Review: The Dukes of Hazzard Season Two
Reviewed by Craig Byrne

Two things to know about The Dukes of Hazzard before going into this review: One, Clark Kent's father himself, John Schneider, first came to fame with this series; and two, The Dukes was the first-ever "favorite show" of this site's webmaster. I had the General Lee Big Wheel, the Dukes action figures, the General Lee model cars... and once the show began in repeats on TNN in 1996, my fandom was re-energized. A lot of people might deride The Dukes as a "redneck show;" they're really missing out on good, clean, timeless fun. So, if you're wondering why a review of The Dukes shows up on a Smallville website... there ya go.

The Dukes have become so popular in the 25 years since the show premiered that Dukes of Hazzard gatherings such as DukesFest are commonplace. Ben Jones, who played Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard, has two Dukes-themed shops. And for better or for worse, as good of a job as John Schneider does as Jonathan Kent, he is and always will be remembered as Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. It's not because of any lack of talent to come from Mr. Schneider; quite the contrary - it's just that the characters of Bo and Luke were so memorable for a generation, and it's Schneider's talent that made that happen. Anyone who questions that, wait until they get to Season Five on the DVD releases, and see how dreadful "Coy" and "Vance" are.

But hey, this isn't just meant as a Dukes primer. I'm here to review the second season DVD set of The Dukes of Hazzard, recently released by Warner Home Video.

The second season is the first to become more of the kind of series that people remember. The opening titles are slightly reworked to include more familiar jumps from the series; Sheriff Rosco has become more bumbling and funny; and memorable episodes like "Days of Shine and Roses" and "The Ghost of the General Lee" (incidentally John Schneider's favorite episode) set the par for the course. Nevermind the absences of actors Sonny Shroyer, Ben Jones, and James Best that creep in during this season; the show has just started to become a lot of fun. Now, to some fans like myself, the more risque aspect of the first season would have been nice to have seen more of, but when it comes to revisiting a show we loved in childhood, Dukes season 2 hits all the marks.

The DVD includes the screen tests of John Schneider and Tom Wopat in the roles of Bo and Luke (check for yourself and see if there's a resemblance between John and future TV son Tom Welling). There's a "DukesFest" DVD extra that unfortunately is a little boring except to total diehards for the series; I admit that that extra bored me a bit. But the individual episodes of the second season are what make the set worth it. I don't even mind the episodes where Sheriff Rosco was missing, because they gave us a very different opening titles sequence to enjoy, and it's fun to see how they make out (or not) without their memorable leader to the police force.

Guest stars in the second season include country music singers Loretta Lynn, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Mel Tillis; NASCAR racer Cale Yarborough; and a gaggle of other celebrities, including Gerald McRaney (Simon & Simon), Dick Sargent (Bewitched's Second Darren), Mary-Margaret Humes (Dawson's mom), and Jeff Altman, who makes his premiere as Boss's rotten nephew, Hughie Hogg, during this season. Keep an eye out and you'll also find George Murdock, who appeared as "Old Harry" in the Smallville episode "Hourglass." And if you catch a connection between the Smallville episode "Jinx" and the Dukes episode "Granny Annie," go to the head of the class.

Despite being bored by the DukesFest extras, the Dukes Season 2 set is still a lot of fun because of the episodes involved, so I'd definitely recommend it. Now, if anyone out there from Warner Home Video is reading, you know that the thing extra would make me happiest in the world would be if the unaired-since-1981 pilot episode of Dukes spin-off Enos was included? Please? It's not like Enos: The Complete First Season is on the way.... (Although I'd buy it.)

Oh, and one last thing... there will be a big-screen adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard this summer starring Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, and Jessica Simpson. It may be a bit different from the TV series, but it's almost a sure thing that you'll appreciate the movie more if you've seen the show first.

Click on the link below to order a copy of the DVD! Because I'm being a pimp like that. You can also find more about the Dukes DVD set(s) at Warner Home Video's Dukes of Hazzard page.

Note: The views of Craig Byrne don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.

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