ELLEN – THE COMPLETE SITCOM (ABC 1994-98)

Ellen is an American television sitcom that aired on the ABC network from March 29, 1994, to July 22, 1998, consisting of 109 episodes. The title role is Ellen Morgan, played by stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres, a neurotic Los Angeles bookstore owner in her thirties. The title of the series was These Friends of Mine for the first season, but it was subsequently changed to avoid confusion with the NBC series Friends, which premiered in September 1994.

The series centered on Ellen's dealing with her quirky friends Paige (Joley Fisher), Adam (Arye Gross), Audrey (Clea Lewis) and Joe (David Anthony Higgins and cousin Spencer (Jeremy Piven), her parents (Steven Gilborn, Alice Hirson), and the problems of daily life.  Holly Fulger and Maggie Wheeler (who later played Janice on Friends) were Ellen’s friends in season one.

The series is notable for being one of the first in the US with a main character to come out as gay, which DeGeneres' character did in the 1997 episode "The Puppy Episode", which aired shortly after DeGeneres publicly revealed that she was gay in real life. This event received a great deal of media exposure, ignited controversy, and prompted ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode.

Bonus features include the original first season theme for These Friends of Mine; gag reel and a comical “pretend” series theme.

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Number of DVDs: 22

Quality: 9.5/10

Running Time: 2507 min (approx)

Aspect Ratio: Digital, Full Screen

NOTES: This is a fan-made DVD set. Not    a studio release.