I have to confess, when 3rd Rock From The Sun was on the air, a great fan of the show I was not.

In fact, I kinda hated it. Like, a lot.

So with that bias up front and out in the open, I can safely say that objectively speaking, 3rd Rock fans should be nothing short of delighted with all the cool junk packed into this set, which collects all 27 (!) episodes of the show’s third season. Hours and hours (and hours and hours) of content make this a helluva bang for your buck.

Unless, like me, you really dislike the show, in which case the 600 minutes of 3rd Rock From The Sun presented here will be an especially cruel form of torture.

If you don’t know the gist of the show, it is this: Four alien military men are trapped on Earth in the bodies of human beings. Totally inept and completely lacking an understanding of humanity, they fumble and bumble their way through life, trying to keep up the charade so no one knows they are aliens. It’s a charade hard to maintain, of course, because their fish-out-of-water cluelessness impacts everything they do, from the innocuous to the sexual. The whole alien hook is really just an excuse to have four wacky people do wacky things (along with plenty of wink, winks, nudge, nudges to the audience). If that’s your thing, you probably know and like the show. After all, while it’s totally formula, it’s formula played well enough so that the show was a solid hit for a few seasons. Everyday situations turned into wacky antics, etc., etc. Not my bag, but for fans, hilarious.

And someone had to be a fan, as this season was nominated for eight Emmy Awards.

Holy …!

I won’t lie and claim I find this funny. I don’t. For me, the running gag gets old fast - real fast – and the wacky characters are entirely unlikable. Yes, I know they’re supposed to be goofball aliens, but ironically enough, a dash of humanity would have worked wonders here.

But maybe that’s exactly what was going on here in Season 3, because this set is rife with episodes that attempt to humanize these wonky aliens and to comment, in its own offbeat way, on what people are really like when viewed from the outside. I can’t claim it was enough to turn me into a fan, but the effort is respectable. I still hate this show on wheels, but not for lack of trying.

And really, it’s not as if this set is directed towards me, anyway. It’s directed to the fans, and frankly I was pretty damn impressed with the quality here. It’s jam-freakin’-packed with stuff, and the overall presentation is very much in keeping with the spirit of the series. I wish my favorite shows got treatment this good. The actual content of the show aside, there is nothing not to like here. Anchor Bay went all out, it shows, and fans of 3rd Rock From The Sun will love them for it.

Not me. I still hate the show. But fans? They’re going to eat this up.

Presentation 
Given Anchor Bay’s track record, it should come as no surprise that everything is pretty top-notch as far as presentation goes. The show didn’t look this good even when it was first on the air. A sharp, clear picture throughout. Honestly, fans will be nothing but pleased. As far as presentation goes, one of the better TV-on-DVD sets out there.

Extras 
Wow, yeah, this is jam-packed. The big, brutish packaging (well designed, I might add) boasts a useless press-the-button-and-it-talks thingee and a really well done and admittedly very funny 16-page booklet with gags, jokes and an episode guide.

And then you hit the discs. A nice two-fer on the Harry character in a French Stewart interview and highlights from the character get you off to a nice start. Not essential viewing, but a nice extra nonetheless. A blooper reel is just what you’d expect, and yes, it’s pretty funny. Interviews with the cast are on hand, giving fans a bit more watching value for their money, and there are the tried and true audio commentaries far too many TV-on-DVD sets neglect. I didn’t listen to the full slate of commentaries, but what I cued up sounded very worthwhile – sometimes informative, sometimes funny, and always extending the entertainment value.

Finally, things are rounded out with a smattering of TV Spots, highlights from the season, and other odds and ends. It’s a nicely complete package that is genuinely better than most TV-on-DVD sets on the market. The fanbase must be larger than I gave this show credit for to warrant such a robust release.

The Bottom Line 
No, I never much liked this show, and in fact thought it terribly stupid. And no, this DVD release of Season 3 didn’t change my mind. But I can’t let my own bias get in the way of admitting that this TV-on-DVD release is pretty excellent, sure to wow fans with all its goodies. Retailing at around $40 and available from some online retailers for under $25 (see our Amazon link above), you’re getting more than 10 hours of material here. Ten hours! I’m no fan of this show and hope to never see even a minute of it again, but I wouldn’t hesitate to tell people who are fans to take a look at this set. It’s a great bang for your buck.