With so many television shows finding their way to dvd, it’s a nice surprise to find that “THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW” is one of them.  There have been few shows of any quality on dvd, “THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW” being an exception, and COLUMBIA TRISTAR hasn’t announced plans to release the following seasons of that show.  “THE STEVER HARVEY SHOW” is also an exception to the endless sitcoms of only marginal quality.  Harvey plays Steve Hightower, an assistant principal, and Cedric Wilson also appears as the school coach, as well as his roommate.
There is a genuine warm-heartedness to the show, again making it different from and above most other sitcoms.  While some of the plots will seem like re-workings of almost every other conflict done on tv(Cedric gets in drag, Steve has to deal with his nagging mom about finding the right girl, etc.)the performances and writing is creative enough to overshadow the predictable elements.  In some ways like the few great sitcoms of the ‘70s(All in the Family, The Jeffersons), there’s a great atmosphere to this show. There’s also a sense of nostalgia, as Steve Harvey’s mom is portrayed by Isabel Sanford(Mrs. George Jefferson).
 

Five episodes have been compiled for this release.  COLUMBIA TRISTAR has preserved the show’s original full-frame aspect ratio.  The overall image quality is excellent, with a lick looking picture, and consistent color quality. There is no grain, and the definition is great.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has presented a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mix, typical of comedy programs.  The dialogue is confined to the center channel speaker, as is most of the mix.  Surrounds are only used to boost musical cues. The fidelity is fine, and there’s even some decent bass present in select moments. Dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.
COLUMBIA TRISTAR has presented two trailers on this disc.