in the show, a subtitle will pop up to reveal what the characters are talking about. A fun little extra.
* 7 trailers and cast/crew biographies.
* 9 ½ minutes of outtakes
* On season one, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Julia Deakin, Mark Heap, Nick Frost, and Nira Park appear on several commentary tracks along with guests like Kevin Smith, Diablo Cody, Matt Stone, and Patton Oswalt. Naturally, the Kevin Smith tracks are the funniest as the group talk about “Star Wars” references, etc. Also included are the original commentary tracks from the British DVD release.

Disc 2:
* Photo library, character/crew biographies, Homage-O-Meter, 7 trailers and a short 1 minute “Daisy Does Elvis” bit.
* 13 minutes of outtakes.
* On the second season, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Julia Deakin, Mark Heap, Nick Frost, and Nira Park (whom appear on various episodes) are joined by fellow guest commentators Quentin Tarantino, Patton Oswalt, Matt Stone and Bill Hader. Listening to Tarantino is always a treat and he’s his usual funny/talkative self here. He and the group ramble on about everything from his work to films in general. The Bill Hader tracks are equally amusing, especially when Wright and Hader talk about Michael Bay. Also included are the original commentary tracks from the British DVD release.

Disc 3:
* Cast and crew bio, “Spaced Jam” music video, 7 ½ minutes of raw footage from season 1, and 6 ½ minutes of raw footage from season 2.
* 13 deleted/extended scenes from season with optional commentary.
* 5 minutes of additional outtakes from season 1.
* 18 deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary from season 2.
* “Skip To The End Documentary”- This exhaustive 80 minute docu literally covers everything. There are discussions about the show’s realism, references, characters, locations, etc.
* “NFT Q&A- Spaced On Stage” is a 58 minute interview session with cast and crew members like Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.