In terms of overall quality and the strength of the writing, performances, and cinematography, Huff is in the same ballpark as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. Maybe not as heavy a hitter, but it's certainly on the same playing f
2) "Assault and Pepper"—As Huff grapples with a bipolar patient, he's sued by the parents of the boy who committed suicide. Meanwhile, Russel ends up with a hooker who leaves him in cuffs.
3) "Lipstick on Your Panties"—Fourteen-year-old Byrd makes the household come unglued when it's revealed he attended a blow-job party.
4) "Control"—When Huff's bipolar patient takes the witness stand, he expects the worst. Meanwhile, Beth gets into it with Izzy over privacy issues.
5) "Flashpants"—Huff's estranged father uses him to communicate with his mom, while Russell tries to sober up a high-profile TV-star client.
6) "Is She Dead?"—Russell's latest client is a girl he picked up at the liquor store. Meanwhile, Huff worries when he learns that Teddy, his schizophrenic brother, turned up missing on a field trip.
7) "That Fucking Cabin"—Huff keeps having dreams, and they're telling him to take a father-son camping trip with his father and son. Russell tries to detox while dealing with a volatile client.
8) "Cold Day in Shanghai"—Huff starts to have sexual fantasies, and not about his wife. Byrd, meanwhile, gets pressure to swipe drugs from his father, and Beth has her own run-in with the cops.
9) "Christmas is Ruined"—Beth's hypercompetitive sister and dying mother visit, and put a damper on the holidays.
10) "The Good Doctor"—Huff wrestles with temptation when a sexy young pharmaceutical rep seems willing to do anything to make a sale. Meanwhile, Beth discovers something unsettling in Izzy's closet.
11) "The Sample Closet"—Feeling guilty over his almost-infidelity, Huff gets overly defensive and suspects Beth of having an affair with a young client of hers.
12) "All the King's Horses"—Russell thinks he may have fathered a child while on ecstasy. Meanwhile, Huff and Beth grow farther apart as her mother comes to stay with them.
13) "Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up"—Is the psychiatrist sane? People wonder, when a series of events seems to point to the whole family being just a little "off."
Video: "Huff" is mastered in High Definition and it looks great in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are rich, and there's almost zero grain.
Audio: The audio is also quite good, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and closed captioning. As with the video quality, there's a fullness and richness to the sound. No complaints here.
Extras: The first season comes packaged on four discs in two clear keep-cases housed in a cardboard sleeve. Disc one features a commentary on the pilot episode by Lowry and director Winant, which is just a notch or two above average. They admit to never having done one of these before, but despite an awkward and slow start they get more comfortable as the episode progresses. It's fascinating to hear how they conceived of Russell as a blond stud, but bowed to Azaria's request that they consider Platt for the role. When the portly actor strode in, their jaws apparently dropped—though now they admit that he brings a dimension to the part that a pretty boy or hunk simply couldn't have. They also share the series bottom line: "Some people really don't start living until they realize they're dying." Huff feels fragile and suddenly mortal after the boy's suicide, and that, they say, is what makes him reevaluate his life and relationships and all his priorities. As for the "rainbow party" with blowjobs? "I heard it on Oprah," Lowry says. "I don´t make this stuff up." Rounding out disc one extras is a behind-the-therapy featurette in which Azaria mainly talks about Platt.
Disc two has another Lowry/Winant commentary on "Is She Dead?" that's again just slightly above average, plus three deleted scenes that are cobbled together. In two short features, the filmmakers talk about what it takes to make an artificial situation (with set and actors) real, while in another featurette we hear how they approached transitions and the show's visual style.
Disc three has a Lowry/Winant commentary for "Christmas is Ruined," and disc four has one for "Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up" that includes Azaria and Platt. With four of them talking, there's not as much freedom for any of them to "cut up," but there are entertaining moments nonetheless.
Bottom Line: "Huff" won't appeal to all viewers. There's plenty of profanity, and a major character is a real sleezeball who loves being a sleezeball. Some of the devices seem overly derivative, since we've seen them now on shows like "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," but I'd have to say that in terms of overall quality and the strength of the writing, performances, and cinematography, "Huff" is in the same ballpark as those popular HBO shows. Maybe not as heavy a hitter, mind you, but it's certainly on the same playing field.
3) "Lipstick on Your Panties"—Fourteen-year-old Byrd makes the household come unglued when it's revealed he attended a blow-job party.
4) "Control"—When Huff's bipolar patient takes the witness stand, he expects the worst. Meanwhile, Beth gets into it with Izzy over privacy issues.
5) "Flashpants"—Huff's estranged father uses him to communicate with his mom, while Russell tries to sober up a high-profile TV-star client.
6) "Is She Dead?"—Russell's latest client is a girl he picked up at the liquor store. Meanwhile, Huff worries when he learns that Teddy, his schizophrenic brother, turned up missing on a field trip.
7) "That Fucking Cabin"—Huff keeps having dreams, and they're telling him to take a father-son camping trip with his father and son. Russell tries to detox while dealing with a volatile client.
8) "Cold Day in Shanghai"—Huff starts to have sexual fantasies, and not about his wife. Byrd, meanwhile, gets pressure to swipe drugs from his father, and Beth has her own run-in with the cops.
9) "Christmas is Ruined"—Beth's hypercompetitive sister and dying mother visit, and put a damper on the holidays.
10) "The Good Doctor"—Huff wrestles with temptation when a sexy young pharmaceutical rep seems willing to do anything to make a sale. Meanwhile, Beth discovers something unsettling in Izzy's closet.
11) "The Sample Closet"—Feeling guilty over his almost-infidelity, Huff gets overly defensive and suspects Beth of having an affair with a young client of hers.
12) "All the King's Horses"—Russell thinks he may have fathered a child while on ecstasy. Meanwhile, Huff and Beth grow farther apart as her mother comes to stay with them.
13) "Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up"—Is the psychiatrist sane? People wonder, when a series of events seems to point to the whole family being just a little "off."
Video: "Huff" is mastered in High Definition and it looks great in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are rich, and there's almost zero grain.
Audio: The audio is also quite good, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and closed captioning. As with the video quality, there's a fullness and richness to the sound. No complaints here.
Extras: The first season comes packaged on four discs in two clear keep-cases housed in a cardboard sleeve. Disc one features a commentary on the pilot episode by Lowry and director Winant, which is just a notch or two above average. They admit to never having done one of these before, but despite an awkward and slow start they get more comfortable as the episode progresses. It's fascinating to hear how they conceived of Russell as a blond stud, but bowed to Azaria's request that they consider Platt for the role. When the portly actor strode in, their jaws apparently dropped—though now they admit that he brings a dimension to the part that a pretty boy or hunk simply couldn't have. They also share the series bottom line: "Some people really don't start living until they realize they're dying." Huff feels fragile and suddenly mortal after the boy's suicide, and that, they say, is what makes him reevaluate his life and relationships and all his priorities. As for the "rainbow party" with blowjobs? "I heard it on Oprah," Lowry says. "I don´t make this stuff up." Rounding out disc one extras is a behind-the-therapy featurette in which Azaria mainly talks about Platt.
Disc two has another Lowry/Winant commentary on "Is She Dead?" that's again just slightly above average, plus three deleted scenes that are cobbled together. In two short features, the filmmakers talk about what it takes to make an artificial situation (with set and actors) real, while in another featurette we hear how they approached transitions and the show's visual style.
Disc three has a Lowry/Winant commentary for "Christmas is Ruined," and disc four has one for "Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up" that includes Azaria and Platt. With four of them talking, there's not as much freedom for any of them to "cut up," but there are entertaining moments nonetheless.
Bottom Line: "Huff" won't appeal to all viewers. There's plenty of profanity, and a major character is a real sleezeball who loves being a sleezeball. Some of the devices seem overly derivative, since we've seen them now on shows like "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," but I'd have to say that in terms of overall quality and the strength of the writing, performances, and cinematography, "Huff" is in the same ballpark as those popular HBO shows. Maybe not as heavy a hitter, mind you, but it's certainly on the same playing field.
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[release]18050[/release]