Before they made the leap together to the big screen with 2016’s Keanu, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key enjoyed success with their Comedy Central series. Graduates of MadTV, Key and Peele offered a sketch comedy show that showcased their talents.

With this massive “Complete Series” set, we can check out all five seasons of Key & Peele from its debut in January 2012 to its finale in September 2015. With 53 episodes in all, I won’t attempt a complete review of every show, so I chose a selection across the series’ run.

SEASON ONE:

Bitch: At the episode’s start, Key and Peele relate their biracial status, and right off the bat, that fact seems to make a difference. Due to their appearance, they’ll be regarded as “black comics”, but their life experiences come from someplace different, and it seems the series will reflect that.

Take the sketch that gives the show its title. Two henpecked husbands try to impress each other with claims they aim the “B-word” at their wives – but they go to extreme pains to make sure these spouses don’t hear this. “Bitch” launches the series with self-assurance and plenty of funny bits.

Das Negroes: Two episodes in, and my only question mark about K&P becomes whether the emphasis on humor related to racial areas will get tiresome. So far? Nope. “Negroes” has ups and downs – the title sketch is spotty – but still comes with plenty of hilarious moments. High on my list: the slaves at auction who get offended they aren’t sold.

Flicker: S1 continues with another good episode. The title sketch probably works best – it shows an epic game of “Flicker”, where one person flicks the nose of someone tricked into looking at a nonexistent shirt stain. Other bits succeed as well and make this a solid show.

Soul Food: As we near the end of Season One, “Soul Food” seems like more of a mixed bag than its predecessors, as a couple of sketches flop. In particular, one about ditzy women who obsess over cute puppies fails entirely. Still, others work well – especially the action movie parody that pits jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin against “mouth noise” specialist Michael Winslow.

SEASON TWO:

Obama College Years: While the title sketch offers some amusement, a bit that mocks Civil War re-enactors works best – and showcases the series’ strength. At its peak, K&P delivers laughs along with insight, and that happens during that piece. A few moments sputter, but most fare pretty well.

Michael Jackson Halloween: Given the episode’s title, I feared it would stick us with a cliché sketch about pedophilia. Happily, the MJ bit briefly alludes to that area but mostly focuses elsewhere and delivers laughs. As usual, the overall arc seems up and down – I’m not wild about the White Chicks-style girls who I mentioned earlier - but the positive outweighs the negative.

Non-Stop Party: I suppose it was inevitable, but “Party” finally gives us a dud episode. It’s not a total loss, as a few mildly funny bits emerge, but it’s easily the weakest show of the ones I’ve viewer so far.

Biological Dad: S2 rebounds here – to a reasonable degree, at least. Nothing here kills, but “Dad” comes with enough good moments to bounce back after the flat “Party”.

SEASON THREE:

Les Mis: S3 starts off pretty well with the consistently effective “Mis”. Its title sketch offers a clever parody of musicals, and a few other bits score points as well.

Sexy Vampires: Another Halloween episode, “Vampires” mostly spoofs horror movies. It starts badly with a limp frat boy sketch but improves from there, especially when it focuses on an awkward extra in a zombie movie.

High On Potenuse: The sketch that inspires the episode’s title is average, but it comes with a great stinger later in the show. Otherwise, “High” is up and down.

Pussy on the Chainwax: With its attempt to launch a catchphrase, the title sketch works really well, and a quick spoof of the racial sins of Hollywood past also amuses. Throw in a funny bit related to Anne Hathaway and “Chainwax” finishes S3 well.

SEASON FOUR:

Alien Imposters: The series’ format changes slightly with S4, as the show no longer uses Key and Peele in front of a studio audience for interstitials. Instead, we see filmed shots of K&P as they drive through the desert and chat.

We also find a new title sequence and a different version of the theme song, but otherwise S4 shows the same series we’ve known for the initial three years. That’s a good thing, as “Alien” gives us a pretty solid episode.

Quarterback Concussion: Here we find a better than average show, as all the sketches work well. Even bits that should seem stale – like one about the overly passionate owner of an Eastern European restaurant – amuse due to good performances and fun twists.

Scariest Movie Ever: Another Halloween episode, “Ever” seems a bit spotty. A piece that mixes horror movies with the “Make-A-Wish Foundation” works pretty well, but a few of the bits go on too long, so this becomes an average show.

Terrorist Meeting: Is it a bad sign that the annoying Meegan character returns here? Maybe. A few parts of “Meeting” work – such as the title sketch, which lampoons the TSA – but the show’s overall impact seems less than stellar.

SEASON FIVE:

Y’All Ready for This?: Season Five starts with a fairly spotty show. The bizarre anti-terrorists in one sketch become a highlight, but other parts seem more lackluster.

Killer Concept Album: This show’s title sketch works best, as it looks at a rapper who can’t keep his actions out of his music. I also like the bit with a politician who apologizes for transgressions – but can’t stop committing them. Otherwise, the episode feels average.

The Job Interview: Recurring characters seen earlier, I like the valets who feel really enthusiastic about movies. A few other elements succeed as well, though some – like the action hero who doesn’t understand holograms – fizzle. That leads to a good but erratic show.

The End: As implied by the title, K&P concludes with this episode. “End” acknowledges the series’ finale, as K&P reflect on the past and finish with a throwback to the very beginning.

It also tosses in a blooper reel, which feels awfully out of place. Other parts amuse, and I especially liked the Ray Parker parody – it’s one of the series’ more SNL-type moments, but it’s funny. Even with the bloopers, “End” concludes the series on a positive note.

Key & Peele appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on these single-sided, double-layered DVDs; due to those dimensions, the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. The episodes came with up and down visuals.

Sharpness was one of the inconsistent elements. Most of the shows came across as acceptably accurate, but they lacked great definition even for SD-DVD. Still, clarity was usually fine given the nature of the episodes.

Occasional instances of jaggies and shimmering occurred, but not to a severe degree. No edge haloes appeared, and I saw no source flaws.

Colors also tended to be erratic. Given the breadth of all the sketches, hues varied a lot, and they usually seemed fine, but they lacked a lot of pep. Still, they were decent, and blacks also seemed adequate. Low-light shots could be a bit dense, but not too badly so. Ultimately, the shows were more than watchable and that’s about it.

I felt a little more impressed with the series’ Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Given the comedic focus, dialogue and music dominated, so the soundscape didn't open up in a consistently dynamic manner.

That said, some sketch topics allowed for a more vivid sonic approach. Action film parodies used the five speakers pretty well and created engaging soundfields. These weren’t in the majority, but they gave the shows more pizzazz.

Audio quality seemed fine. Speech was accurate and natural, with only a smidgen of edginess at times. Music appeared fairly full and rich, and effects showed good clarity and range. The soundtrack added to the episodes.

The set includes audio commentaries for four Season One episodes: “Bitch”, “Das Negroes”, “Flicker”, and “Soul Food”. All four feature creators/writers/actor Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as they discuss aspects of various sketches as well as cut scenes, guest actors and related areas.

While not the most informative commentaries I’ve ever heard, Key and Peele cover a decent array of topics. They give us some good thought about the series as well as different aspects of the episodes. The commentaries deserve a listen.

Season One, Disc Two provides a mix of components. Outtakes gives us six minutes, 57 seconds of material. Most of these offer bloopers, but some alternate lines emerge as well, and those give the reel a little extra value.

Next comes a four-minute, 34-second Poolside Interview. Key and Peele discuss aspects of the series – with a firmly comedic edge. It’s not informative but it’s pretty amusing.

Under Obama’s Anger Translator, seven clips appear with a total running time of nine minutes, 50 seconds. These take the clips from the series and provide them on their own. The concept can be one-note but they’re consistently entertaining.

Finally, Key and Peele Live at the South Beach Comedy Festival provides two segments: “Backstage” (2:05) and “Split Their Pants” (2:07). These deliver minor comedic moments but nothing great.

On Season Two, Disc Two, we find four more Obama’s Anger Translator bits. These take up seven minutes, 46 seconds and give us more of that sketch series. All are funny, though “Alternate Obama Outcome” – shot in case Obama lost the 2012 election – is the most memorable.

Originally from the Internet, Vandaveon and Mike: Critquer’s Corner provides 10 “episodes”. All together, these go a total of 27 minutes, 52 seconds and shows K&P characters who discuss their opinions of each S2 episode. That’s a clever concept and the pieces amuse.

On Season Three, Disc One, we get seven sketches under The Van and Mike Show. These take up 22 minutes, 51 seconds and offer more of the low-rent critics. I like the concept and these continue to entertain.

Season Three Disc Two opens with The Super Episode: Best of Seasons 1 and 2. It runs 21 minutes, 35 seconds and aired prior to the start of S3. Key and Peele offer some new intros to old sketches, but since we already own all the episodes from the first two seasons, “Super” becomes superfluous.

S3D2 also throws in more Outtakes. We get five minutes, 33 seconds of these, as they show goofs and giggles. I hoped for alternate lines, but this is standard blooper material.

Seasons Four and Five lack any extras.

Like all sketch comedy shows, Key & Peele comes with ups and downs. However, it boasts more than its fair share of strong moments, and those allow it to become a pretty strong series. The DVDs provide generally positive picture and audio along with supplements for most seasons. We get a lot of good entertainment across this set’s 10 discs.