In Living Color (DVD) Review

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010

Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year stint, In Living Color is widely considered the best skit comedy show since SNL. Created by the multitalented star Keenen Ivory Wayans (the eldest child from a large and talented family), the 30-minute TV show became an instant hit for emerging big network competitor FOX in the spring of 1990. Showcasing the talents of the Wayans family (especially blockbuster talent Damon Wayans), along with initial cast members David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Kim Coles, T'keyah "Crystal" Keymah, Kelly Coffield, and Jim Carrey (who would use the show as a springboard to smash hit movie career that would begin with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in 1994), In Living Color quickly achieved the status of TV cult icon?

Along with clever, cutting-edge writing, In Living Color featured a plethora of talented cast members who would move on to enormously successful Hollywood careers. The show's dance troop, The Fly Girls, hired an ambitious dancer named Jennifer Lopez for the show's final season, and Season 2 of the show involved the hire of Oscar Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx (of Collateral and Ray). For its final season, In Living Color also featured notable appearances by comedian Chris Rock. Along the way, the series would create a number of legendary recurring characters such as Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans), Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey), and Men on Film (Damon Wayans & David Alan Grier)?

The In Living Color DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which the show begins with a skit entitled "Love Connection". Jim Carrey stars as Chuck Woolery, trying to bring together star-crossed lovers Mike Tyson (Keenen Ivory Wayans) and Robin Givens (Kim Coles). This first episode also features the first appearance of the popular characters from the skit "Men on Film". Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Introducing? Homey D. Clown" in which the world first meets an ex-con turned clown who refuses to engage in any clown-like acts, and "Anton in the People's Court" which features the skits "M.C. Hammer Video" and "Ted Turner's Very Colorized Classics - The Kid"?

Below is a list of episodes included on the In Living Color (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Pilot) Air Date: 04-15-1990
Episode 2 (The Wrath of Farrakhan) Air Date: 04-21-1990
Episode 3 (Lean on Me Beautiful) Air Date: 04-28-1990
Episode 4 (Transitions) Air Date: 05-05-1990
Episode 5 (A Date with Grace Jones) Air Date: 05-12-1990
Episode 6 (Jheri's Kids) Air Date: 05-19-1990
Episode 7 (Don King - The Early Years) Air Date: 05-27-1990
Episode 8 (Endangered Species) Air Date: 06-03-1990
Episode 9 (Introducing? Homey D. Clown) Air Date: 06-17-1990
Episode 10 (Vera DeMilo) Air Date: 06-24-1990
Episode 11 (Anton in the People's Court) Air Date: 07-15-1990
Episode 12 (Conspiracy) Air Date: 09-02-1990
Episode 13 (Homey D Clown Returns) Air Date: 09-09-1990