Release Date: March 11th, 2008
Running Time: 5 hours

The Show

There was a period in the 1990s when Lucasarts dominated the computer gaming world with their hilarious point-and-click adventure titles using the SCUMM engine. Games such as Day of the Tentacle, The Dig, and Full Throttle featured superb animation, quality voice work, and unforgettable characters. After playing through hit after hit, one game was always my favorite: Sam & Max Hit The Road. A detective team consisting of a six-foot tall anthropomorphic dog and a “hyperkinetic rabbity-thing,” their misadventures were the perfect combination of entertainment and addicting gameplay.

While my first experience with the pair was through the game, they also became famous through an underground comic strip. Sam & Max: Freelance Police capitalized on the success of the comic and game to create an animated series. It is a very accurate realization of the comic, which is both mind-blowing and incredibly disjointed. Sam & Max exists and live on chaos, randomness, and nonsense. Don’t try to make heads or tails of the plots, just roll with the punches. The jokes and visual gags explode at you non-stop, making it as much a sensory experience as one of actual storytelling.

Sam & Max are a somewhat inept detective team that find themselves in the most bizarre cases you can imagine, such as a refrigerator that has gained a mind of its own and eaten three repairmen. Sam’s old-school, 1950s detective look is complemented with Max’s ultra-hyper, off-the-walls personality and penchant for violence. They throw reason to the wind and dive headfirst into any situation.

Honestly, to me the cases don’t even matter. Watching Sam & Max interact is what I’ve always enjoyed. Place them in a situation, no matter how insane, and laughs will result. Having said that, because the videogame was my first introduction to the characters, the voices felt a bit off in the show. In the game Sam has a very Bogart-style voice and Max feels a bit more New Yorker. The tone in the show is similar, but I favor the voice work of the original game. I’m sure all fans of the franchise have their favorite version of the team; I’m just happy to have more of their adventures, no matter what the format.

The 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes from the Complete Series:

Disc One has: “The Thing That Wouldn’t Stop It,” “The Second Show Ever/Max’s Big Day,” “Bad Day On The Moon/They Came From Down There,” “The Friend For Life/Dysfunction of the Gods,” “Big Trouble At The Earth’s Core/A Glitch In Time,” “That Darn Gator/We Drop At Dawn,” and “Christmas, Bloody Christmas/It’s Dangly Deever Time.”

Disc Two has: “Aaiiieee, Robot/The Glazed McGuffin Affair,” “The Tell Tale Tail/The Trouble With Gary,” “Tonight We Love/The Invaders,” “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang/Little Bigfoot,” “Fools Die On Friday/Sam & Max vs. the Uglions” and “The Final Episode.”

Disc Three contains special features.

The DVD

The video is presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame. Stylish colors pop off the screen though the quality is somewhat hampered with grain and some minor moments of aliasing in the animation. For a ten-year-old show, however, it doesn’t look that bad.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital Stereo. The mix is standard TV stuff with almost everything pumping from the center channel. The mix is balanced though, ensuring you won’t miss one of Max’s witticisms.

The Extras

The special features are housed on Disc Three.

“A Comic-Conversation with Steve Purcell” is a fantastic interview that sheds light on the underground franchise.

‘Sam & Max: Our Bewildering Universe” is an all-new animated by Purcell but could have used some more finishing touches.

“Telling The Tale of Telltale Games” features interviews with people involved in the current videogame iteration of the franchise. A demo of the game is offered as well.

Also offered is concept art, the original series “bible” that documents the though process behind the series, and three more animated shorts.

Final Thoughts

Sam & Max Freelance Police is so outlandish, so inane that it will likely only appeal to the Adult Swim crowd or fans of the franchise. However, if you are a newcomer give the duo a chance and I guarantee they will make you laugh.