A clever, often hilarious sitcom, Samantha Who? stars Christina Applegate as a young woman who develops amnesia after waking up from a coma following a car accident. Getting a second chance, Samantha is initially appalled at her pre-amnesia reputation for malice, power grabs, brutality to coworkers, manipulation of her boyfriend Todd (Barry Watson), and meanspiritedness toward her childhood friend Dena (Melissa McCarthy). Above all, she can hardly bear the fact of her longtime estrangement from her mother (Jean Smart) and father (Kevin Dunn), wondering how on earth she could have managed without them in her life. In the first 10 or so of these 15 episodes comprising the 2007-08 first season, our new-and-improved heroine apologizes for old slights and unintentional new mistakes, while leaving a lot of goodwill and a bit of confusion in her wake. But over time, with flashes of remembrance of her old life, Samantha slowly becomes a hybrid of her new sweetness and vintage schemer—both angel and devil, if you will. Although the series loses some steam during the season's second half, on the whole this fresh new series is one to embrace. DVD extras include audio commentary on the pilot episode, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
Samantha Who? The Complete First Season
Buena Vista, 2 discs, 322 min., TV-PG, DVD: $29.99 December 22, 2008
Samantha Who? The Complete First Season
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