Product Description

KEEN EDDIE - THE COMPLETE SERIES follows New York City police officer, Eddie Arlette (Valley), whose luck always seems to be running out just when he needs it the most. Sent to England to get to the bottom of a botched drug bust, Eddie finds himself working with the Scotland Yard on a case that gets much worse before it gets better. Now Eddie must find a way to solve the case without getting into too much trouble himself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19691 in DVD
• Brand: VALLEY,MARK
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: .90 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.com
Add Keen Eddie to the long list of unique TV shows that never clicked with a mainstream following--but which found a small but devoted fan base, for whom this DVD set is a gift from above. New York cop Eddie Arlette (pugnaciously good-looking Mark Valley) fumbles a major drug bust and gets sent to London to mop up the mess he's made. But Eddie's New York attitude proves a successful addition to Scotland Yard, so ambitious Superintendent Johnson (Colin Salmon, Prime Suspect 2) decides to keep Eddie on the team--which suits his new partner, neurotic swinger Monty Pippin (Julian Rhind-Tutt, BBC miniseries Reckless) but infuriates Eddie's accidental flatmate, the luscious, tempestuous, and frequently scantily clad Fiona (Sienna Miller).

Individual shows follow self-contained investigations (like a stolen race-horse, a casino robbed by guys in Duran Duran masks, a school hazing gone too far, or a kidnapping by a French mob boss with an astrology obsession), while the rising sparks between Eddie and Fiona can be charted across the 13 episodes (which are presented in order of airdate, not the sequence in which they were created; the ideal sequence can be learned from various fan Web sites). Keen Eddie's quirky, syncopated rhythm can sometimes feel a little forced and the visual flash and rapid-fire editing owe a lot to the movies of Guy Ritchie (Snatch), but the result was nonetheless a distinctive show that deserved more of an audience than it got. This boxed set should give Keen Eddie a second chance. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Excellent Series + Lost Music = Subpar Box Set
First, let me start off by saying that I love Keen Eddie. When this show debuted on Fox, I taped it from the start because I thought it looked cool and edgy, and that usually is the kiss of death for most network shows. Sure enough, it got the axe, but Bravo was kind enough to air the episodes and give Eddie some new viewers.

When this box set was announced, I literally jumped for joy that I could disgard my VHS tapes for a nice DVD set. I've been counting the days, and my set arrived today. I just started watching the Pilot episode when I noticed the absence of the Specials song, "Message to you, Rudy." Then during the big chase scene, Madness' "One Step Beyond" was removed as well. I just shut off the DVD, and now feel a bit cheated. My old VHS tapes will have to hold out.

I've heard rumors that studios replace music in tv box sets to keep costs down, but one of the "keenest" parts of Keen Eddie was the wicked soundtrack. The music wasn't simply generic teen pop overlayed behind your typical WB teen drama. The music on Keen Eddie often fit the scenes perfectly, and became as important as the actors themselves. I haven't watched the rest of the set, but the packaging does state, in tiny print on the inside(and bottom of the box...who reads that?), that "the music has been replaced for this Home Entertainment version."

Newer viewers won't know it's missing, but the show lost some of it's manic edge with the bland techno in place of Madness. The music was often timed with particular scenes so it would cut away in synch to the next scene. The missing music is a huge loss. Mark Valley is still brilliant, but I can't stand that the studio decided to release a watered down version of a show that deserved better. If only it had aired on the FX network instead...they seem more tolerant of unique programming.

So, please watch, but, if you love the music like me, don't get rid of those VHS episodes just yet. Keen Eddie must be jinxed. First it got a bum rap from Fox, then a raw deal on DVD. I would have paid more for the complete episodes with all of the original music. Maybe Paramount will release a better volume in the future? We can only hope. I guess this will have to do for now.

5 Stars for the Original Series, 2 Stars for this Edited version.

LOVE the Show. Disappointed in DVD Set.
Screwed up episode order?
- Not unheard of. Warner Home Video did the same with the "Crusade" DVD set. That's in TNT's moronic airing order.

Absence of original music?
- How much extra could it have cost for a 13 episode disc set WITH the original music? Come on suits, WISE UP!

The reason for both of these problems is that accountants/MBAs are in charge, and no amount of profit is EVER enough. The execs don't understand what people want, and WILL PAY FOR. Sad. I hope they do a correct set in the future, but I REALLY doubt it. They'll probably learn the WRONG lesson if this DVD set suffers low sales, and think that people just don't like the show. Good grief, if there's a way to screw up, suits will find it, AND usually on the first try.

5 stars for the show, and 2 stars for this DVD set.

Here's hoping that same thing isn't done if Warner Home Video ever decides to release "Brimstone" on DVD (another excellent 13 episode set). NO SUBSTITUTIONS IN PLACE OF THE ORIGINAL MUSIC! Got that, suits?

TV Show GREAT! - DVD Sucks!
Keen Eddie is such a great show that it's really a shame that Fox cancelled it (more like their fault for being stupid and airing it out of order like they did with Firefly and airing it in the summer doldrums). I give this show 5 stars.

Now, for the DVD, it's just a really really bad set of DVDs. You know who does great DVDs? FOX Home Studio. This DVD set (might) just have been done by Paramount alone without the help of J Wyman, Simon West, or the cast. They didn't even spend money for licensed music, replacing music aired on tv. There are no extras (unless you count the 5.1 audio), no commentaries. I hope if this set at least gets popular they'll re-released another set with extras. I give the DVDs 3. Great transfer of video and 5.1 audio is also a plus otherwise I would have given it a 2.

Shame on you Paramount. As someone already said, yeah, IT IS an insult.