All Rise...

Beware of Judge Franck Tabouring! He means monkey business.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Best Of Season Two (published April 19th, 2006), Dog The Bounty Hunter: Crime Is On The Run (published July 25th, 2010), Dog the Bounty Hunter: Taking it to the Streets (published June 5th, 2012), Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Arrest (published September 26th, 2007), Dog The Bounty Hunter: The Best Of Season Four (published September 5th, 2008), Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Best Of Season One (published March 16th, 2005), Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Best Of Season Three (published March 14th, 2007), Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Wedding Special (published January 3rd, 2007), and Dog The Bounty Hunter: Wild Ride (published December 6th, 2010) are also available.

The Charge

His bark is just as bad as his bite.

The Case

Dog Chapman and his gang are back in action for another round of crime fighting in A&E's Dog the Bounty Hunter: This Family Means Business. This time around, television's most popular bounty hunter gets to celebrate his two hundredth episode. Besides a special retrospective focusing on some of Dog's toughest cases, this DVD release also includes six episodes from the show's most recent season, which followed the Chapmans as they headed out looking for bad guys both in Hawaii and Colorado. Here's what you're in for:

• "Girl Power"
• "Prodigal Son"
• "Family Ties"
• "Surface Scratches"
• "The Great Debate"
• "Facebooked"

First and foremost, you should know that in terms of pace and action, most of these episodes differ quite strongly from what we're used to seeing in earlier seasons. Tracking down his fugitives isn't as nearly as tricky for Dog, with several of them literally just sitting at the first address the Chapmans hit, which does not exactly boost the show's entertainment value. Gone are the speedy pursuits and hardcore arrests, and gone is the suspense surrounding how fast Dog can catch his fugitives or how long they can outrun him.

Essentially, the only compelling episode on this disc is "Facebooked," in which Dog and his posse are out looking for a criminal without knowing what he even looks like. Much to Dog's surprise, it's through the popular social networking site that they score a few clues as to who the fugitive is and where he may be hanging around. Even the arrest proves a bit rough. Sadly enough, it's the only episode boasting any memorable twists and thrills.

What saves this release from disaster is the "Best Of" special, a 45-minute retrospective filled with interviews and footage from some of Dog's hottest missions. Although this bonus feature may not offer diehard fans of the show any new footage, it gives the Chapmans a chance to look back at some of their two hundred episodes and comment on how challenging their job can be at times. Plus, this piece also provides another quick glimpse at what life is like for the Chapmans when they are not out bounty hunting. It's without a doubt a solid homage to the series as a whole.

Picture quality and sound do the job. Let's not forget this is a rough reality show about bounty hunters, which means occasionally grainy images are totally okay. If anything, this look just adds to the realistic feel of the whole thing. No complaints in terms of technical aspects.

This Family Means Business fails to pack a punch, a release that isn't nearly as intriguing or memorable as some of its predecessors. I can only hope A&E will up the ante a bit with any future Dog the Bounty Hunter DVDs. I'm absolutely sure this family means serious business, but to keep going strong, this business still requires the amount of action and energy that made it so successful in the first place.

The Verdict

Better watch out, Dog. You're guilty this time!

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