Holiday Shopping Guide: As Time Goes by – Reunion Special DVD Review

As Time Goes By has nine official seasons. You can buy each season by itself, or you can buy the complete series in one box collection. If you have already invested in this series and you are still wanting more then you are in luck. Last year PBS presented an As Time Goes By Reunion Special that is now available on DVD. This special DVD picks up where season nine left off. It is now a year later and Sandy and Harry are returning to London from Canada. Jean is hoping for grandchildren. Lionel is trying to keep the peace in the house. And Penny and Steven are dealing with retirement. This funny, two part special can be a great addition to your DVD collection, or it can be a great gift to someone who enjoys British Comedies.

What You Get in the As Time Goes By: Reunion Special DVD

The As Time Goes By: Reunions Special DVD contains both the special and bonus material. First you get two half hour episodes that chronicle the continuing story of Jean and Lionel, of Harry and Sandy, of Judith and Alistair, and of Steven and Penny. These two episodes have a lot of great surprises like the appearance of Lionel’s “son” from Kenya, and the news that Sandy is pregnant. In addition to two new episodes of As Time Goes By, this DVD also contains a blooper special called “âÂ?¦oops, sorry,” and a behind the scenes special on the series called “Making It – From the Set.”

Pros of the As Time Goes By: Reunion Special DVD

This is a great bonus DVD to add to your DVD collection, especially if you have already collected the other seasons of As Time Goes By. First this DVD has a hilarious storyline. It really plays to the insecurities and quirkiness of each character. Secondly the writers have thrown in a few twists that really put the characters into unique situations. For example, at the end of the first part of this special Jean goes to the door to greet a young man who claims to have finally found his father, referring to Lionel. This really puts Jean into uncharted waters as she didn’t think Lionel had any children. The other plus for this DVD is that it has two great bonus featurettes including a bloopers real and a behind the scenes featurette. These two bonuses offer a look behind the scenes which was a view of the series that was really missing from the other season’s DVDs.

Cons of the As Time Goes By: Reunion Special DVD

I was very excited when this special aired on PBS last year, and I was even more excited when it was released on DVD. While this DVD does have a lot of great features I do wish that they offered a Play All option for viewing both parts of the Reunion Special at once instead of having to arrow down and select the next part to view both episodes. Fortunately this is only a small drawback that doesn’t ruin the charm of this program.

Where You Can Buy the As Time Goes By: Reunion Special DVD

Because this was first released as a PBS pledge promotion, you may be able to get this DVD as a promotional item when you make a pledge during a PBS funds drive. For more information about PBS and their current pledge promotions you can contact your local PBS station, or visit the PBS website at http://www.pbs.com. If you don’t want to wait for the next PBS pledge drive you can also find this DVD at Columbiahouse.com, Amazon.com, and BBCAmericaShop.com.