It’s always a beautiful day with discs of Mister Rogers
What is it? Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, It’s a Beautiful Day Collection, 30 episodes on 4 discs from PBS
When? Tuesday
How much? $19.99
The real Mister Rogers? The very one. Fred Rogers may have died in 2003, but his legacy lives on and 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
This set is meant to commemorate the occasion.
The set has 29 episodes from 1979
2001, plus the series premiere.
Mister Rogers was nothing if not consistent. So, whether you were in the target audience for the 1970s episodes or for the later ones, it’s pretty much the same.
Mister Rogers will come in and change his jacket for a cardigan. He’ll take off his loafers and put on tennis shoes. There will be visits with neighbors and trips to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
Just a few of the adventures on this set:
Mister Rogers learns how to make pa- per by hand, tries out some unusual musical instruments, makes spinach egg rolls, watches a book writer/illustrator at work and does some exercises.
Over in Make-Believe, King Friday, Lady Elaine, Daniel, Henrietta Pussycat and their friends experience the first day of school and learn the importance of playing.
What’s it like? Like you may remember. It’s soothing. Almost hypnotic, really. While it’s missing the bells and whistles, the jokes and action of many of today’s shows, that’s not really a bad thing.
Rogers was a gentle soul. Some may see the low-key series as potentially corny, with lines like “Your thoughts are your own” and the song “It’s You I Like,” but Rogers is so matterof-fact in his earnestness that instead of silly, it feels genuinely comforting.
And the show’s lessons about tolerance, respect and how to deal with anger never go out of style.
Be aware there are a couple of discrepancies between the packaging and the actual disc content. The bonus episode is declared to be “in original black-and-white” but on my set, it was very much in color. Also, one episode, “Food and Love Go Hand in Hand” was actually on Disc 2, not Disc 1 as the notes said. And another episode, “Respecting All Living Creatures,” wasn’t on a disc at all, which was disappointing. I felt cheated out of seeing Mister Rogers prepare food for giant pandas.
New this week: The Americans, Season 5; The Brokenwood Mysteries, Season 4; Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Season 1, Volume 1; Emergency!, Season 2; Legion, Season 1; Mr. Robot, Season 3; One Day at a Time, Season 2; The Outer Limits, Season 1; Peyton Place, Part 3; Who Killed Tupac?, miniseries
Next week: 13 Reasons Why, Season 1; Ballers, Season 3; Chesapeake Shores, Season 2; Genius, Season 1; The Governor, complete collection; A Place to Call Home, Season 5