The best thing I can say about the last season of Everybody Hates Chris is it knows when it's running out of steam. Winding down prior to its cancellation, this final season has the cast and crew putting in a decent amount of work to avoid becoming completely by-the-numbers and succeeding some of the time. Still, for every episode that delves into the well-worn tropes of classic TV show plots, the show continues to work up a sense of whimsy and biting humor, not the least of it due to Chris Rock’s lively narration on every episode.
The season is spread across four discs, packaged ergonomically in a regular sized case. The packaging also includes summaries for each episode on the inside cover. As the show makes instantly clear, the major transition that will mark this season is Chris’ (Tyler James Williams) introduction to high school and the awkwardness that will be mined for comedy from there on in. The show’s 1980s setting helps keep the plots, the majority of which are predictable, from getting stale. You can see the production design effort put into the show and that kind of dedication definitely pays off in keeping proceedings interesting visually, at least.
The cast is still game after three seasons, which is excellent news since Chris’ family and friends, as well as a variety of supporting characters are key to keeping the show laugh-worthy. Tyler James Williams has matured and is able to get across the confusion and stress of being a teenager with relative ease. Watching him navigate through high school halls in both real world and fantasy sequences is great fun and he is an easy-going actor who you can relate to. Vincent Martella does similarly excellent work as Chris’ best friend Greg and the two have a real chemistry that leaves you thinking the TV friends must hang out outside of work.
Terry Crews continues his run on the show as Chris’ father Julius, a juicy role for one of the more underrated character actors in the business. As Julius, Crews can show off a more subtly emotional side of his craft, a far cry from the overly masculine characters he’s always tapped to play. Tichina Arnold is his foil and more as Chris’ mother Rochelle and the two have some great scenes together, combining physical comedy with a great propensity for facial expressions.
One aspect of Everybody Hates Chris that especially appeals to me is the show’s wiliness to be whimsical outside its sitcom boundaries. Fantasy sequences abound all over the place, springing from Chris’ imagination and references a variety of 80s icons as well as maintaining a general sense of creative freedom that staves off the staleness that a straightforward storytelling approach would undoubtedly bring to he show. Overall, this final season ends on a high note, capping off a successful show that keeps your interest throughout. A minor distraction perhaps, but it’s nice to see a good amount of effort put into elevating a typical sitcom.
DVD Bonus Features
Continuing the trend with DVD releases of this show, the last season comes with a sizable amount of extras, most of them promotional work but featuring some real gems that are worth watching. Producer Ali LeRoi starts off the extras with a short intro and commentary for the first episode. This is only the tip of the iceberg however, since each and every episode in the set features a short (about 2-3 minutes) webisode regarding the production, explaining the set-up and providing a very brief inside look behind the scenes. Not necessarily a key feature but a welcome one nonetheless. A variety of deleted scenes are also scattered through the four discs.
The fourth disc contains the rest of the extras, beginning with a 5-minute Gag Reel, enjoyable and fun in seeing the cast goof around. Supplementing is the excellent "Candid With the Cast", a 27-minute conversation with the main cast, a lively bunch that carries much of their humor on the show into actual conversation. The 6-minute "Death in the Dining Room" is a good if only somewhat technical look at the difficulties of filming the frequent dining room scenes on the show. "Give ‘Em Props" unsurprisingly covers the 80s props necessary to keep the show from becoming anachronistic. "Juste Pour Rire = Just for Laughs" is correctly titled in giving us a scene from an episode dubbed in a French accent. Finally, "The Key to VFX" is a short feature on the CGI used in the show. Much of the extras footage is promotional in nature but it’s still nice to see the effort that went into the show behind the scenes.
"Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season" is on sale August 18, 2009 and is rated NR. Comedy, Television. Directed by Keith Truesdell, Jerry Levine, Debbie Allen. Written by Ali LeRoi, Rodney Barnes, Alyson Fouse, Chris Rock, Adrienne Carter. Starring Chris Rock, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tyler James Williams, Vincent Martella.
