The Dukes of Hazzard: The Complete Second Season

The Dukes of Hazzard found its comfortable groove during the second season, as the production moved from location shooting in Georgia to a cushy backlot in Burbank, California. After experimenting a bit with the show's characters in the first season, the writers and actors relaxed into a thoroughly cartoonish tone, making it much easier in its sophomore year for the series to endlessly rework (without fear of depth) the constant battle between diminutive villain Boss Hogg and former moonshiners Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) Duke. Meanwhile, the boys' souped-up, 1969 Dodge Charger, the General Lee, is always ready to roll; sexy cousin Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) is still nobody's fool; grizzled Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) remains a fountain of wisdom; and the sundry lawmen in Hogg's pocket continue to be complete idiots. Loretta Lynn, Mickey Jones, Dick Sargent, James Hampton, and other guests turn up, but they're not enough to save the series from its own numbing familiarity. Compiling all 23 episodes from 1980-81, DVD extras on this four-disc set include original screen tests for stars Wopat and Schneider, and a documentary about the show's 25th anniversary celebration. Not recommended. (T. Keogh)