Review for Coach: Series 1 (UK)

Introduction

Craig T. Nelson had been quite successful by the time Coach hit the air in 1989, his performance as Steve Freeling (his signature role) in Poltergeist (and its sequel) earning him a small amount of stardom. Coach would introduce audiences to his second signature role in Hayden Fox.
Nelson is Hayden Fox, the head football coach at Minnesota State University who only hopes to get at least one good weekend. Jerry Van Dyke is Hayden's best friend and defensive coordinator Luther Van Dam, who is negative about pretty much everything from recruiting a player to buying a house. Bill Fagerbakke is Mike "Dauber" Dybinski, Hayden's young friend and assistant coach who's been a student for since he left high school. Shelley Fabares is Christine Armstrong, Hayden's girlfriend and a newscaster who doesn't feel quite the same way about football. Clare Carey is Kelly Fox, Hayden's daughter from a previous marriage, who's enrolled at the college, he hasn't seen in 16 years other than on her birthdays. Kris Kamm is Kelly's wimpy boyfriend who we hate just as much as Hayden does.
Make no mistake about it. There are many scenes without jokes of any kind, but where the jokes are, they're hilarious. Well-acted and well-written, Coach is a fun time in front of the TV for sure.

The show earns a 5/5

Video

Coach looks good enough. Skin tones are natural and colors are handled well in general with no signs of color bleed. Grain and video noise don't seem to be an issue and the transfer is reasonably sharp.

The video earns a 4/5.

Audio

Coach sounds good enough also. Dialogue is clear and natural at all times. Music sounds good when it is heard. Surround activity is not an issue.
The audio earns a 4/5.

Features

An episode of Season 2 (Homewreckers) is contained on disc 2. There is also a boring featurette completely unrelated to Coach.

The extras earn a 3.5/5

Conclusion

Coach is a crowd-pleaser for sure. Filled with memorable characters, the misadventures of Hayden Fox and friends are fun to watch, from the team's losing streak to Stuart's stupidity, and it only gets to be more fun with each season.
The video and audio are of good quality, while the extras are a little disappointing.

Overall, this release earns a 4.5/5.