I was one of the very few people who taped every single episode of "The Weird Al Show" way back in 97 when it first aired (I still have two original TV spots - I put one at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaHmwcFFKcU and the other is coming to YouTube soon - I wish Al had called me, they could've gotten on the DVD!). So by the time the DVD came out I'd already watched them all dozens of times, but the commentaries were an incredible revelation. I just about laughed my head off at the idea of a different Bobby every week, and the phrase "Hootie and the Blowfish performing in a huge vat of yogurt" will always make me smile in my darkest hours.
I was also VERY impressed by the packaging. I was fully expecting a cheaply-thrown-together two-disc set with static menus, but the way Shout! Factory put it together, you'd think the show was a beloved, ubiquitous cultural icon that had been rerun for decades, not the flop experiment that it unfortunately was. To quote a review I once read of the "Freaks & Geeks" DVD set, "the worst thing about it is the fact that there'll only be one."
I was disappointed then, and I'm disappointed now, that it didn't come back for a second season. I remember Al saying on his website at the time that they were hoping to re-sell the show to another network (a la "The Critic") and that the first season was really just a trial run. It never happened, but he was right - it needed a second season to truly become GREAT. They would have gotten better guest stars (it's easier to attract talent when you already have episodes to show them) for one, and they might have even been able to make the educational objectives work for them instead of against.
So as long as we're all being nostalgic...what's everyone's favorite part of that show? Favorite character? Favorite episode? Favorite "Channel Hopping"/fake ad bit? Favorite dialogue exchange? Here's mine...
Favorite character: DUH (check the handle)
Favorite episode: "The Competition" - the educational message didn't even feel tacked on!
Favorite bit: Probably the cold remedy commercial with the flying monkeys.
Favorite dialogue exchange: "I need to borrow a box of smelly socks." "What do you need smelly socks for?" "Actually, it's more the box I need."
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn...that's alright because I like the way it hurts...