If you are looking for a fun, clever and entertaining drama medical/investigative series, definitely give “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” a chance!
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DVD TITLE: Body of Proof: The Complete First Season
SERIES DATE: 2011
DURATION: 9 Episodes (387 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Spanish and French Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions
COMPANY: abc studios
RATED: TV 14 DSLV
RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2011
Directed by Nelson McCormick, Christine Moore
Written by Christopher Murphey
Produced by Jim Klever-Weis, Bryan Oh
Co-Producer: Paul Gadd
Supervising Producer: Diane Ademu-John
Executive Producer: Matthew Gross, Christopher Murphey, Sunil Nayar
Co-Executive Producer: Corey D. Miller, Richard Heus, Andrew Dettmann
Music by Daniel Licht
Cinematography by Patrick Cady
Edited by Jennifer Pulver, Lynn Willingham, Randy Jon Morgan
Casting by Rosalie Joseph
Production Design by Steven Wolff
Art Direction by Jeremy Woodward, E. David Cosier, Gina B. Cranham
Costume Design by Roberta Haze
Starring:
Dana Delany as Megan Hunt
Jeri Ryan as Kate Murphy
John Carroll Lynch as Bud Morris
Nicholas Bishop as Petr Dunlop
Sonja John as Samantha Baker
Geoffrey Arend as Ethan Gross
Windell Middlebrooks as Curtis Brumfield
Suzanne Gillies as Medical Investigator
Kent R. Williams as Officer Steave
Billy “V” Vigeant as Officer Watkins
Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming
Jeffrey Nordling as Todd Fleming
Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) was second to none — a brilliant neurosurgeon in a class all her own — but when her lifesaving gift is destroyed in a career-ending car accident, she reinvents herself as a medical examiner. Armed with keen instincts and vast medical knowledge, Dr. Hunt uses the victim‘s bodies to tell the story of their lives and untimely death. The first season of this hit new series allows fans to relive the twists and turns of each case as Hunt seeks justice for every victim while also embarking on a journey of personal redemption.
From writer and producer Christopher Murphey comes a new ABC medical drama titled “Body of Proof” which made its debut on March 2011 replacing a canceled drama series. With a short nine episode first season, the drama series was renewed for a second season and garnered positive reviews around the world where it has aired.
“Body of Proof” is a series that centers on Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon who was a workaholic but was also away from her family which led to a divorce and losing custody of her daughter Mary.
One day, while trying to talk on her cell phone, she got into a car accident and now she doesn’t have full control of her hands to do surgery and thus ended her career as a neurosurgeon.
So, now Dr. Hunt works as a medical examiner and is trying to establish a relationship with her daughter but also assists Detectives Bud Morris and Samantha Becker on their criminal cases along with her partner Nicholas Bishop, a former police officer now medico-legal investigator.
The characters of “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” include:
Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany, “Desperate Housewives”, “Castle”, “Kidnapped”) – A former neurosurgeon now medical examiner who was a dedicated, brilliant neurosurgeon but broke her marriage and prevented a true relationship with her daughter which was followed by a life-changing car accident which ended her career. Now, a medical examiner, she uses her knowledge and investigative instincts to help police solve cases. She’s not very sociable, doesn’t have any friends due to being a workaholic.
Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away, “Walking on Water”) – A former police officer and now a medico-legal investigator. A partner to Dr. Megan Hunt assisting her on medical cases.
Dr. Kate Murphy (Jerry Ryan, “Star Trek: Voyager”, “Down with Love”, “Shark”, “Boston Public”) – The chief medical examiner and forensic anthropologist. Always concerned with the work budget, as Megan’s superior and the first female chief medical examiner in Philadelphia, she is sometimes at odds with Dr. Megan Hunt.
Detective Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch, “Zodiac”, “Gran Torino”, “Shutter Island”) – A hardheaded homicide detective. Despite having personal problems due to a failing marriage, he does his best to solve his cases but often he and Dr. Megan Hunt are at odds when she oversteps her boundaries.
Detective Samantha Baker (Sonja John, “The Wire”, “Bringing out the Dead”, “Shaft”) – A partner of Detective Bud Morris and a person who respects Dr. Megan Hunt for being straightforward.
Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend, “(500) Days of Summer”, “Garden State”) – The young and enthusiastic fellow medical examiner.
Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Windell Middlebrooks, “Miss March”, “Enlightened”) – A former chief resident at Seattle Grace Hospital and an orthopedic surgeon. Was married with Dr. George O’Malley. Later, she has a sexual relationship with Dr. Mark Sloan (in order to prove to herself that she is heterosexual) but is now starting to understand her feelings that she is a lesbian and exploring her relationship with Dr. Arizona Robbins.
Todd Fleming (Jeffrey Nordling, “Flight 93”, “Tron: Legacy”, “Once and Again”) – The estranged husband of Dr. Megan Hunt.
Lacey Fleming (Mary Matilyn Mouser, “Bride Wars”, “Son of the Mask”) – The estranged daughter of Dr. Megan Hunt.
“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” features 9 episodes on two discs. Here is a basic summary of each episode (Spoilerless summaries):
DISC: 1
- EPISODE 1 – Pilot – Detectives work with a passionate medical examiner named Dr. Megan Hunt, but with her wanting to catch the killer of a young woman, they quickly learn that the medical examiner may tend to break her boundaries. Meanwhile, Hunt tries to re-establish a relationship with her estranged daughter.
- EPISODE 2 – Letting Go – Dr. Megan Hunt helps detectives with a murder case involving an interracial couple.
- EPISODE 3 – Helping Hand – Dr. Megan Hunt tries to find out how and who murdered a woman found in a hotel. Meanwhile, Megan tries to make friends by taking an interest in the lives of her co-workers.
- EPISODE 4 – Talking Heads – Dr. Megan Hunt works on a case involving a homeless man who was dismembered. Meanwhile, Dr. Megan Hunt’s daughter chooses her mother as a her video project.
- EPISODE 5 – Dead Man Walking – Dr. Megan Hunt investigates a patients death at the hospital she once worked at. Special guest stars: Christina Hendricks and Marc Blucas. Meanwhile, Ethan and Curtis work on a case.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 6 – Society Hill – Dr. Megan Hunt tries to find out who killed a magazine editor, meanwhile she accepts an invitation to one of her mother’s social events.
- EPISODE 7 – All in the Family – A stay-at-home dad is found murdered in his home in a quiet neighborhood in the Philadelphia suburbs. Dr. Hunt tries to find out who killed her. Meanwhile Kate works on a pro bono case with Megan’s ex-husband.
- EPISODE 8 – Buried Secrets – A homicide detective is found dead and Dr. Megan Hunt tries to help detectives find out who killed her.
- EPISODE 9 – Broken Home – When a socialite is found dead, Dr. Megan Hunt feels that she may have been killed but her personal life is starting to interfere with the investigation.
VIDEO:
“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Â This is one of the few drama series on television where a lot of the scenes are shot outdoors, to there is good natural lighting and the series does look good on DVD. Â I didn’t see any major noise or compression artifacts. For the most part, the seventh season does look very good on DVD.
AUDIO:
As for audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the series is primarily dialogue and music driven. Dialogue is clear and understandable, while the music has always played a major part for the series and definitely enhances certain scenes. Did notice the surround used in scenes with cutting of flesh (during surgery) which was quite clear. There are a few mild action sequences but for the most part, this is a dialogue-driven drama series.
The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” includes the following special features:
- Examining the Proof – (10:21)Â Cast, crew and creators discuss the fascinating elements that go into making death look real with the help of research and a team of medical advisors.
- If Looks Could Kill – (5:33) From Dr. Megan Hunt‘s high heels to Curtis and Ethan‘s scrubs and wardrobe, go behind-the-scenes with costume designer Roberta Haze as she dresses the actors and creates looks that kill!
- Body of Goofs – (3:40) “Body of Proof” first season outtakes.
- New Evidence: A Sneak Peek at Season 2 – (:46) Short sneak peak for season 2.
DISC 2:
- Normal & Extended episode of “Episode 144 – Song Beneath the Song” – This extended episode (48:01) and the normal episode (44:01) are featured on disc 5.
EXTRAS:
“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” comes with a slip cover case.
So far, with the first season of “Body of Proof”, the characters and the overall premise of the series is very good and entertaining.
It’s a mix of a medical and police drama series…not to say it’s “Grey’s Anatomy” meets “Castle” kind of hybrid series but you have the medical side and then a medical examiner who tends to overstep the boundaries during a police investigation once in awhile.
But the series does make things different in the fact that the main character, Dr. Megan Hunt, while a talented medical examiner and former neurosurgeon, she’s flawed when it comes to things outside of her career.  She realizes what she lost when she lost and that is a failed marriage and a teenage daughter and a husband who are estranged.
You can tell that she buries herself in work to avoid social interaction or to avoid the pain of losing her family but whether or not she likes it, her co-workers are her support, trying to get her out of this funk and make her more sociable but also giving her that extra push for her to have that relationship with her daughter.
Dana Delaney does a spectacular job of playing the character who has confidence when it comes to her job but also her personality flaws when it comes to the more emotional and social aspects of her life. And speaking of Delaney, I definitely love this character role since she played Nurse Colleen McMurphy on “China Beach” back in 1988-1991. A strong character role, intelligent but yet not perfect…just a human being who works hard at her job but also has her own personal issues that she has to deal with.
What I like about this is that many professionals I know are like that. They put in a lot of hours in the office and deep inside, they know they should be with family but because of their dedication for the greater good of saving lives… it’s a difficult choice and lifestyle which is rarely focused in a drama series.
I have to admit that at first, I thought this was going to be a reversed-“Castle” type series where Dr. Hunt would be overstepping the boundaries of her job during the police questioning of a potential suspect but I’m glad that it’s not that type of drama series and that the writers are trying to do something difference. Also, I like the fact that the other supporting cast were being utilized much more earlier in the series.
While the series has gained critical praise, one thing that I do find the series a bit problematic is its criminal cases are predictable. If anything, we are a bit spoiled in this day and age with many police or investigative series that really make you wonder “who did it?”, “Body of Proof” is not exactly challenging the viewer as much. But it’s only the first season and it’ll be interesting to see how the writers improve in season two.
As for the DVD release, you do get nine episodes and special features and of course, the series is sold at a cheaper price because of the shorter season. But overall, it’s a solid series. I just hope that the writers don’t make Dr. Hunt too sociable (ala similar to Delaney’s role in “Desperate Housewives”) and to not have Dr. Hunt or Nicholas Bishop hook up. There is a lot of exploring and potential for these characters but it’s all about how they are utilized in each episode. Especially with Dr. Ethan Gross and Dr. Curtis Brumfield, who are being used in season one for more comedic sake, would like to see them in more deeper, darker or dramatic scenes than just being used for comedy sake.
Overall, so far, so good for “Body of Proof” and how things have played out this first season. But we’ll see how things go for season two!
If you are looking for a fun, clever and entertaining drama medical/investigative series, definitely give “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” a chance!
