Wilfred: Complete Series 1 & 2

By now Wilfred�s simple yet decidedly effective premise will be familiar to most, especially with a US remake starring Elijah Wood having kicked off in the States earlier this year.  It�s fairly neatly evinced in the series� tagline: One Man. One Woman. And a bong smoking dog who thinks he�s human. 

The chap in the titular dog suit is writer Jason Gann, formerly best known for his work on comedy program The Wedge, and he proves a master of the deadpan as he growls his way from one howlingly funny line to the next.  Also putting in a deft turn is co-writer Adam Zwar as the hapless love interest of Sarah (Cindy Waddingham, I Love You Man), Wilfred�s beautiful owner.  Together the trio careen through life as the world�s most dysfunctional love triangle, searching for something pure in an increasingly chaotic world, or in Wilfred�s case eating pizza, smoking his homemade bong, watching DVDs, �rooting�, and trying to get rid of the increasingly annoying Adam once and for all. 

Wilfred is an endlessly enjoyable series, and it�s difficult not to be instantly charmed by its easygoing appeal.  The premise is expertly played for laughs without being mined completely dry, and both seasons contain a near-perfect mix of clever writing and spot-on performances, bolstered by a number of excellent cameos (for my money the best is Stephen Curry as a giant talking cockatoo � I must�ve watched that scene fifteen times, sad as it may sound).  Wilfred even manages to find himself a love interest in the unlikely form of a feisty neighbourhood feline (played by Kestie Morassi, Wolf Creek) and flirts with fame as the star of a TV commercial (�Dog Star�, Series 2).  This is off-kilter and occasionally off-colour comedy at its finest, and one of the most daring and memorable Australian sitcoms of the past decade. 

Audio & Video

No glossy, sissified HD here.  The 16:9 transfer is quite grainy, particularly during the first season � the pilot is especially gritty.  Picture quality tidies up nicely as the series progresses however, and at the end of the day Wilfred looks better a little rough around the edges.  Both seasons features two-channel audio, which though a little rudimentary also proves perfectly acceptable � again, a big fancily immersive sound mix would be surplus to requirements, and the soundtrack on offer is more than up to the job at hand. 

Special Features

The four disc �Dog Box� doesn�t contain anything new in the way of bonus features, merely housing the previously released editions of Seasons 1 and 2 in the aforementioned cardboard receptacle.  That said there�s plenty on offer in the bonus features department, some two hours worth, including a Making Of, Outtakes and Blooper Reels for both seasons, Behind the Scenes footage, trailers, �Wilfred Bites� and much more.