With the second season, the casting settles down and the actors really find their rhythms with each other. Lisa Kudrow's Urusula, the waitress at the local bar and grill Riff's, is an especially welcome addition as a recurring cast member. Leila Kenzle's Fran gets much more depth as the separated and eventually-divorced best friend of Jamie and Anne Ramsay's Lisa (Jamie's sister) settles down nicely into a neurotic mess.

There are some really memorable episodes from the season, especially "Disorientation", featuring Jamie's first day in grad school, and "Cold Feet", the Valentine's Day episode detailing how Paul proposed to Jamie. Equally memorable (for opposite reasons) is "Up All Night" featuring a very unfortunate cameo by John Astin (the original Gomez Addams) as himself, showing that every so often the writers could still loose the line between great reuse of a joke and flogging a dead horse. While much better than Season 1's truly unfortunate use of Jerry Lewis, "Up All Night" served as a reminder that the show was almost - but not quite - to the levels of excellence it would achieve in its middle years.

Technically, the release is less of a disappointment that Season 1. The spreading-out the the episodes onto three discs rather than two means that the episodes look decent on a laptop or HDTV system, but there are still no extras to speak of - not even chapter stops. I'm happy to shell out the extra money for extra video quality, but it would be nice to have episode promos or commentaries or something. As it is, though, it's nice to see them actively working at keeping the price of a full-season release of a TV show down.

All in all, I do recommend this boxed set, although I think Columbia-Tristar could still put some more effort into the releases of future seasons. As for the show itself, this is the season where the show really begins to find itself. If you liked "Mad About You", but skipped the first season due to the quality of the show or the quality of the release, start here.


Better picture quality on second season discs   April 23, 2003
J. Cummings (Seattle, WA United States)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

In the first season dvd package Sony sacrificed picture quality in order to cram all 22 episodes on 2 discs. Happily, the 25 episodes which comprise season two are contained on 3 discs and the picture is much sharper as a result.

This isn't the only thing that I like better about this set of discs. For one, the writing got much better in the second season. The jokes were funnier, the characters were more solid and for some reason, Helen Hunt is cuter.

Again, there are no "extras" in these discs. No commentary, specials, cut scenes... nothing. But when you consider the low price it's being offered at, it's a great deal regardless. I only hope that the consumer response is strong enough to warrant issuing the remaining seasons.


Classic Television Comedy   November 17, 2003
TechnoToyLover (Foster City, CA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Mad About You Season 2 Episode Guide

September 16, 1993: Murray's Tale: Lisa takes Murray for a walk - and returns with a different dog.

September 23, 1993: Bing Bang Boom: Unreturned phone calls and Murray's invisible mouse distract Paul and Jamie from romance during a long-awaited evening together.

September 30, 1993: Bedfellows: Paul and Jamie stay with Paul's mother (Cynthia Harris) after his father has a heart attack.

October 7, 1993: Married to the Job: Jamie vents about her boss (Ken Jenkins) - who's revealed to be sitting nearby.

October 14, 1993: So I Married a Hair Murderer: Jamie's time-killing activities include cutting Paul's hair - and his film.

October 28, 1993: An Unplanned Child: Paul forgets to tell Jamie that they're babysitting his nephew (Bradley Pierce) - on Halloween.

November 4, 1993: Natural History: A fight over time together drives Paul and Jamie apart, but luck - or fate - brings them together.

November 11, 1993: Surprise: Jamie and Paul are separated en route to her surprise birthday celebration.

November 18, 1993: A Pair of Hearts: Ira's estranged wife (Cyndi Lauper) sets up a free casino weekend for him - so she can get him to sign the divorce papers.

December 2, 1993: It's a Wrap: Lou tampers with Paul's film; Jamie lacks direction.

December 9, 1993: Edna Returns: A case study of Lisa's problems in her shrink's book points the finger at an "overbearing" sister.

January 6, 1994: Paul is Dead: The death of someone else named Paul Buchman affects Paul - and his credit rating.

January 13, 1994: Same Time Next Week: The Buchmans endure two months of virtual separation because of Paul's out-of-town film shoot.

January 27, 1994: The Late Show: Paul and Jamie try to keep secret what each knows about Fran and Ira.

February 3, 1994: Virtual Reality: Paul invests in a virtual-reality system. Christie Brinkley and Andre Agassi have cameos.

February 10, 1994: Cold Feet: Paul and Jamie recall the day they moved in together and Paul proposed.

February 14, 1994: Instant Karma: Paul believes bad luck will follow Jamie's ill-gotten gain, but he's the one who suffers.

February 24, 1994: The Tape: Paul inadvertently returns a revealing home video to the rental store.

March 10, 1994: Love Letters: Love letters written by former tenants tell a story that seems to parallel Jamie and Paul's.

April 7, 1994: The Last Scampi: Jamie and Paul refuse to take sides regarding an incident between their moms, while Murray has mother problems of his own.

April 28, 1994: Disorientation: Fran, Lisa and Ira join Paul's race to cover up the fact that he forgot to mail Jamie's class registration.

May 5, 1994: Storms We Cannot Weather: Fran's estranged husband interrupts her blind date.

May 12, 1994: Up All Night: The Buchmans meet John Astin after getting locked out of their apartment. But is it really him? Garth Brooks has a cameo.

May 19, 1994: With This Ring, Part 1: Part 1 of two. Paul loses his wedding ring the day before his anniversary, and Mark tries a Zen approach to finding it.

May 19, 1994: With This Ring, Conclusion: Conclusion. Lunch with Paul's nephew changes the Buchmans' thoughts on having a child.


One hilarious TV show...   April 21, 2005
Britt Gillette (Chesapeake, VA USA)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Nominated for 45 Emmys, and winner of 16 during its eight-year run on NBC, Mad About You became an instant smash hit among TV viewers, in large part due to its Seinfeldian portrayals of married life in the big city. Sporting a catchy piano-laden theme song, the series showcased the unique comic talents of co-creator and co-star Paul Reiser, who sought to produce a show telling the true story of married life (he would later publish the bestselling book Couplehood, a compilation of various anecdotes on relationships)...

Mad About You follows the lives of newlywed couple Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt), two urban professionals sharing an apartment in New York City. Although they are head-over-heals in love, the two appear to be near total opposites. Paul, a documentary filmmaker, is extremely meticulous, cautious, and careful. Jamie, on the other hand, is a public relations expert with more of a free-spirit outlook on life. With a number of friends and family always in the picture - Jamie's sister Lisa (Anne Ramsay), Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow), and friends Mark (Richard Kind) and Fran (Leila Kenzle) - Paul and Jamie are constantly bombarded with job-related stress, the strange antics of their friends, and the discovery each others' individual quirks and habits. And it's a recipe that translates into great sitcom entertainment...

The Mad About You (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Murray's Tale" in which Lisa takes the Buchman dog Murray for a walk only to return with the wrong dog. When Paul and Jamie organize a massive search, they eventually uncover the true whereabouts of Murray, along with the couple whose dog Lisa walked off with... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Married to the Job" in which Paul and Jamie vent about their jobs only to discover that Jamie's boss is sitting right behind them, and "Paul is Dead" in which a man by the same name as Paul passes away, creating a bundle of problems for Paul and Jamie...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Mad About You (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 23 (Murray's Tale)
Episode 24 (Bing, Bang, Boom)
Episode 25 (Bedfellows)
Episode 26 (Married to the Job)
Episode 27 (So I Married a Hair Murderer)
Episode 28 (The Unplanned Child)
Episode 29 (Natural History)
Episode 30 (Surprise)
Episode 31 (A Pair of Hearts)
Episode 32 (It's a Wrap)
Episode 33 (Deconstructive Criticism)
Episode 34 (Paul is Dead)
Episode 35 (Same Time Next Week)
Episode 36 (The Late Show)
Episode 37 (Virtual Reality)
Episode 38 (Cold Feet)
Episode 39 (Instant Karma)
Episode 40 (The Tape)
Episode 41 (Love Letters)
Episode 42 (The Last Scampi)
Episode 43 (Disorientation)
Episode 44 (Storms We Cannot Weather)
Episode 45 (Up All Night)
Episode 46 (With This Ring: Part 1)
Episode 47 (With This Ring: Part 2)

The DVD Report


WOW!! Expecting the 3rd!!!   November 26, 2003
Juan Manuel Parra Torres (Bogota, D.C., C/marca Colombia)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

1. If you are a fan and bought the 1st season, you will see this is a little better because is a 3 DVD set with a better quality.
2. You are not receiving more, once again, of what you can expect: the aprox. 25 episodes and nothing more than 2 commercials: the trailer of Maid in Manhattan (that bad movie with J.Lo.) and the promotion of other commedies avaliable in DVD. Still NO information, or interviwes or behind the scenes, or a docummentary about the series!
3. They did not add the Spanish subtitles, so -if you don't want to lose anything of the original fun- watch it in English.. in Spanish you miss a lot!!!
4. I think this season was better than the first one!!
5. Third season is something I will buy and recommend for sure! But I HOPE they will give us information and subtitles in other languages!!