A show is only as good as its ensemble and its script. You should be able to take the lead actor out of a sitcom and still have a series worth watching. Be honest. You would watch an episode of Seinfeld or Frasier without their lead characters because the writing and the supporting cast were good enough to carry the day. When all the weight of a sitcom rests on one star's shoulders, you get generic series like According to Jim, The George Lopez Show, and, now, The New Adventures of Old Christine. Award-winning star Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn't really do anything wrong in the first season of the CBS comedy hit, now available on DVD, but the writing is nowhere near her standards and the dull (except for the occasional appearance of Wanda Sykes) supporting cast would have you reaching for the remote to change the channel, forgetting that you're watching a DVD.

The New Adventures of Old Christine wallows in so many sitcom cliches that it ends up with an identity crisis. Are we supposed to see Christine, Louis-Dreyfus' lead character, as a strong, modern woman, moving on after a divorce and forging her own way or is she purely a bundle of nerves getting thrown into one physically awkward situation after another? Imagine a character who goes back and forth from Murphy Brown to Lucille Ball and you'll have an idea of what the writers of Old Christine have saddled Louis-Dreyfus with. And it doesn't help the show that CBS aired the first thirteen episodes wildly out of order, making her motivations and decisions even more confusing. Of course, they weren't returned to their proper order on DVD, remaining just as weird (characters who have known each for seven episodes are introduced to one another in episode nine). It's the kind of thing that you might not notice on a Monday night on CBS but it's seriously annoying when you've hit play all on a DVD. The good guys at TVShowsOnDVD are here to help and they offer this handy guide to the order that you should watch season one of The New Adventures of Old Christine in:

1. Pilot (Disc 1)
9. Ritchie Has Two Mommies (Disc 2)
2. Supertramp (Disc 1)
12. Some of my Best Friends are Portuguese (Disc 2)
3. Open Water (Disc 1)
4. One Toe Over the Line, Sweet Jesus (Disc 1)
5. I'll Show You Mine (Disc 1)
7. Long Day's Journey Into Stan (Disc 1)
8. Teach Your Children Well (Disc 2)
10. No Fault Divorce (Disc 2)
11. Exile on Lame Street (Disc 2)
6. The Other F Word (Disc 1)
13. A Fair to Remember (Disc 2)

Once you figure out the shuffling of episodes, you'll still be stuck with a show that never lives up to the talents of its star. Some of the physical comedy is downright embarrassing for someone who did such great work on Seinfeld and really isn't bad here, just let down by the team around her. If you do make it through the series, you'll find a decent gag reel, unaired scenes, and a good documentary about "The Real Christine" that discusses the origins of the show. Once again, just like Louis-Dreyfus on the series, there's nothing wrong (outside of not fixing the shuffled order) with the Warner Brothers presentation of The New Adventures of Old Christine - it has good video, audio, and special features and should be a hit for fans of the series - but don't expect to find your next sitcom gem on DVD.