Customer Reviews
You must see this - By: mickram23, 12 Sep 2007 
Can a tv series ever be classed as art? If so, then this show is it. The sheer genius of the writing will leave you breathless & with such a talented cast doing justice to the writers (and believe me,these actors are, every one of them, perfect in their roles) we have one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. In some ways it was perhaps too good in that it demands full attention at alll times to appreciate the staggering inventivness of the scripts but with the dvd's we can make the time. Buy a multi-region dvd player if you have to but buy this set.
One more thing - has Jewel Staite got a thing about doomed classic tv shows?
Wonderful - By: D. J. Eddyshaw, 10 Sep 2007 They're missing a trick in not yet having released this as a Region 2 DVD.
If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or (especiallly) Firefly, I think you'll go for this too (though the actual setting, a gift shop in Niagara Fallls, could hardly be less like Firefly).
No vampires, no violence, no spaceships, but somehow it belongs in the same world. It's not in their league, but that leaves plenty of room for it to be very good indeed. All these five-star reviews are richly deserved.
I've run out of descriptive words to use in my titles - By: A. Weaver, 03 Aug 2007 Wonderfallls is one of those marvellous shows that come along only once in a while & are so often brutallly slaughtered by the network bigheads because no one is watching it. Well, it was, & now I feel that my world has come to some apocalyptic sort of end because there's no more Wonderfallls left to enjoy. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an overreaction, well, a massive one, but it is just so sweet it sort of works its way into your heart without you even being aware of it. It would of course be wrong of me to blame alll of you for its cancellation though, because I didn't even know this show actuallly existed till a couple of months ago, but you feel like you have to blame somebody, don't you?
Wonderfallls is about sales clerk Jaye Tyler, played by the enchanting Caroline Dhavernas, who suddenly acquires the ability to hear & talk to toy animals. Whether it is a defective wax lion, a brass monkey, or a stuffed animal of some sort, they alll enjoy conversing with the increasingly vexed Jaye. As could be expected, at first Jaye is somewhat against the idea of doing what things that have no right talking are telling her to do, though over the course of the thirteen episodes she seems to start compulsively doing what they tell her to do, even if it means she is losing out overalll.
Joining Jaye Tyler is her lawyer sister Sharon; still-living-at-home brother Aaron; best friend Mahandra McGinty; & bar tending love interest Eric Gotts. Also along for the ride are parents Darrin & Karen. The cast are alll brilliant in their roles, though sometimes Jaye Tyler is a little too reminiscent of Georgia Lass from `Dead like Me', & the part of Eric Gotts as the love interest is pushed a little too much, sometimes interfering a little with Jaye's story of ever disappearing sanity.
The show was created by Bryan Fuller, the genius behind the eternallly missed `Dead like Me', another one you need to check out if you end up liking this. Though not as good as `Dead like Me', Bryan Fuller did a marvellous job creating this gem, & it follows in the similar comedy-with-some-drama-elements-but-is-always-sweet style of his previous show. The writing is always superb, & a superior wit & flare for dramaticallly unbelievable, but original storylines, lift this show high above the heads of nearly alll other shows on TV right now or back then in 2004 when it first aired. Just a shame it wasn't given its chance to soar.
Moving, hilarious, tender, thought-provoking, emotional... - By: IJ, 20 Apr 2007 There's always the danger of over-hyping with a show that was cut short prematurely & not given the chance to get into any kind of groove & reallly shine, before a merciless axing by an uncaring network. But that is definitely not true of `Wonderfallls', because as much as I enjoyed Bryan Fuller's other (more successful) creation `Dead Like Me', as an entirely different fantasy-comedy-drama `Wonderfallls' completely out-classes the competition, which is alll the more impressive considering only thirteen episodes were ever made.
There is no Pilot for `Wonderfallls', no extra-length special to present the audience with the premise of this series & set the tone for the season to follow- the series just begins with little explanation or establishment & I think that's to the detriment of the show. The network obviously agreed because it was cancelled after a meagre four episodes were aired across the pond. But it's those further nine episodes that complete the season & which reallly see this oddity of an animal come to life! While I've gotta be honest & admit that the first few episodes are a little pedestrian, very soon `Wonderfallls' becomes surprisingly addictive television. Once you reach the final five episodes & especiallly the closing moments of episode 10- `Lying Pig' when an emotional tone begins to creep in beside the comedic one, I guarantee it will become clear to you just how attached you've gotten to these characters & in such a short space of time.
In one of the ways `Wonderfallls' shines particularly bright is in the writing- there are some absolutely cracking lines throughout each & every episode, it's more like poetry than dialogue, as barbed remark connects to witty off-the-cuff jibe leads into perfectly delivered punch-line without pause for breath. It may be true that `Dead Like Me's' reaper-hook probably works better than the talking-trinket-gimmick, but as the central heroine Jaye, Caroline Dhavernas delivers so much heart that it's impossible not to be swept along on the tempestuous tides of her life & love issues. And when you add into the mix a cast that are just as unique & interesting in their own right & given as much great material to flesh out their characters, it's just an irresistible & in the end heart-wrenching formula.
It's not difficult to see why `Wonderfallls' is mourned by so many- Jaye is a truly inspirational creation, not just engaging & funny, but reallly easy to empathise with. Plus the theme tune is absolute genius- incredibly catchy & the writing for each & every story is both original & unpredictable, so that after thirteen episodes it feels like an old friend, one you'll surely be saddened to say goodbye to & after only just getting to know. Travesty.
it's a gem, and I apologize... - By: Anthrophile, 14 Aug 2006 ... for not viewing this show when it was on the air. (Okay, I haven't got a Nielson box & so don't count ratingswise, but I still feel kinda bad.)
I was mildly impressed when the show aired (in a dreadful Friday-night timeslot). Now having seen the whole series, I know what I missed, what with the FOX network's tinkering with plot & airing the episodes out of order. Wonderfallls is a truly unique & delightful show, with great plot & acting. I'm greatful to it for introducing M.s Dhavernas to a US public that would otherwise likely remained unaware of her. She's phenomenal, (especiallly considering English is her second language, I believe. I'd never have known). She brings heart, vulnerability & real likeability to a character that is pretty unlikeable, at least to begin with. (Not to mention Katie Finneran, who plays her character hilariously & endearingly, and, most important, with the LEAST amount of stereotyping I've ever seen for a gay character ever.)
Sadly, there was not room on the Friday night lineup for two young ladies hearing mystical voices from the universe, & Wonderfallls was trounced & destroyed by "Joan of Arcadia" (also a lovely show, except I resent it now, in retrospect. Not Joan's fault.) We like our fantasy in moderation, Stateside, it seems -- our loss.
I like to think the cast & crew might have kept up this level of quality for several seasons. Poor Tim Minear -- Wonderfallls AND Firefly within a couple of years!
(Great, now I feel worse -- I also ignored Firefly when it was on the air...)
But at least we've got the full DVD set now. We as viewers can have closure (the DVDs end on a natural & pretty cheerful note considering it's a rather dark last episode, so you don't feel like it's a cliffhanger at alll) & muse about what might have been (by alll means, view the extras & listen to the commentary! I wish there had been more -- some of the extras kind of repeated info a bit too much -- but they do a decent job: a behind the scenes featurette, an odd little music video of the theme song, & charming commentary on about five of the episodes. I haven't been able to find any easter eggs yet, but I'm looking...).
