"Desperate Housewives: The First Season" Review

In Stores September 20

The extra features may be great, but the menus are ridiculous. They actually introduce every single Housewife before you get to your menu options. Come on. We know who’s in the show, we’re trying to watch it. Don’t get so cute.

The most interesting added content are the extended episodes. Fortunately, Marc Cherry introduces each one so we know where to look for the new stuff. It’s not so much new backstory, but just different portrayals of it. Now Tom comes home fuming the episode before he actually demands Lynette go back to work. Now Carlos is more overt about his demands for a child and it happens in a fairly sexy shower scene. But come on, these were intended for broadcast so you’re not going to see any real nudity. This isn’t FX.

The deleted scenes are mere extra beats. There’s more footage of the fashion show so you can see the ladies being glamorous. You get a bit more sense that the John the gardener wants more out of his relationship with Gabby.

Bloopers are funny with some physical mishaps, flubbed lines and ad libs. When they catch themselves and, knowing that the take is lost, add insult to injury, it works. And it’s nice and brief. There aren’t too many of the same things.

Then there are a ton of interview features to explore every aspect of making the show. The Oprah and View segments are included, which will have historical value in 10 years or so. Right now I feel like I just saw them yesterday.