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Here, to make your holiday shopping easier, are some recommended recent releases of TV shows on DVD. All of them guaranteed to please, so long as you match the right gift to the right person. That's your job. Presenting high-quality options, that's ours.
Prices shown below are suggested retail. But you can find substantial discounts at websites such as Amazon.com. And if you buy from Amazon after clicking BUY NOW below each title here, TWW gets a small percentage of each DVD sale.
Costs you nothing more. Helps us stay alive.
And if you like TV WORTH WATCHING, it's a way to send two, two, two gifts in one. Your gift recipients will appreciate what you purchase here... and so will we.
-- David Bianculli
-- Diane Werts
George Carlin: All My Stuff MPI, 14 discs Seven words you can never say on television. Baseball vs. football. Airport security. Religion. Stuff. It's all here -- 28 years of hilariously savvy cultural observations, as seen in Carlin's HBO specials. The 12 routines run from his tentative 1977 debut On Location: George Carlin to 2005's cantankerous Life Is Worth Losing. (That's everything but his finale, 2007's It's Bad for Ya, available separately.) It's one big, joyous spotlight on Carlin's verbal dexterity and jazz-like rhythms. Not to mention his pungent insights on the vagaries of language and hypocrisy. Carlin turns the scrutiny on himself in 2 bonus discs: the "George on George" self-portrait profile hour, and an 80-minute XM Radio interview filmed a year before Carlin's death in June 2008. -- DW |
I, Claudius Image, 4 discs Yes! It's the BBC-produced gem with Derek Jacobi and John Hurt, juicily personifying all "the scheming, murder, madness and lust that passed for politics in the early years of the Pax Romana" (as Amazon.com puts it). The 11-hour miniseries became a hit for still-new PBS back in 1976, not with all the effects that now pass for moviemaking, or with the sex and blood that fill modern miniseries, but for its pungent performances, recorded close-up in an era of videotape intimacy. That limits the technical quality on DVD. But at least the miniseries is here. That's more than we can say for the subject of an amazing bonus: The 70-minute documentary "The Epic That Never Was" (1965) chronicles the demise of 1937's Josef von Sternberg/Charles Laughton "I, Claudius," an unfinished film whose glorious scenes seen here make that a tragedy all its own. -- DW |
The Wire: The Complete Series HBO, 23 discs Wow, a complete series set that actually fits in a regular space on your DVD shelf! What WERE these people thinking? It's sort of like their show -- an entirely smart and sensible way to do things, but a way others somehow don't employ. Not that The Wire could ever forge a mainstream path. This show is completely its own animal, true to its own tone, pace and convictions. It demands concentration as it gradually (some say "novelistically") unravels its chronicle of urban institutions in the throes of decomposition. Five season-by-season "volumes" explore the human cost of the drug war, the collapse of the working class, corruption in politics, failures in inner-city education, and the commercializng of the "watchdog" media. This is the immersive experience DVD was made to enable. -- DW |
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: Best of Season 3 Time Life, 4 discs This isn't just a DVD set. It's a cultural document. In addition to 11 key episodes from the season the Smothers' Vietnam-era political humor got them fired by CBS (1968-69), this new release offers look-back interviews, the audacious "Pat Paulsen for President" campaign special, and a priceless paper trail -- reproductions of more than 100 censors' memos, network telegrams and lawyers' letters from the Smothers battles with CBS. What's even better is that these 40-year-old episodes still hold up as sharp satire and rollicking comedy. -- DW |
Deadwood: The Complete Series HBO, 19 discs Ian McShane talks @#$%&! in all three seasons of HBO's grimy western cult fave, here presented in a full-series box that takes up about the same shelf space as one season set. The discs aren't in plastic trays anymore, though. They slide into cardboard sleeves, certainly space-saving though prone to scratches and glue globs. At least the sleeves here (bound into a hardback series' "book") feature glossy tintypes of both the real-life Deadwood, S.D., and the show's cast. Joining preexisting bonus features is a new disc, with creator David Milch discussing his series' might-have-been conclusion while walking the dusty streets of filmland Deadwood. Other new extras include historians on Deadwood's 1800s boom-town reality, a set tour, and a cast-and-crew panel discussion. -- DW |
Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection Acorn Media, 7 discs Yes, that critic-quote rave on the box is mine -- "funny, romantic, biting, sweet, perceptive and often thrilling." And a recent re-viewing of this theater valentine only persuades me it wasn't gushing enough. Paul Gross (Due South) and Mark McKinney (The Kids in the Hall) lead the gloriously dysfunctional family at a Shakespeare festival beset by the advice-giving ghost of its ego-driven founder, a "rebranding" push by commercial backers, the certifiable insanity of its creative leader, and the trendy ravings of a strutting director brought in to bring in the masses. All three seasons of six episodes each are seen through the prism of the plays being staged (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear). An unforgettably entertaining, insightful gem. -- DW |
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Collection Warner, 41 discs $200 I wrote the liner notes for the third season of this set, but that doesn't mean I'm biased -- other than to say that seeing these shows again, after so many years, is an absolute blast. Open Channel D! Open Channel D! As much as any scripted show of its time, this series evokes the 1960s in all its goofy glory. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum star, and this collection is beautifully boxed in its own U.N.C.L.E. attaché case. After being available only by mail order for a year, it's now selling on retail shelves, too. -- DB |
Sports Night: The Complete Series 10th Anniversary Edition Shout! Factory, 8 discs Nicely souped-up rerelease of all 45 episodes of Aaron Sorkin's tube debut doesn't just offer Peter Krause, Felicity Huffman and their costars way back when in 1998's groundbreaking single-camera comedy of walk-and-talk articulation backstage at a sports channel. Two whole discs of fresh features add great new interviews from cast and crew, featurettes documenting the daring series' development, a joyous chat between Sorkin and directing partner Tommy Schlamme, and a smart souvenir booklet. -- DW |
Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection Koch, 7 discs Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Liza Minnelli, Mick Jagger and many other stars bring childhood tales to adult life in showrunner Shelley Duvall's fanciful 1908s Showtime series. Familiar fables seem refreshed in these 26 classic yet witty tellings, produced on a shoestring with affection and verve to charm lively minds of all ages. This crowdpleasing new box includes a colorful 112-page storybook and a three-way card game. -- DW |
The Sopranos: The Complete Series HBO Video, 33 discs $400 This 10-pound giftset is a high-priced item, but it's more luxurious than other complete sets you'll see. The impact starts with a 14-inch-wide black and red cloth-covered box, which holds a black velour sack, with a wide black cloth-covered hardbound book inside that. Discs from all 6 seasons are tucked into thick board "pages" that list the episodes and bonus features, same as those in the season sets. There's a more descriptive episode guide on more board pages behind what's new here -- 2 discs of fresh extras. The first holds "Supper With The Sopranos" (75 minutes), two wine-fueled conversations among cast and crew; plus deleted scenes. The second disc has Sopranos wannabe Alec Baldwin interviewing creator David Chase (44 minutes); a Paley Center panel with "whacked Sopranos" (70 minutes); and brief Sopranos spoofs from The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live and MADtv. Finally, they even include the 3 previously released discs of series soundtrack songs. Any Sopranos nut would go even nuttier getting this as a gift. -- DW |
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series Sony, 20 discs And then there are good ideas gone cheap. This 5-season set comes in a replica of the bottle Jeannie the genie came in. Clever concept! But shoddy execution. It's made of foil embossed paperboard, which easlily gets crunched. (Mine came pre-crunched.) The disc set slides out in a flimsy paper accordion that quickly comes unglued, that won't stand up on its own, and that discs tend to fall out of. Yes, there are also 55 "collector's cards" with episode info and character trivia. (Their box is better made than the discs'!) But why not spend that effort and money making a better overall case, maybe out of durable plastic? There's sure enough plastic to go around, since all this odd-sized stuff is encased in nearly impregnable clear boxes most folks will just throw away. Fans of this escapist fantasy will probably still love the packaging concept, but purists beware: The B&W first season comes in its colorized version. -- DW |
Will & Grace: The Complete Series Collection Lionsgate, 33 discs $250 What was once landmark -- a sitcom starring a gay character! (no, two!) -- now seems much less so, though the interplay of Eric McCormack and Debra Messing (and Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally) retains its own charms (and annoyances). It's even easier to be of two minds (no, four!) about this "complete" set, which seems to be semi-complete, with fans up in arms that some episodes are the trimmed-down syndicated versions. At least the package is cool -- a tissue-box-sized cube holding eight seasons in four small square books, plus a bonus disc with cast commentary. -- DW |
The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series MGM, 7 discs Do not adjust your television set. It's only the 1960s science-fiction fave that weekly opened with the memorable warning it would be taking over control of video transmission. ABC's hour anthology never reached Twilight Zone status, but did showcase imaginative writers (Harlan Ellison), strong performers (Martin Landau, Carroll O'Connor, Cliff Robertson, Robert Culp) and some memorable stories (I, Robot) during its two-year run of 49 black-and-white episodes.-- DW |
Absolutely Fabulous - Absolutely Everything BBC Video, 9 discs A plush silver fabric quilted "book" with colorful pages holds all 31 episodes and specials featuring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as London's most delightfully degenerate fashion victims. Series creator Saunders offers audio commentaries, too, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes, outtakes, and earlier French and Saunders sketches that inspired this wickedly rude lampoon. A favorite for all misbehaving gal pals. -- DW |
The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection Genius, 8 discs Those Depression-era kids of Hal Roach's Our Gang are at their best in all 80 shorts from Roach's MGM sound output. (He'd produced silents since 1922, and MGM continued the series through 1944 after Roach left.) Here are Stymie, Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat -- even Pete the pup with a ring around his eye -- having everyday adventures with guileless charm. Most of the film prints here are restored to like-new clarity, and they're supplemented by great extras -- three silent shorts, two documentaries, interviews with ex-Rascals, and a timeline booklet tucked inside the hardcover "book" package. Share 'em with your contemporary kids, and see if they aren't charmed, too. -- DW |
Hiya Kids! A 50's Saturday Morning Shout! Factory, 4 discs $35 How perverse WERE the 1950s? Get a load of these kiddie shows. Hosts whose attitudes would probably get them run through criminal databases today. Shrieking studio audiences of tots clearly mainlining sugar before the show. Unbridled, unapologetic product shillery. This set of 21 vintage children's series is an eye-opening -- and eye-rolling -- time trip back to decidedly un-PC days. Beyond the expected titles -- Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, Sky King, and Kukla, Fran & Ollie -- Hiya Kids! collects some near-forgotten rarities: Andy's Gang, Time for Beany, The Pinky Lee Show. -- DW |
The Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition Entertainment Rights, 13 discs, $120 Get your own Lone Ranger comic book! Trading cards! Lone Ranger Victory Corps membership card! Character history book! And, oh yeah, the 78 episodes of the first 2 TV seasons of this western classic! The hard box hinges open to reveal a trove of Lone Ranger collectibles to satisfy the devotee or just any ex-kid hip to the hearty "Hi-yo Silver!" drill. Episode prints in this official collection look sharp, with wide-ranging extras -- radio and cartoon episodes (with onscreen radio script!), and even the Ranger's guest shot on Lassie. (However: No captions or subtitles.) -- DW |
Hopalong Cassidy: The Complete Collection Infinity Entertainment, 12 discs, $80 The older your gift recipient, the more he or she will swoon over this comprehensive new collection. Not only is every episode of the 1952-54 Western series included here, but so are 10 of the films that preceded it, and an Encore Westerns documentary that puts it all in perspective. To old-time western fans and older baby boomers, this should provide many Hoppy returns. -- DB |
Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection HIT Entertainment, 20 discs $140 Jim Henson's lively '80s HBO fave teaching kids about human relationships is finally here in its entirety, after 3 season-set releases. Some buyers are still upset that Season 4 is nowhere else to be found, but this complete series of 96 episodes would be treasured by any other childhood fan of the Fraggles' multicultural world. Inside a shelvable three-ring binder whose cool 3D plastic cover replicates the rock, the discs are (rather insecurely) slipped into slots in card-stock pages. The final disc is the big bonus, with engaging features going "behind the rock" to explore the show's puppet design, performers, music/theme song, the crew's wrap party, and other insider treats. There's even a framable map of the Fraggle universe. -- DW |
Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition Shout! Factory, 8 discs Diehards are likely to have ordered this obsessive set when it was originally available in 2004 by mail order from the F&G web site. Now hitting store shelves, too (in a slightly less swank binding), it adds the two bonus discs that did not come in that year's standard 6-disc retail series set. Additional extras include a 72-minute TV festival Q&A with cast/crew (lo-fi), complete episode table reads (lower-fi), actors' audition tapes (lowest-fi), backstage camcorder footage (lower-than-lo), on-screen scripts, and more. Plus the yearbook's super-cool inscriptions, photos, timeline, et al. Ne plus ultra, for those who don't have it already. -- DW |
Knight Rider: The Complete Series Universal, 24 discs, $140 Kids of the '80s will love these flashbacks to the tube adventures of their youth. Single-sided discs of all four seasons of David Hasselhoff and talking car KITT are in slimcases stacked inside a broad black box. At the push of a button on the front, red lights flash and the theme song plays. BUY NOW The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series Universal, 20 discs, $150 Bill Bixby goes ballistically green in a broad box with raised HULK letters bubbling up. Inside are two slimcased stacks of discs from the five season sets, with all their existing extras. -- DW BUY NOW |
Honey West: The Complete Series VCI, 4 discs $40 Anne Francis' private eye goes karate-chopping the bad guys in her sleek black catsuit, when she isn't taking leisurely bubble baths in her sunken tub or cuddling Bruce, her pet ocelot. ABC's 1965 half-hour series remains too cool, in crisply restored black-and-white -- elegant and earthy, sexy and smart, just like Its trendsetting heroine. Could there have been a Girl From U.N.C.L.E., a Bionic Woman or Sydney Bristow without her? This set also features the fun of original commercials, including since-banned cigarette spots. Watch Arnold Palmer puff away before a putt! -- DW |
Mister Peepers 2 sets from S'more Entmnt. 4 discs/$40 each Wally Cox is a mousy science teacher vexed by the tiniest details of everyday life in this must-see comedy delight of 1950s live television. Preserved here on kinescope films shot off TV monitors (a process explained in Set 2), the show's calm, gentle tone welcomes us into Robinson J. Peepers' quirky world, taking its time to charm with natural humor, rather than "make 'em laugh" at jokes. Unlikely star Cox plays warmly off a young Tony Randall as his know-it-all pal and Marion Lorne (Bewitched's Aunt Clara) as their blithering principal. Video/audio quality is vastly improved in the second set, where superb extras include original live commercials, a naughty Randall interview, and a Cox episode of the early TV chiller Suspense. -- DW |
Studio One Koch Vision, 6 discs $100 The premier live drama showcase of TV's pioneer days finally gets showcased on DVD. Not only are there 17 plays aired 1948-58 -- including the initial production of "Twelve Angry Men" -- but also the original commercials, retrospective interviews, and a 52-page background book. But the most impressive thing is how powerfully these dramas hold up, 50-60 years later. The adrenalive of "live" still packs a punch into tight but taut NYC studio stagings of "1984" with Eddie Albert and "Dino" with Sal Mineo, plus 15 other adaptations (Wuthering Heights, Julius Caesar) and originals (from Rod Serling, Reginald Rose, Gore Vidal). Enjoy early career-making work from Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston and other stars-to-be, amid creativity in technical proficiency that's astonishing for its time. -- DW |
The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus - Collectors Edition Megaset A&E, 21 discs $160 At least the boxes keep getting smaller as A&E returns to the well with yet more "megasets" of this daft British comedy classic. Now it's a slightly oversized recipe-card box, containing two hardcover fold-out sets. One holds 14 discs with all 45 episodes. The other has 7 discs of Everything Else. That includes the existing 6 Personal Best cast-member collections (on 3 discs) and the 2 Monty Python Live discs. New goodies here start with a black-and-white Before the Flying Circus hour, with bio material and clips of pre-Python work. Even cooler: the must-see hour Monty Python Conquers America, charting the show's unlikely U.S. debut. It's a hoot seeing retro '70s interview footage mixed with reflective new comments on Python's impact -- everybody from comedy veteran Carl Reiner to South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone. -- DW |
Home Movies 10th Anniversary Set Shout! Factory, 13 discs $130 There's a dedicated cult following for this squiggle-and Flash-animated series about a filmmaking kid and his flicks -- and his single mom and his absent dad and his cranky soccer coach. (And lawn gnomes.) Even for fans who already own DVDs of all 4 seasons aired on UPN and adult swim, this new collectors giftset comes in a cool movie clapboard-styled flip-top box. Then it throws in an actual logoed chalkboard clapboard and cloth tote bag, too. A bonus CD holds 52 musical riffs to remember. -- DW |
Charmed: Complete Series Paramount, 49 discs The deep green Limited Deluxe Edition shown above is 15 inches high and 12 inches wide. That makes its Book of Shadows packaging both impressive and difficult to shelve. But you want wow factor, right? The thick cover opens to richly colored/scripted pages detailing not just episodes of this witchy adventure, but also characters (Firestarter), tools (Crimson Scalpel), spells (To Summon Belthazor) and more. The discs click down into thicker pages, making them less scratch-prone than the slide-in style. And a new bonus disc has the original pilot (with Lori Rom instead of Alyssa Milano), featurettes on demons and effects, a look at The Book, and more. (The smaller-sized Complete Series set, using slide-in pages, is list priced at $272.) -- DW |
Route 66 2 sets from Infinity TV's original gritty drama finally brings its slice-of-stories to DVD in season sets. Kennedy-era wanderers Martin Milner and George Maharis cross the country in their Corvette, getting involved with the locals for character study that extends the intimacy of vintage live TV drama to the location-filmed format. Each early '60s episode is like a leisurely play, showcasing name guests (Anne Francis, Ethel Waters) and stars-to-be (Leslie Nielsen and Darren McGavin in Season 1, Robert Redford and Martin Sheen in Season 2). Avoid the half-season sets; Season 1, Vol. 2 converted episodes to 16:9 (later fixed in the full-season set) -- DW. |
Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Television Series Lionsgate, 60 discs Your favorite Michael Landon fan probably has the season sets already, but this massive collection in a hardboard wagon-shaped box adds the subsequent TV movies, new interviews, commentaries, and more. Too bad it's all packaged in an awkward binder holding three-hole "pages" folded so the discs can be rather unsecurely stuffed inside. Looks smashing. Works badly. But devotees may be happy just seeing the impressively large package on their shelves. -- DW |
The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series CBS, 27 discs Another fan favorite in an imposing looking but clumsily packaged box. Here are all four seasons of the whimsical James Bond-ian gadget western of the '60s, starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as secret agents battling mad scientists like Michael Dunn's dwarf Dr. Loveless. But inside the "leather-and-metal" design cardboard box, the discs from previous season sets come sitting inside strangely tacky, flimsy paper containers. (Are they supposed to be shaped like saddle bags or what?) At least fans get a bonus disc with the stars' two reunion TV movies (aired in 1979 and 1980). -- DW |
Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition CBS, 4 discs $50 Mystery/crimesolving/courtroom fans should love this affectionate salute to Raymond Burr's intrepid defense attorney. Included are 12 episodes from throughout CBS' 1957-66 run, featuring guest stars like Robert Redford, Leonard Nimoy and Bette Davis -- plus a case Mason actually loses, one with Burr in a dual role, and the finale, with a cameo by Mason author Erle Stanley Gardner. There's also the complete 1985 TV movie revival, featurettes and interviews galore, and other vintage clips. Verdict: worth owning. -- DW |
My So-Called Life: The Complete Series Shout! Factory, 6 discs $69.99 This rerelease of the 1994 series, a pivotal TV memory for young people now in their mid-twenties, is worth praising for its new material, with documentaries and audio commentary all adding extra value. The real reason to buy this and give it to someone, though, is because Claire Danes, as a conflicted teenager, was positively perfect. -- DB |
Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show Sony, 4 discs $49.95 HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, starring Garry Shandling as a fictional, brooding late-night TV host, was one of the shows that made HBO's reputation. Co-stars Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor are fabulous, the roster of famous faces playing themselves is endless, and just as many famous faces play fictional characters in Larry's universe. This set includes hours of newly filmed material in which Shandling revisits such Sanders players as Jerry Seinfeld and Sharon Stone - hours that are like a new TV show in themselves. -- DB |
The Office - The Collection BBC Video, 5 discs $59.92 Here's a gift for almost anyone who loves pitch-perfect comedy. Yes, the Americanized NBC version has developed its own voice and reputation, and has turned into a funny show in its own right -- but this British original, starring Ricky Gervais, is undiluted brilliance from start to finish. Especially the finish, because its telemovie finale, wrapping up the entire show, affords one of the best endings of any TV series in history. This set has it all: both seasons, plus the finale. -- DB |
Planet Earth / The Blue Planet: Special Collector's Edition BBC Video, 10 discs $119.98 What could be better than giving someone the superb Planet Earth nature documentary series as a holiday gift? How about giving them the same production crew's preceding masterwork, The Blue Planet, as part of the same gift pack? Another great reason to explore this Planet: It presents the original narration by Sir David Attenborough, not the Sigourney Weaver narration re-recorded, inexplicably, for the Discovery Channel telecast in the United States. -- DB |
The Point BMG Video, 1 disc $14.98 Trust me, please: If you're looking for a gift for a young child, or anyone with any vestiges of childhood left in them, this DVD release of the 1971 animated TV special, with music and story by Harry Nilsson, is perfect. This is where "Me and My Arrow" came from, and lots of other songs, images and punch lines I've never forgotten -- and never wanted to. A children's classic that's a joy to watch with them. Or without them. -- DB |
The Prisoner: Complete Series Megaset (40th Anniversary Edition) A&E Home Video, 10 discs $99.95 This 1968 Patrick McGoohan series is a great gift for two very different kinds of recipients. It's perfect for anyone old enough to have seen this baffling existential masterwork the first time around, with McGoohan as the enigmatic political prisoner Number 6. Yet it's also perfect for anyone who thinks Twin Peaks was the first word in surrealistic TV, or for those who love television that challenges them, but never heard of The Prisoner. This show is still ahead of its time. (And especially worth revisiting before AMC's remake premieres in 2009.) -- DB |
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete First Season Classic Media, 4 discs $21.95 And now for something you'll really like. Three seasons of these incomparable Jay Ward cartoon series are on DVD by this point, starting with 1959's Rocky and His Friends and continuing with 1961's The Bullwinkle Show. You should know if the animated antics of Rocket J. Squirrel and his buddies are suitable for the gift recipient you have in mind. If in doubt, ask yourself this? Do they like puns? If so, buy this immediately. -- DB |
The West Wing - The Complete Series Collection Warner, 45 discs $299.98 This opulently packaged complete series set was released last year in time for the holidays. That's good news for shoppers this year, because it's still available, but at a hefty markdown. And since the first few seasons are as good as a dramatic series can get - or has gotten to this point, anyway - it's a nice cornerstone to a high-quality, high-end DVD collection.-- DB |
Seinfeld - The Complete Series Sony, 32 discs $283.95 One of the best comedies ever made, presented in a solid, comprehensive, classy mega-package. To purchase, CLICK HERE. |
The Singing Detective BBC Video, 3 discs $39.98 You didn't think I'd forget to suggest my favorite TV miniseries of all time, did you? This British drama with music isn't everyone's cup of Earl Gray - but for Dennis Potter fans, or adventurous and thoughtful TV viewers, this is the ultimate. To purchase, CLICK HERE. |
Spike Jones: The Legend Infinity Entertainment, 4 discs, $49.98 Because of the high costs of securing DVD rights for performers in variety shows, complete variety-show releases are very rare. That's why this exhausting, if not exhaustive, collection of Spike Jones' musical shenanigans is so delightful. Astoundingly clear copies of four shows guest hosted by Jones during the early '50s - two each of Colgate Comedy Hour and All Star Revue - are here, along with a DVD of extra material, and an audio CD of previously unreleased radio pilots. TV historians, rejoice! -- DB |
Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition CBS/Paramount, 10 discs $108.99 The pilot, season one, season two - all of this David Lynch-Mark Frost mystery series boasts moments that rank among the most original and unforgettable ever done on teevision. To purchase, CLICK HERE. |
Undeclared - The Complete Series Shout! Factory, 4 discs $49.98 Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow of Knocked Up worked here, too, before that successful comedy film and after they both toiled on the NBC cult comedy Freaks and Geeks (another holiday pick). What Freaks did for high school, Undeclared did for college - and did so just as inventively. Loudon Wainwright III, as a loose-cannon dad, is an especially welcome addition. Another sure winner of a gift for twentysomethings, even if they've never heard of it. -- DB |
The War - A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick PBS Video, 6 discs $129.99 If you saw this 2007 WWII documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, you know it's a masterpiece worth owning. If you didn't see it, buy it as a gift, because it's the best work of Burns' long and impressive career. Then borrow it and watch it yourself. Just remember to return it. This is one of those series that's even better on DVD, because you can navigate through it with ease, and watch at your own pace -- DB. |
