In its first season Nashville has attracted a large audience and rightly so. Now on home video the new and very different series has put together an ambitious story with a whole lot of drama and a good measure of country music. Now on DVD it reminds me of another first timer Smash that had a good first season not too long ago. The production shows smart preparation, a sizable budget and some excellent new faces with very good voices among its headliners Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
The show follows two singers that have risen to fame in country singers top neighborhood, Nashville, Tennessee. A weekly country soap has all the drama and angst of those rising to the top of the country music world and winning the loves of their lives. But, it’s not all roses for Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) a full blown country singing star who unfortunately has started a down drift with her managers trying to pull her back up to ultimate star status.
Up and coming singer Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) has been getting a lot of attention and she is headlining a tour. Jaymes’s managers see a chance to get her noticed again by getting her to open for the popular Barnes. But, with youth behind her and a lot less baggage, Barnes looks like her chances are already looking good enough to take over the country world. So begins a battle of Queen of the mountain in this weekly drama that takes country to a new level.
These two fighters find their lives constantly turned upside down with a marriage gone bad, deals broken, blackmail and even murder. Along the way to their troubles we get entertained by a lot of good talent and some even finding themselves on the stage of the Grand Ole Opera. Each week’s episode takes a few twists and gives answers to the previous week’s dilemma. It’s much like the daily soaps most housewives are into, but with this show, there’s nothing held back.
Nashville does remind me however of the first season of Smash where the characters in that show vied for the lead in a Broadway musical based on Marilyn Monroe. Although Smash had a good first season run, the show met some premature snags that sent the production into a tailspin and finally was cancelled. After watching Nashville on DVD, I’m not convinced that there’s a lot more value in this show, even with each episode highlighting new characters that bring new stories.
There are 21 episodes on the 5 disc set along with some very good bonus features.
BONUS FEATURES;
“Nashville Comes to Nashville- In this feature we are treated to some of the locations most of which are legendary.
“On The Record-The B Side” the music writers take stage in this piece. It’s a good extra for budding musicians.
“The Stellas Go ON Tour” a feature with the Stella Sisters Lennon and Maisy on tour.
“Deleted Scenes”
“Bloopers”
The production quality of the DVD is a mirror image of its TV show that appeared on ABC from October 2012 to the finale on May 22, 2013. The video plays full screen with the 1.78:1 aspect ratio for widescreen 16×9 televisions with no HD loss. The sound is perfect with its Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation with singers’ performances enjoyed and all dialogue understood.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Charles Esten, Eric Close, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Robert Ray Wisdom and Powers Boothe
Created by: Callie Khouri
TV Rating: PG, DSLV
Genre: Drama, Musical
Running Time: 903 min
Video Release Date:
Original Film Release Date:
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Video: 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio for 16×9 Televisions
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
Number of Discs: 5 Disc Set with 21 Episodes
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
