Johnny Bravo - Season One

Released by: Warner Brothers
Relased on: 6/15/2010
Director: John MacIntyre
Cast: Seth McFarlane, Jeff Bennett
Year: 1997
Purchase From Amazon

The Series:

As the owner of the Australian 2007 release of the first season of Johnny Bravo, I was thrilled to hear the set was finally being released domestically. I was a huge fan of the series when it started in 1997 on Cartoon Network around the same time as other CN classic originals like The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory and Cow and Chicken. Even in my old age, I love cartoons. I remember vividly this nightly block which was a ritual for me. Cartoon Network has changed a lot since its debut, but back then, I watched it constantly. Nowadays, it's more kid-aimed, even at night, moving a lot of the shows I tuned in to over to their channel-child Boomerang. Johnny Bravo was my favorite CN original and still is. It possesses a fun mix of humor, weirdness, Elvis and pop culture that really wasn't common at the time. With the success of Bravo alumni, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, this long overdue series has finally made it to DVD. A whole series set would have been nice like CN did with The Powerpuff Girls, but honestly the first season really is the best of the bunch.

Included on this set are the thirteen original episodes from season one including:
Johnny Bravo- Johnny helps to find an escaped gorilla from the zoo.
Jungle Boy in “Mr. Monkeyman”- After being stranded in the jungle, Johnny accidentally hurts Jungle Boy and must escape the vengeance of the his animal friends.
Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women - Stuck on an island with ten foot tall super female babes isn't what Johnny hoped for!

Super Duped - Johnny becomes super hero Bravo-Man to impress Suzy's beautiful teacher.
Bungled in the Jungle - Another Jungle Boy episode.
Bearly Enough Time - After waking a hibernating grizzly, Johnny has twenty minutes to lull him back to sleep or he's lunch!

The Sensitive Male - This classic episode, a School House Rock parody, pairs Johnny up with a lady's man who will teach him how to get in touch with his feminine side.
Bravo Dooby Doo - After getting picked up on the side of the road by the Mystery Machine and the gang, they all head to Johnny's auntie's spooky old house where she's gone missing!

Date With an Antelope - Johnny hooks up with an antelope and then must battle her “crabby” ex-boyfriend.
Did You See a Bull Run By Here? - Johnny becomes a bullfighter. Ole!
Cookie Crisis - A personal favorite of mine in which Little Suzy tries to sell Johnny cookies a la Green Eggs and Ham… I would not eat them in a box… unless the fox was Courteney Cox.

I Used to Be Funny - Johnny must help two battling clowns fighting over who is funnier.
My Fair Dork - Johnny teaches a dorky minor how to pick up chicks… too well.
'Twas the Night - Johnny must assume to role of Santa to save Christmas!

Blarney Buddies - Mixing up the Blarney Stone and Barney Stone, Johnny kiss attempts are not greatly appreciated!
Over the Hump - Johnny is stranded again, this time in the desert, with a talking camel.
Johnny Bravo Meets Farrah Fawcett - After turning down an invitation, Johnny must find a way to attend Suzy's birthday party when he finds out Farrah Fawcett is Suzy's aunt!

Hip Hop Flop - The Round Pound is in the house and Johnny seeks to win the heart of a pretty fan by proving he's “down” and joining the band.
Talk to Me, Baby - Johnny makes a scene on the talk show of foxy host, Vendela.
Blanky Hanky Panky - Hero and detective Johny Bravo must find out where all the wool in Aron City has gone and who's stolen it!

Beach Blanket Bravo - Johnny tries to become “King of the Beach” in a surfing competition to impress another little lady. Whoa, mama.
The Day the Earth Didn't Move Around Too Much - Another favorite of mine… after seeing the blinking 12:00 on his VCR, Johnny is convinced time has frozen. Coincidentally still scenarios are further proof!
The Aisle of Mixed Up Toys - To please a hot chickie collecting toys for poor children, Johnny ventures down the aisle of defective toys with his dollar and runs into a slew of shady characters.

Sustitute Teacher - A criminal robbing Johnny's karate dojo convinces Johnny he's merely a substitute teacher.
Wolf in Chick's Clothing - Johnny's finally found the perfect girl… only to find out she's really a werewolf.
Insensitive Care - Johnny visits Suzy in the hospital and falls for her beautiful nurse.

Jumbo Johnny - Johnny OD's on “Uber Mass”, a bodybuilding weight gain supplement, in an attempt to get six weeks worth of results in one dose.
The Perfect Gift - Johnny needs to find a way to make money so he can buy his mama the perfect Mother's Day gift.
Bravo, James Bravo - Stuck together, Johnny and Jane, have to capture Dr. Pencilneck and bring him to justice to get themselves back to normal.

Going Batty - A sexy vampire uses Johnny to make her boyfriend jealous.
Berry the Butler - Johnny's mama, Bunny, wins a butler-for-a-day contest and Johnny takes full advantage.
Red Faced in the White House - Johnny dating the President's daughter is cause for alarm!

The Man Who Cried Clown - A parody of the “Nightmare at 20000 Feet” episode of The Twilight Zone.
Johnny Real Good - A parody of the “It's a Good Life” episode of TTZ.
Little Talky Tabitha - A parody of the “The Living Doll” episode of tTTZ.

Johnny Meets Adam West - Adam must help Johnny find his missing mama.
Johnny Meets Donny Osmond - Bunny decides Johnny needs a nanny and not just any nanny!
Under the Big Flop - Johnny takes Suzy to the circus and must take on the evil Vivian Vixen to free Jungle Boy who is under her mind control.

Audio/Video/Extras:

This set includes the show's original mono audio track.

Johnny Bravo - Season One is presented in its original full frame format. Not much needed to be done for a series a little over ten years old, so video quality is what it was when it was televised. English subtitles are included for episodes when viewed in normal non-commentary mode. Extras do not offer subtitles.

Included on this set are commentaries for three full episodes (Johnny Bravo/Jungle Boy in “Mr. Monkeyman”/Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women, The Sensitive Male/Bravo Dooby-Doo and Johnny Meets Adam West/Johnny Meets Donny Osmond/Under the Big Flop). Taking part on some or all commentaries are series creator, Van Partible; the voice of Johnny Bravo, Jeff Bennett; episode contributors Butch Hartman and John McIntyre; episode producer Kara Vallow; and the voice of little Suzy, Mae Whitman.

Other extras are Bringing Up Johnny Bravo, a widescreen featurette documentary on the origins of Johnny Bravo containing interviews with Van Partible, Butch Hartman, John McIntyre and Jeff Bennett. Seth McFarlane and his success are discussed as is the phenomena of the character of Johnny Bravo and his worldwide appeal. A temp track for The Sensitive Male with songs by Seth McFarlane and pencil tests for “Johnny Bravo” and “Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women” with intro by Van Partible round out the special features on this two-disc set.

The Final Word:

Johnny Bravo - Season One is a lot of fun. It is a step up from the Australian release which was bare bones. Even as an original fan of the show, I learned a lot from Bringing Up Johnny Bravo, and found the commentaries insightful and less obtrusive than some, not being a real fan of commentaries to begin with. As they should be, they were light and non-pretentious. American fans should be happy to finally have this available domestically and new fans can appreciate the show this time around. Johnny Bravo will appeal to new and old cartoon fans alike. Season one is all that… and a bag of chips.