All Rise...

I don't know what I've been told, but Judge Jason Panella smells like mold.

The Charge

A promising recruit removed from active duty.

The Case

Well, here's another one for the "Nice work, Fox!" file. Enlisted was doomed to fail from the get-go: it was a mid-season replacement debuting on a terrible night in a terrible time slot. Plus, the episodes were aired out of order. The show didn't even last until its 13-episode run was complete. This isn't the first (or hundredth) time this has happened, but Enlisted was a better-than-average show right out of the game, which makes it sting a little more.

The comedy stars Geoff Stults (7th Heaven) as Sgt. Pete Hill, an exceptionally skilled soldier sent home from his tour in Afghanistan for assaulting a superior officer. Sgt. Hill's new assignment: heading up a particularly dysfunctional unit of rear detachment soldiers at Fort McGee, in Florida. Surprise, surprise—also stationed there are Pete's younger brothers Derrick (Chris Lowell, Veronica Mars) and Randy (Parker Young, Suburgatory). This role adjustment is an endless source of frustration for Hill, but mainly because Pete's brothers are endlessly frustrating.

Enlisted was created by Kevin Biegel, who honed his writing chops on Scrubs and South Park before making the cult hit Cougar Town with Bill Lawrence. Biegel's pedigree might have something to do with how self-assured Enlisted is from the pilot on—this is a show that knows what it wants to do and does it well, with very few tweaks happening throughout the season. That doesn't mean the show is stagnant in its development, though; the writing gets tighter as the season progresses, with the final string of episodes standing as an impressive achievement for a show in its first year.

Much of the show's enjoyment stems from the relationship between the three brothers and how the actors handle the material. Pete is the egotistical older brother, whose intelligence and drive are evened out by naive belief that everyone loves him. Derrick is the smarmy and unmotivated middle brother, with just enough of a heart to get himself into trouble. Randy is the youngest, with an endless supply of energy and no good way to put it into use (non-stop headstands in the local bar don't count). Stults, Lowell, and Young have amazing sibling chemistry, and—for as goofy as Enlisted is—the show doesn't hesitate to plumb the depths of their relationship. While on screen, the three actors feel like actual siblings with their squabbling and concern for one another. This isn't faint praise.

The show also isn't afraid to dig into some really serious topics, including the effects of PTSD on a character and the ethics of drone warfare. I think it's difficult for comedies, especially when confined by a major network's limitations, to deal with particularly tough issues; Enlisted manages to not only be honest about these things, but to keep the jokes coming without being tacky or sentimental.

This is still a comedy through and through, with a sort of manic absurdity that falls on the Community side of the spectrum. The Hill brothers are unit members with some absolutely crazy people, all of whom are interesting inversions of standard sitcom archetypes. The show also uses its other two leads well: Sgt. Major Cody (the always great Keith David, They Live) and Sgt. Jill Perez (Angelique Cabral, Friends With Benefits). In another comedy, these two would've been the straight-man and the love interest, but Biegel again turns those models on their heads to come up with some really refreshing characters.

There are a few problems. Some episodes, especially in the middle stretch, have a wider joke-to-laugh ratio than beginning and end run. They're still enjoyable, but a noticeable notch or two down from the best episodes of the season. The biggest problem, though, is in how Fox aired the episodes, something that wasn't corrected in this DVD release. After the pilot, the network decided to skip the intended order and instead run the episodes in (what they felt) was the best order. As a result, the small bits of subplot that connect the episodes are ruined. It doesn't kill the show, by any means, but it still is jarring to see characters come and go with no explanation, and some long-term gags don't come across well.

Enlisted: The Complete First Season features all thirteen episodes on two discs. Each episodes runs around 20 minutes in length. This release is about as frill-less as you get. The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer isn't a Dear John letter to viewers, but it's not exactly stellar either. It's a network sitcom, so outstanding visuals aren't a high priority. Still, colors are relatively solid, contrast could be worse, and I didn't notice any artifacts or noise. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track ranks a little higher—sounds are clear, there's decent use of the different channels, and dialogue is (thankfully) clear, especially with the lack of any subtitles. Speaking of "lack," there are no extras.

Fox's release of Enlisted feels like a contract fulfillment more than anything else, which is a shame. This was a fine comedy, and worth checking out despite the tossed-off quality of the home video release.

The Verdict

Not guilty, sir!

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