“Peyton Place: Part One” DVD Review

• Release Date: May 19, 2009
• Publisher: Shout Factory
• Price: $31.99 on Amazon.com (Buy It)
• Rating: Not Rated
• Run Time: 810 minutes
• Special Features: None
• Starring: Mia Farrow, Dorothy Malone, Ryan O’Neal, Barbara Parkins
• Genre: Drama

I have been very impressed with Shout Factory’s releases this year but “Peyton Place” is definitely the company’s biggest risk yet. Since this was prime-time’s first ever show to air on multiple nights of the week and throughout the entire year, there are 514 episodes. If Shout Factory continues to release the show in 30+ episode volumes, it will take almost twenty DVD sets to complete the run. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they took the risk since I enjoyed this first volume and look forward to future sets. It’s just a risky idea that no other company would even consider. Making things even better, Shout Factory has already announced that part two is coming in July. Let’s hope they continue the series after that since this is a very good show.

If you’ve never heard of “Peyton Place” (I didn’t before this set was announced), it was a groundbreaking drama for many reasons. First of all, it was the first ever show to take daytime scheduling to prime-time. It aired twice a week during most of its run and never stopped for repeats even during the summer. In addition, it pushed the boundaries of TV during its time with stories involving affairs, teen pregnancy, and mental illness. The show was a soap opera so it mostly focused on the relationships between the residents of a New England village called Peyton Place.

If you read my blog often, you probably know that I prefer newer shows over older ones since I’m in my early 20’s and obviously identify more with those shows. However, I really enjoyed “Peyton Place” and I think most viewers will as well. The show is very well written and acted and while some of the stories are a little outdated, they are still usually entertaining. Overall, the show is very good and I’m glad Shout Factory has made it available to people who were never able to see it air live.

I didn’t expect much in the visual department but after watching the DVDs, I can’t believe the show aired in 1964. The transfers are very, very good with little grain or other artifacts. Some of the later episodes are a bit worse than the earlier ones but I don’t think anyone will complain about the work Shout Factory did with the transfers. On the down side, no extras are included in this collection. That isn’t a huge deal since I didn’t really expect a 45-year-old show to have a whole lot of extra footage or interviews lying around.

Shout Factory has another winner with “Peyton Place: Part One.” Let’s just hope they continue releasing the series after part two. Highly recommended.