Spin City: Season 5

it was shipped and delivered pretty quick. i love this show. i have since i first watched it back when it was first on tv. charlie sheen is great in this. i still need to get seasons 2 and 3 but the ones i do have of this show are awesome!!

Happy that all DVD's that shipped were in good working order.

Overall, I liked this dvd. It started a little weird without Michael J. Fox, and some of the original characters, but eventually Charlie Sheen proves an able replacement for Mr. Fox.

I watched this show all the time. It was a favorite when I was younger. I love owning all the seasons on dvd because it's still as funny as I remember.

It's not possible to look at Season's five and six of "Spin City" without comparing it to season's one through four. Truth be told, this show is good but because it doesn't have the rare magic it once did, it really is nothing more than a typical 90's sit-com of waiting for the two attractive leads to hook up: the inevitable demise of all these shows.The catalyst for change is the remarkably tragic and public story of Michael J. Fox and his battle with Parkinson's disease. The first three seasons had so much magic to it. Fox was the first. Then there was that it was filmed (by Tommy Schlamme) in Manhattan and Gary Goldberg and Bill Lawrence turned New York into a character unto itself. All of the actors were gifted Broadway stage actors. Alexander Chaplin, Daisy Prince, Connie Britten, Richard Kind, Victoria Dillard, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Boatman, Alan Ruck, and the remarkable Barry Bostwick. Spin City was a remarkable ensemble piece and Bill Lawrence's now famous use of dozens of scenes coupled with brilliant lighting and camera work created the busy urgency that was City Hall. The ensemble was led by Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty (Fox) who not only allowed each actor to stand out on his own but the writing infused him into all the storylines.At the start of season 4, Fox's health was growing poorer and Heather Locklear was hired to take some of the pressure off of Fox. By the end of that season it was clear to Fox that he was too sick to continue.They needed a big name with big shoulders to replace him and just as Ashton Kutcher did when Charlie Sheen got too ill to continue with Two And A Half Men, Charlie Sheen was brought in to replace Michael J. Fox here. Irony.The show was filmed in New York so that Fox could be at home to raise his children but filming in NY is more expensive than in LA, so when Sheen came in on Season Five, the production was moved to Los Angeles. Many key people didn't go with it, thinning a remarkable staff of excellence down to average. This not only included half the cast, but Co-Creator, Bill Lawrence, left Spin City to begin production on his new creation, Scrubs. The result was a very good but very typical sit com in which we watch Locklear and Sheen play the A story, while Kind, Ruck, Boatman, and Bostwick split the B and C stories. We wait for Sheen and Locklear to hook up; we're teased with it; we know it will happen. They are Ross and Rachel. Sam and Diane.At the same time we do have the veteran skills of the supporting players and the excellent writing so while the A story is predictable-even charming- the B story is genius and brilliantly acted. Kind is unparalleled in his ability to do anything, but we forever miss Chaplin, his real life wife, Daisy Prince, and Esposito all of whom brought a theatrical freshness that isn't found in LA. Proof is that they all chose to remain in New York.Daisy Prince kindly spent 7 weeks in LA to stagger their exits but in the end, her character became a nun and left Paul Lassiter. Her disappearance was done in one episode and sadly, no traction was given to Kind in subseqjent episodes; it was like Claudia never existed. Connie Britton's disappearance is equally poor. There is no explanation at all regarding her disappearance.Combine those changes with the "feel" of the show going from NY special to typical LA studio and the difference is worth two stars.Sheen is good; he has always been good, and that's enough to keep watching and that (along with the great price for this DVD) is good enough reason to buy the DVD. It's impossible to say good-bye to Spin City, so we held on as long as Goldberg and ABC did.

Fantastic season! Clearly the preview of 2 & 1/2 men....You can see Charlie Harper emerging in every episode :-)Also - great actors and team!Real funny ...... must buy.....

good packaging no problem playing the. disc

a great save for a lovely show. charlie kept the show going.