The Complete Series collects all 13 episodes, uncensored. Like Arrested Development, Action made liberal use of language that wouldn’t pass muster on network TV. And while I think bleeping obscenities is funny, the filth flies with such passion that it deserves to be heard in all its glory. The nudity, on the other hand, is still blurred out. This is especially disappointing in the body double audition scene, but I guess you can’t have everything.
The two-disc set includes three commentary tracks with the writing staff and co-star Jarrad Paul (who played screenwriter Adam Rafkin). They’re not the most informative of commentaries, as everybody is too busy laughing. Still, they do reveal that the absurd “What time is it?” sequence was inspired by an Illeana Douglas tantrum. That is worth the price right there. The best extra is a half-hour featurette on the making of the series. It’s a fascinating and funny look at how to build a cult favorite. It’s as amusing and disturbing as the series itself, particularly seeing a pre-Saturday Night Live Will Forte on the writing staff. Most of the writers were bitter old misanthropic comedy veterans, and seeing that Forte is still clearly scarred by what he witnessed is darkly hilarious.
