What About Brian: The Complete Series

An ABC midseason replacement that premiered in the spring of 2006 and was picked up for the following season, What About Brian showed promise early on but ultimately failed to generate much heat in the fall of 2007. An ensemble drama revolving around the passions of twentysomethings, the show starred Barry Watson as Brian, who loves Marjorie (Sarah Lancaster)—the gorgeous girlfriend of his buddy Adam (Matthew Davis)—and therefore unconsciously sabotages his relationships by comparing every potential mate to her. Meanwhile, Brian's middle-aged sister (Rosanna Arquette) grapples with problems surrounding a late-in-life pregnancy, while his hapless, married-with-children business partner Dave (Rick Gomez) frets about sagging romance with his wife Deena (Amanda Detmer) and candidly discusses having an open marriage. Created by Dana Stevens and executive-produced by Lost's J.J. Abrams, What About Brian boasted likable characters but was hamstrung by its premise, which presented progressively feeble (and contrived) reasons for keeping Brian and Marjorie apart. This boxed set collects all 25 episodes, along with audio commentaries by Stevens, an unaired episode, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a look at what the third season might have been like. Very optional. (E. Hulse)