Explore The Life And Times Of Tim On DVD This February

HBO's The Life and Times of Tim definitely seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it affair. I fell more in the former category than the latter, but I can see how its minimalist style of humor of animation might put some people off. Granted, most people haven't had the chance to love or hate it because they've probably never even heard of it. The show premiered on HBO in September 2008 with little fanfare, and despite some good press, never seemed to get much attention. It resides firmly in the "Lucky Louie Memorial Hall of Shows I Enjoyed That No One Else Has Ever Heard Of." With the show returning this February for a second season, I guess somebody at HBO Home Entertainment figured they should finally get around to putting out the first season on DVD. Better late than never, The Life and Times of Tim: The Complete First Season arrives this February 9th.

The Tim in question is just your average 20-something schlub who works a job he's ambivalent about and spends most of his time just trying to get by. Sure, occasionally he gets in a fight with an old man on the bus or has to explain to his girlfriend's parents why there's a hooker in his apartment, but who among us hasn't been there? Creator Steve Dildarian shows a masterful knack at concocting painfully awkward situations in with to thrust Tim, a penchant for crafting narrative suffering that I'm sure has nothing to with having grown up with a last name that's half sex toy. If you like watching people squirm, The Life and Times of Tim provides 10 episodes of schadenfreude for your sadistic viewing pleasure.

The press release hints that there will be special features, but doesn't actually list any. In addition to the 10 episodes of the first season, however, you will get 10 more animated shorts. The season's episode titles should give you an idea of what you're in for if you haven't seen the show before:

  • "Angry Unpaid Hooker/Rodney's Bachelor Party"
  • "Latino Tim/The Priest Is Drunk"
  • "Senior Prom/Tim Fights an Old Man"
  • "Mad Dog Tim/Monday Night Confession"
  • "Tim, Stu and Marie/Miss February"
  • "Bashko's Hairy Daughter/Tim's Not Singing"
  • "Hottest Babes on the Planet/Suck It Philly"
  • "Insurmountable High Score/Tim vs. the Baby"
  • "Mugger/Cin City"
  • "Theo Strikes Back/Amy Gets Wasted"