Review for Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law Volume 3

Harvey Birdman is not a character I'm familiar with and that is possibly because he was an obscure character from the Hanna-Barbera show Birdman and the Galaxy Trio which only ran for two years in the 1960s. For some reason, some genius decided to revive this forgotten character as almost a Denny Crane-like lawyer in Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law and it is possibly one of the best things I have seen in a long time.
Birdman, dressed in a smart suit, but still retaining his mask and wings takes on cases from the Hanna-Barbera universe. Yes, you read that correct. Ever wonder how Shaggy has never spent many years in jail for possession? Birdman is your answer. Guest stars throughout the series are wonderful from Top Cat (For Bookmaking), Magilla the Gorilla's owner being accused of animal cruelty and Atom Ant for having high levels of radiation at his home amongst others.
The cartoons themselves are only about fifteen minutes long, but are able to cram more jokes than most full length sitcoms can in twice that length. What is interesting about the show is that they do cover a lot of big issues (albeit in a comedic light) such as gay marriage, illegal gambling, identity theft amongst others and the court room scenes are expertly written and could easily have come from an episode of LA Law or Boston Legal. After a few episodes the joke should get old and the idea of these classic characters needing help be really stale, but it doesn't and what makes the show even better is that they are just treated as if they are just another member of the cast and this makes all the more wonderful.
Also included is a ten minute parody of an old episode of the original show and Sebben and Sebben Employee Orientation, which is a wonderful spoof of a new employee induction film which goes into the origins of the company, how Birdman's boss Sebben lost his eye and the other ventures of Sebben and Sebben including LSD, Flavoured Breastmilk and Those Twirly Things of Strippers' Breasts. It also goes through the benefits such as Air (For Earners), daily toilet paper allowance and free passes to already free events. Both of these are wonderful. Though I feel they should have been included as extras rather than as part of the main show.
Extras also include Joke Timeline which is essentially every instance of a particular joke through the whole show's existence which is great but really would have benefitted from a 'Play All' option. Birdman Characters is essentially a less than one minute look at all of the main characters in the show. Final Record is a look behind the scenes of the voice recordings focusing more on the obscure noises the characters have had to say, also includes Maurice LaMarche (who many will remember as Brain from Pinky and the Brain) doing his Orson Welles impression which cracks up Birdman voice actor Gary Cole. There is also a comic book which would have been better as a PC only extra, as it was just too difficult to read on the screen and a collection of ten deleted scenes which again could have benefitted from the 'Play All' function.
Harvey Birdman is a wonderful show. It's a shame that I have only discovered him now that it has finished, but now that I have a taste it means I can go back and look for the other two volumes as this was one of the best cartoons I've seen in a long time.