Release Date: December 13, 2011
Rating: TV-14 DLS
Running Time: Approximately 430 minutes
From the studio that brought you “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” comes a groundbreaking new drama about the upheaval that two teen girls experience when they discover that they were accidentally switched at birth.
Bay Kennish, a talented graffiti artist with an edgy streak, grew up in a wealthy family with happily married parents and an older brother. Daphne Vasquez, an athletic teenager who lost her hearing at an early age, grew up with a single mother in a working class neighborhood. When the girls’ worlds collide, family bonds are tested, new romances are sparked, and they start to learn that it’s who they are inside that matters, not where they grew up. Relive the girls’ journey and catch up before the premiere with “Switched At Birth: Volume 1.” Including all 10 episodes plus exclusive collectible iPod skins, this two-disc set is a must-own for every fan!
Switched At Birth is one of my favorite new original dramas of the television season. I fell in love with the show even before it premiered and was ecstatic about its premiere. Switched At Birth is easily my favorite ABC Family original drama in a long time… probably ever. It’s a journey of self discovery and discovering that there’s a family you were born with and the family you choose after you find out that the family you were born with is not the one you were raised in.
It’s about love, loss, and what happens when that lost loved is found. Relationships are tested. Lines are drawn. Lines are crossed. This circumstance is so rare that figuring everything out along the way with the characters makes the first ten episodes of the season the most fascinating episodes you’ll watch this TV season. I am impressed with how well the character development is crafted as are the twists which are very much grounded in reality, which is not as easy as it seems to write for! The writers really put their heart and soul into this project as have the cast and the rest of the crew and it shows.
Best of all, this series will reel in not only you but your entire family. It reminds me of the days when my family would sit around for 7th Heaven. Hopefully it has just as healthy of a television life too. There aren’t many wholesome shows on television today that can gather an entire family together but this one has. And I want to push how important it is to watch with your family because this show gives such an eye-opening understanding to hearing people about deaf culture and that needs to be seen by everyone. Marlee Matlin (“West Wing,” “The L Word”) also guest stars but the way that things play out, she mine as well have a recurring role. Simply put, Switched At Birth is my favorite summer show of 2011 and going into 2012, is going to continue to be one of my favorite shows ever. It’s a gem.
Unfortunately, there are no bonus features on this DVD. Hopefully this will be re-considered when the Volume II DVD is released. There are Switched at Birth iPod skins included in this DVD if that accounts for anything.
Own Switched At Birth: Volume 1 on DVD today.