The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants

As far as MLB teams are concerned, I'm a Dodger fan and hate the Giants. I saw someone post how good this series ("The Franchise") was so I went ahead and ordered the DVD even though I hate the Giants.I ended up liking the Franchise - a great look behind the scenes of the players. It won't mean I will like the Giants, but I do enjoy what the players are like when they aren't in the middle of playing the game.The slogan could use some fixing - "A season with the San Francisco Giants" should have been re-done as "Most of a season with the San Francisco Giants". I hate how the DVD ends with August and doesn't follow the Giants through the end of the season. Good news is that I remember how their season ended and I'm happy with that result!

I watched this on Showtime this summer and it was EXCELLENT! I'm so glad it's finally available so I can delete it from my DVR. In the first hour, I both cried and laughed so hard I cried. Tip: don't stop or fast forward through the end credits of the first episode, Brian "The Beard" Wilson will have you rolling on the floor laughing. As funny as he is, I think Ryan Vogelsong's story is the best. Overall, I think this was a fascinating inside look at the Giants organization; a must have for any fan. Even the bandwagon ones like me. :)

A season with the San Francisco Giants. Even though the Giants didn't repeat as World Champs this DVD was a great winter time watch. For those of us who love baseball and need a winter time dose this was just right. This DVD showed the inter workings of the clubhouse, homes of some of the individual players. It also showed the players' and their families' thoughts about life in and out of baseball. This DVD showed the devastating injuries that befell the 2011 Giants and what the front office thought and how they tried to work through the adversity. I will give the DVD a thumbs up.

I first watched this series as it aired on Showtime and it is a must-watch for any San Francisco Giants fan, and I'll even go as far as recommending it for any baseball fan. It's a great in-depth look at the 2010 World Series champions and come on, it's full of Brian Wilson's antics. Every episode keeps you wanting more... and I hope this series continues with the Giants or with other baseball clubs, for that matter. This series has great cinematography and great interviews.

liked the in-Depth story of the the team!

The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants, exceeded my expectations. It gave insighst into the workings of a MLB team. There are places that are hilarious.Iif you like Brian Wilson this is a must. It focuses on the players and their interaction with each other. I've watched it several times and bought a copy for my grandson, a die hard Wilson fan. This is timeless and belongs in every fans DVD collection

If you're a Giants fanatic then of course you have to have this. But if you're a little more sane then you can probably give this a pass. There are some entertaining moments, and some interesting insights into various players and the team as a whole. But there is also quite a bit of filler, and it dragged frequently. Maybe it would have been more interesting if the Giants had been hot that year and were clearly on their way to the World Series, but sadly they were not, and this TV series sputters out as if some network executive had pulled the plug without warning. Having watched it once, I can't imagine watching it again.

As a long time Giants fan I was looking forward to the series on Showtime.When it aired I wasn't disappointed.The series aired the season after the Giants won their first World Series since moving to SF. I was eager to see how they would come back the following season.Unfortunately, they didn't make the playoffs in 2011, but this DVD is worth the cost.Highly recommended to any Giants fan..

Love this Series. The beauty of baseball is knowing the players. This is a team of real characters. Watching this series just prior our visit to San Francisco to see our first Major League Baseball game, and also just before the 2014 World Series made our appreciation for the San Francisco Giants that much greater.

"The Franchise" should have launched a franchise of examining the most interesting teams in baseball; instead, most of the stars played like they belonged in AA or were catastrophically injured, and Tim Lincecum, in retrospect, had peaked, and was never interested in being portrayed in this show.It's a missed opportunity through no fault of the producers.Good enough to binge watch when sick, and I looked it up 10 years after release to see it again, but, be aware, that it captures a low point for the Giants: it is an examination of how temporary and fleeting glory and accomplishment are, where one is pitying the Giants at the White House, as they clearly feel unworthy by that point in their season. Knowing that the World Series, again, is shortly in front of the team helps, but it is an unintentional rumination on the value of public accomplishment versus personal fulfillment.