Of all the DVD releases of shows that didn't last through a first season run that have (bizarrely, I think) come along in the last year, no show actually deserves the treatment more than Day Break. Not that the somewhat odd, sci-fi effort starring Taye Diggs is the best show you've ever seen, but it's a really fun thriller full of twists and turns, and the seven episodes that never made it to air actually pull the thing together to a conclusion.
If you missed it completely, Day Break finds Detective Brett Hopper in a really bad day, and unable to get out of it. Accused of shooting state attorney Alberto Garza, Hopper soon learns he's being framed, and his alibi isn't going to help him any. He runs, and when things don't work out... he wakes up (ala Groundhog Day) to start the day again, with the memories (and scars) of what didn't work on his last try.
Despite a pretty big marketing push, ABC wasn't getting the numbers it wanted, and I suspect this may be because so much emphasis in that marketing tried to hammer home the mere fact of the sci-fi premise. Possibly a point of interest to some, the quirky idea could easily turn off many more, and quite a few who I suspect would have liked the actual result.
Leaving the general premise aside, the show is directed rather masterfully by Rob Bowman (The X-Files, Castle) and written with a lot more depth and intelligence by Paul Zbyszewski (LOST, After the Sunset) than people are apt to assume. There's a lot going on, and though it plays out in a way which is far to the action/thriller side, the play behind the play is an interesting dance of what one wants to do vs. what one ought to do.
The DVD release includes interviews with the cast and crew, some behind-the-scenes footage, and 15 commentary tracks for the 13 episodes featuring Taye Diggs, Moon Bloodgood, Adam Baldwin, Paul Zbyszewski, and many more.
Own it on DVD today!
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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