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 enlarge | Actor: Thin Blue Line
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $23.49
You Save: $16.49 (41%)
New (39) Used (14) from $20.98
Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 5512
Format: Box Set, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 420 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.6 x 0.7
MPN: WARDE1990D
ISBN: 0790793229
UPC: 794051199027
EAN: 9780790793221
ASIN: B0001JXP8E
Release Date: June 15, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Showing reviews 26-30 of 53
 Charming and funny, Inspector Fowler is the "White Adder" February 8, 2006
George J. M. Lamont (Toronto, Ontario)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The police comedy is a difficult genre to manage. Inevitably, most shows/movies attempt to balance the serious social issues police must confront with comedy, but rarely is the balance successful. Certainly the dark dramas like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue hit their niche, but movie franchises like "Police Academy" and series like the early 80s "Carter Country" quickly degenerated after the first instalment into silliness, and then stupidity.
But The Thin Blue Line forgets neither its comedic drive nor its serious source material. It's a very verbal comedy that preserves the occasional serious issue without becoming maudlin or polarized, like the old MASH series tended to be.
The show develops certain comedic patterns that, instead of becoming repetitive, are moments to which the viewer looks forward: Inspector Grim's increasingly lengthy litanies of insults starting with a riff on "hoity-toity", Kevin Goody's ridiculous physical comedy and almost liquid body motion in times of distress, Patricia Dawkins's constant sexual frustration, and so on.
Perhaps the show's greatest comedic triumph is the merging of Inspector Fowler's (Rowan Atkinson's) honest, if conservative and slightly out-moded social values, with the comedic conflicts his character experiences with other officers and characters. Fowler has a razor wit, and he honestly and strictly sticks to his values, even to the point that we might consider him too strict. It makes for misadventure, and yet it is genuine and credible. In the end, his British politeness and devotion to duty win out over violent, fire-armed courses of strong-arm action, and it's uplifting.
The characters are all likeable in their own ways. Even Inspector Grim, while annoying, is probably harmless enough to be forgiven. It is indeed a shame that only two seasons of The Thin Blue Line were made, and only seven episodes per season, at that. Alas, even Black Adder only survived four seasons. If anything, that's my biggest criticism of the show - the brevity of its run. Did it really warrant cancellation? Are the British that inundated with clever comedy that they can afford to dump this show?
If you can appreciate verbal humour, or ever like movies such as Atkinson's Johnny English, and certainly if you liked Black Adder, you can't go wrong with The Thin Blue Line.
Best of the best British sitcoms January 26, 2006
Carol Cannon (Asbury, NJ United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love this sitcom. It is one of the funniest shows from Britain or America. I just wish they had made more episodes. My favorite characters are Inspector Fowler (Rowan Atkinson)and Constable Goody (James Dreyfus). Atkinson's use of the English language for humor is exceptional. Drefus has the funniest expressions and mannerisms. I have never seen him in any other British comedies, but hopefully I will.
 Thin to nonexistent humor November 25, 2005
William F. Flanigan Jr. (North Potomac, MD USA)
8 out of 29 found this review helpful
What we have here are the basic ingredients for a very funny sitcom. Unique, potentially satire-rich milieu; strange but engaging characters; talented, comedic performers; semi-believable events; etc. What we don't have is much in the way of humor. This two-series program, which initially appeared on BBC TV in the mid 90's, attempts to be based on verbal humor. Most attempts prove unsuccessful. The result is mostly silly dialog and actors mugging it up trying to at least look funny. Such a disaster is totally unexpected, since THE THIN BLUE LINE has the same star and one of the three same credited script writers (another writer was the star) that brought us BLACK ADDER (also from BBC TV) which is arguably the most hilarious TV series ever created. You might call THE THIN BLUE LINE the MORIBUND GREY ADDER. Not helping matters is the pervasive use of British slang, and an inane laugh track that often overlaps with repartees. The sound level of the manufactured laughter is also boosted, perhaps as an act of desperation. This obnoxious, mechanical contrivance frequently tramples on the rapid, back-and-forth wordplay killing many a riposte. Video quality is not that great either. The combination of mostly humorless dialog, a lot of slang, and an industrial-strength laugh machine makes it easy to see why there was never a third series. The question is, why was there a second?
William Flanigan, Ph.D.
Wife's appreciation August 26, 2005
Charles E. Clinger (Austin, TX.)
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
My wife is a big fan of some British comedies, as seen on TV. With the purchase of the Thin Blue Line DVD, she can view these stories on her own time. PBS has too many breaks to fully enjoy the stories.
Funny British Comedy August 20, 2005
Daniel Goodman (Douglassville, Pennsylvania)
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
Bean's Rowan Atkinson stars in yet another funny British show. The Thin Blue Line is one of my favorite sitcoms, loaded with tons and tons of the funniest jokes you will ever here. Just to warn you, this whow may not be as appropriate as some parents would like.
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