Joey Bishop's eponymous sitcom, which ran from 1961 to 1965, never permeated the rerun culture and remains something of an unknown for those who never saw it. Truth be told, it wasn't all that funny, and The Joey Bishop Show: The Complete Second Season, consisting of 34 episodes stretched across six discs, never really generates anything resembling a hearty laugh or even a guilty smirk. Bishop, playing a TV talk show host, keeps his trademark deadpan expression despite the zany problems that pop up around him. But then again, Bishop has little reason to crack a smile: both Guy Marks, as his obnoxious and conniving manager, and Joe Besser, as the high-strung superintendent of his Manhattan high-rise, steamroll their way through the show with such shrill performances it's as if they were told that screaming their lines would make them funnier. Vivacious comic actress Abby Dalton, cast as Bishop's wife, has absolutely nothing to do but pose decoratively and offer a serious line or two, which inevitably gets answered with snarky wisecracks. And the plots, which invariably revolve around misunderstandings that spin insanely out of control, give anachronistic new meaning to the concept of stale. Bishop was a genuinely funny entertainer, as his association with the Rat Pack and his late-1960s talk show proved, yet in this sitcom he is shown at a distinct disadvantage with unfunny scripts and unworthy support. Even those with a passion for '60s retro entertainment will find little reason to rejoice at this series' resurrection on DVD. Extras include a "Meet the Rat Pack" featurette, the pilot episode for The Joey Bishop Show (which aired on Make Room for Daddy), and trailers for several of Bishop's feature films. Not recommended. (P. Hall)
The Joey Bishop Show: The Complete Second Season
Questar, 6 discs, 780 min., not rated, DVD: $34.99 January 24, 2005
The Joey Bishop Show: The Complete Second Season
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