Chaos, Cubicles, and Cleveland

Read Time:6 Minute, 1 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
The Drew Carey Show: The Complete Series*
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Genre: Sitcom, Comedy
Year Released: 1995-2004
Runtime: 86h
Created by: Drew Carey, Bruce Helford
Cast: Drew Carey, Diedrich Bader, Christa Miller, Ryan Stiles, Kathy Kinney, Craig Ferguson, John Carroll Lynch, Cynthia Watros
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: For those who remember when network sitcoms didn’t take themselves too seriously, THE DREW CAREY SHOW was a glorious beacon of working-class chaos. A staple of ABC’s comedy lineup from 1995 to 2004, the series ran for nine seasons, pushing boundaries while maintaining its core identity. Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment delivers the long-awaited Complete Series collection on DVD. While the phrase “complete” comes with an asterisk, it’s still a solid tribute to one of the quirkiest sitcoms ever aired.

This new release arrives timed to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary. For longtime fans who watched week after week as Drew tried to navigate his love life, outsmart his nemesis Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and keep his sanity amid escalating absurdity, this is a welcome trip back to a TV era when weirdness wasn’t just tolerated—it was embraced. And for newcomers curious to explore a sitcom that wasn’t afraid to throw in a random musical number or build an entire episode around a dance battle? There’s no better starting point.

The premise is simple enough: Drew Carey plays a fictionalized version of himself, a middle-management employee at a department store in Cleveland, Ohio. But the show quickly outgrows its basic structure. What starts as a workplace comedy soon morphs into something wilder and more surreal, almost sketch-like in places. From live episodes and drag contests to music-filled fantasy sequences, it becomes clear that the writers, much like the cast, were having the time of their lives.

The ensemble is a major part of why the show still works decades later. Diedrich Bader’s Oswald and Ryan Stiles’ Lewis serve as Drew’s eccentric best friends, and their dynamic never gets old. Each episode finds them entangled in schemes, failed jobs, or elaborate pranks that escalate far beyond the realm of office antics. Christa Miller’s Kate, a childhood friend and romantic possibility for Drew, offers grounded sarcasm and subtle texture amid the lunacy. And then there’s Kinney as Mimi Bobeck: Drew’s nemesis, dressed like a human birthday cake with enough eye shadow to be seen from space. Their feud became iconic, and Kinney’s performance remains a comedy highlight.

Later additions like Craig Ferguson as Mr. Wick and Cynthia Watros as Kellie kept things from getting stale. Ferguson’s British uptightness clashed hilariously with Drew’s down-to-earth attitude. Ferguson, in particular, brought a completely different energy that helped the later seasons maintain their unpredictability, even as the series became more serialized and occasionally leaned into soap opera-style arcs.

This DVD set boasts approximately 86 hours of content spread across nine seasons. The real treat is having every regular episode, minus a few specials, in one place. For a series that’s been notoriously hard to find on physical media, this release finally gives the show a second life for collectors and newcomers alike.

That said, one major catch: the box set does not include four special episodes—Drew’s Dance Party Special, Drew Carey’s Back-to-School Rock ‘n’ Roll Comedy Hour Parts 1 and 2, and What’s Love Got to Do with It? These weren’t just filler segments, but the series' identity. The musical specials, in particular, helped define the show’s voice and attitude. Their absence is disappointing, especially given how hard it’s been to access those episodes elsewhere.

There’s also the issue of music rights. Like many shows from the late ’90s and early 2000s, THE DREW CAREY SHOW incorporated a wide range of licensed songs, some in key comedic or emotional moments. Unfortunately, not all of these tracks made it to the DVD set. Some have been replaced or altered, which might be jarring for longtime fans familiar with the original broadcasts. While this industry-wide problem is hard to avoid, it still chips away at the full nostalgia experience.

But in the end, it’s hard to be too upset. Despite the missing episodes and altered music, what’s here is still a massive win. THE DREW CAREY SHOW was—and still is—unlike anything else that aired during its time. It doesn’t try to be profound or poetic. It just wants to make you laugh, sometimes in totally unexpected ways. Whether through a fictional band called The Horndogs, a mannequin wedding, or a spontaneous dance number set to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the series consistently delivered chaos wrapped in sincerity.

Its strength was always its ability to evolve without losing its core. The early seasons feel grounded and traditional, while the later ones embrace experimentation. The series never stopped taking risks, even when those risks didn’t always pay off. That’s part of its charm—it wasn’t perfect, but it was relentlessly committed to its brand of absurd fun.

Let’s hope that one day those missing specials get the treatment they deserve, too. Because if any show deserves a complete release, it’s this one. Until then, this box set will do nicely. Cleveland rocks, and so does this nearly complete collection.

*The following (4) special episodes are not included in this collection:
Drew’s Dance Party Special
Drew Carey’s Back-to-School Rock ‘n’ Roll Comedy Hour – Parts 1 & 2
What’s Love Got to Do with it?

Musical compositions in certain series episodes have been replaced or altered from their original broadcast versions.

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[photo courtesy of WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY]

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