With her winning smile and hilarious motor-mouthing Ellen DeGeneres rose from stand-up comedian beginnings to become a well-loved icon of good-natured fun. DeGeneres, however, first made a name for herself playing Ellen Mo... more »rgan, a neurotic bookseller who frequently and hysterically gets lost in the dating world originally aired as "These Friends of Mine". Now, fans old and new can catch all 11 episodes from Ellen?s debut season ? with two bonus "reclaimed" episodes ? a sure bet for de-generous laughs.« less
Danielle K. (kaniele85) from WALDPORT, OR Reviewed on 10/15/2010...
This season is very funny, with the possible exception of the "Holly" character who becomes aggravating to watch after the first few episodes. Overall, highly enjoyable, though slightly less "Homey" after the exit Maggie Wheeler's character "Anita". I will be hanging on to this season for a while.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
WHERE'S ELLEN?
Brett Heitkam | 12/08/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It seems every sitcom that was ever on TV ( and many that SHOULD NEVER have been on tv ), are on DVD...where's Ellen? No show has made me laugh ( though Ellen's successful talk show comes awfully close! ) so hard. Please, please, please release Ellen on DVD so I can finally discard the last of my worn out VHS tapes..my Ellen collection."
Excellent start to an excellent series!
Brett Heitkam | Lena, IL United States | 05/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ellen: The Complete Season One might as well be considered completely seperate from the rest of the series. When the first season originally aired, it was titled 'These Friends of Mine' and was much more Seinfeldish than it grew to be by the second, and especially third seasons. In the first season, Ellen has not come out of the closet yet (that is still 3 seasons away). It is kind of weird seeing her dating men, as you can totally see there is no chemistry there at all. Also, later series regulars Joely Fisher and Jeremy Piven have not yet joined the cast. There are two other female friends featured here that are inexplicably gone by the end of these 13 episodes and never return. Joely Fisher is then first introduced in the first episode of Season 2 with no explanation as well.
With that being said, even though there are major differences between this first season and the rest of the series, it is still a great, funny show. Ellen truly is a comedic genius and she works well with this first season cast (though I must say she has much better chemistry with the later casts). Amazon Marketplace has this set for sale pretty cheap; it's definitely worth a look, whether you are a current Ellen fan, or new to the series. The DVDs do not have many special features; there is a commentary or two (with Ellen herself conspicuously absent) and some biographies and that's about it. But you do get 13 pretty darn funny episodes! Highly recommended!"
Make my day!
Don Jones | Kansas City, Mo. USA | 12/22/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What a great sitcom. My VHS tapes are so worn that I am arfaid to play them anymore. The release of these DVD's would make 2004 a great year for those of us who appreciate a good laugh from a hilarious woman. PLEASE!!!!"
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don Jones | 01/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"PLEASE RELEASE THESE ON DVD!! I have become a HUGE ELLEN FAN after the release of FINDING NEMO. I only saw a VERY FEW of the episodes (which I taped when they were on at 1:00 a.m.!!!) Now they have stopped showing them all together and I REALLY would LOVE to see the rest of them!!PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Season One Is On Its Way!!
Don Jones | 07/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"According to the tvshowsondvd web site, A&E is releasing the first season of "Ellen" (aka "These Friends of Mine) on September 28th! It will include all 13 episodes produced for that first year, two of which didn't air until season three, AND feature audio commentary by Arye Gross and Holly Fulger on the pilot!
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"