Deadbeat Season 1 - Blu-ray

Content: Kevin Pacalioglu (Tyler Labine) has a very special gift: he can see the spirits of the dead and communicate with them. This could certainly make a lot of money if Kevin wasn't a perpetually stoned loser who is incredibly lazy and isn't big on responsibility and reliability. But the ghosts just won't leave him alone, because Kevin is their only chance to tie up loose ends and finally ascend to heaven. But one of them is a real thorn in Kevin's side: the successful medium Chamomile (Cat Deeley). She can't really communicate with spirits, but she knows how to sell herself perfectly. And someone who can really talk to the dead doesn't suit her at all. While Kevin helps many a soul to eternal peace, Chamomile does everything in his power to make his life a living hell...

Already in the series Reaper Tyler Labine had to deal with the spirits of the dead. Back then he had to help to transport them back to hell, but in Deadbeat he has to help the dead to deal with their unfinished business in order to finally ascend to heaven. The supernatural comedy series was commissioned by American video portal HULU. Elements from The Sixth Sense, Ghostbusters, Slacker - rumrunners and also Reaper make for mighty good fun, with Tyler Labine (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) proving to be perfect casting for the very special main character.

Like how Kevin has to help a deceased hot dog betting eater find the person who had his stomach implanted, or how he has to rid the boss of a fashion store with a morbid dislike of fat people of a dead would-be model, a many year long dispute between a husband and wife, who have killed each other, or whether the ghost of a soldier must possess him so that he can have sex at least once with his now extremely elderly mistress, then it is Labine's sympathetically cranky play that makes even the somewhat platitudinous gags extremely funny.

While not every punchline is spot on, and the effects certainly show the low budget HULU was able to provide. Nevertheless, Deadbeat can counteract such weaknesses with original ideas, a lot of charm and a good pinch of black humor. After just ten episodes of the first season, the feeling remains in the end that the series has not quite found its own tone and therefore lacks the final spark that makes an amusing comedy series a gag fireworks with cult potential. But entertaining and sometimes enormously funny entertainment offer the ten episodes of the first season all the time. Who liked Reaper and likes it also times a little more weird, which should risk here in any case times a look. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation of the Blu-ray is on a good to very good TV level. The image is clean, features punchy colors, and reveals good overall sharpness. Smaller details seem a bit washed out at times, but otherwise come across well. The sound is present as a pleasingly vibrant DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix in places, but with the dialogue generally dominating the proceedings. For a series on a relatively low budget, this is perfectly adequate, which is why the bottom line here is a more than satisfactory Good.

Extras: As a bonus, the disc has two standard promo features on offer alongside the trailer. These include a brief explanation of what the series is about (approx. 1:52 mins), and an introduction of the characters (approx. 4:57 mins). A bit lean.

Conclusion:Deadbeat is an amusing comedy-fantasy series with a wonderful lead actor and some truly original ideas. Although the series lacks the last igniting spark, but entertaining and sometimes enormously funny entertainment offer the ten episodes of the first season all the time. The Blu-ray presents the series in appealing picture and sound quality. The extras are meager, but also worth watching despite their brevity. If you like it a bit quirky, you should definitely grab this one. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp