10 Things I Hate About You: Season 1 Volume 1 – DVD Review

The Show:

10 Things I Hate About You is in this critic’s opinion, the best teen movie released in the ’90s. So it goes without saying that I wasn’t extremely excited when I heard a television series based on the flick was being released. I never watched a single episode on the tube, seeing it on DVD was my first introduction to the show. Waiting for the DVD release was my loss.

It was gratifying to see a show based on one of my favorite teen movies carry the torch in such a positive way. The series starts off with the Stratford sisters driving to a new school, where Bianca (Meaghan Jette Martin) wants to fit in and Kat (Lindsey Shaw) wants to make the grade and be herself. Instantly they are thrust into the difficult and troubling world that is high school. Along the way they meet up with a motley group of characters that grow and change with each episode.

It’s not often a television series based on a movie, or a movie based on a television series for that matter, hits its mark. Usually these types of shows fail miserably, tarnishing the source material’s good name. Thankfully, in the case of 10 Things I Hate About You this isn’t true. The series is smart, witty, and engaging. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve already set it to record the next season on my Tivo.

Why was it so good you ask? Well, it was a combination of solid acting and smart writing that won me over. Lindsey Shaw (Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide) is phenomenal as feminist in training Kat, and Ethan Peck steps into Patrick Verona’s shoes with skill that would make Heath Ledger proud. Also, Nicholas Braun is stellar as the love sick Cameron. I could go on forever because the entire cast is amazing, but all of them are trumped by scene stealer Larry Miller, who played the same part in the theatrical version.

If you are a fan of the show, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this series as well because it is positively a killer series.

The DVD:

Audio/Video

The audio came in loud and clear and the video was impressive as well.

Special Features

Commentary: The commentary that accompanies some of the episodes is worth a listen, but gets a little boring after a while. The one on the show’s pilot is the superior and should be checked out even if commentaries aren’t your thing.

10 Things I Hate vs. 10 Things I Love: The shows cast and producer throw in their two cents about what they love and hate about their characters.

Backstage Pass: Lindsey Shaw and Meaghan Martin take you on a tour of the show’s set and give a short rundown on the show. It’s a solid feature that I enjoyed the most out  the features in this volume.

Make It or Break It (Pilot Episode): I didn’t care for this ABC family drama’s premise, which centers around the world of gymnastics. If it’s your thing, then by all means check it out, but I couldn’t get into it.

There are also a ton of trailers on here that I’m not going to take the time to list, but feel free to check them out for yourself when you buy or rent this solid volume.

The Show: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: