DVD Reviews

Charmed: The Complete Sixth Season

So I’m not a regular watcher of the Charmed ones but this is the second complete season that I’ve watched of them. I still think there’s too much goody goody and not enough dark overlord and destruction. Pretty much the same reasons I never got into Buffy, Angel, Hercules, Sinbad or Xena are the same reasons I can’t get into Charmed. I’m not saying they’re bad shows, they just aren’t my cup of tea.  I sometimes wonder that if Charmed didn’t have three attractive women as leads, would the show would still work and be popular.

The Charmed Ones - Phoebe, Piper and Paige - are back to bewitch and hold you spellbound.  Join these modern-day witches in season 6 as their fantastic feats of magic and supernatural escapades will leave you breathless.  Included in this season are the episodes Valhalley of the Dolls Parts 1 & 2, Forget Me...Not, Power of Three Blondes, Love's a Witch, My Three Witches, Soul Survivor, Sword and the City, Little Monsters, Chris-Crossed, Witchstock, Prince Charmed, Used Karma, The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell, I Dream of Phoebe, The Courtship of Wyatt's Father, Hyde School Reunion, Spin City, Crimes and Witch-Demeanors, A Wrong Day's Journey Into Right, Witch Wars and It's a Bad, Bad, Bad World Parts 1 & 2.

The video comes to us in the great 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. There is some minor grain throughout which becomes most noticeable during darker scenes. I also picked up on some compression artifacts. Pretty much the same quality as season 5. This is odd considering the age of the show.  Perhaps squeezing 3 to 4 episodes per DVD has compromised the video quality.

The audio comes to us in both English and French 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. This is much like you would have heard it if you had watched it on television when it originally aired. It’s somewhat flat with no surrounds or low end. The mix is good. Dialogue is always clean and clear with the sound effects and score never really overpowering.  Again, this is much like the season 5 set.

Compared to season 5 this box set falls short.  Sure they look and sound very similar but, season 6 comes to us with practically no extras at all.  Oh wait... season 5 had about the same amount of extras as this one.  Pathetic.  What we get are previews for The 4400 Season 2, The Star Trek series on DVD and I Love Lucy Season 6. 

Now I didn’t recommend the season 5 box set because of the small amount of extras so what do you think my verdict is on this one.  Pretty much the same?  Exactly!  Fans will obviously pick this up and it’s good for a rental if you haven’t seen the show (or want to give it another shot) but I wouldn’t recommend adding it to your DVD collection.  DVD is a format that can shine with just a little bit of effort.  The makers of this box set just dropped the ball on this one... again.

 Review By Robert Harding