TV on DVD for August 25th

Holy smokes, there are a ton of DVDs being released today. If you can’t find something you like in this group … well, you have oddly specific tastes. The biggies this week include Californication, Life, House, Lie To Me, NCIS, Smallville, One Tree Hill, Samantha Who?, and Scrubs. That’s just to get started, though. You’ll also find thirtysomething, Wiseguy, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Untouchables, and a trio of History Channel favorites. My pick of the week? The complete series of Wanted: Dead Or Alive. McQueen, man. The full list is after the jump.

Californication: The Complete Second Season Shows that air on the pay channels enjoy a lot of freedoms that their peers on the regular channels don’t. And no show takes more advantage of those freedoms than Californication. Not that they use it just because they can. There is comedy at the root of all that blue language and all those naked bodies. Okay, maybe not all the naked bodies, but some of them, for sure. The show is about David Duchovny’s Hank Moody, but the real reason to watch season two is Callum Keith Rennie as Lew Ashby. He steals the show on a number of occasions. Check out our giveaway for two copies of this set.

Life: Season 2 Life is on my list as one of the shows that got away. It really was better than the ratings ever suggested. NBC, to their credit, took a chance on this second season, even though the prospects for success were questionable, at best. The cancellation was unfortunate, but look on the bright side — we did get two seasons of a very good cop show. Crews and Reese were a great team. And I even started to warm up to Tidwell, once they washed the axle grease out of his hair.

thirtysomething: The Complete First Season There is an interesting hole in the TV on DVD releases. Unlike today, where a DVD set is almost a given, there are a lot of shows from the late 80s and early 90s where home video was never in the plans. Unfortunately, it’s taking a long time to get through the backlog. They are coming though, and thirtysomething is one that many have been waiting for. The New York Times once called it, “as close to the level of an art form as weekly television ever gets.” That may be going a little far, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s a great piece of television history, well worth your time.

• Wanted: Dead or Alive:  The Complete Series – I’ve never seen this, but it’s the deal of the week. Steve McQueen as Bounty Hunter Josh Randall, also starring Michael Landon, James Coburn, Deforest Kelly, and Warren Oates. 11 disks, 2,400 minutes, $22. You can’t beat that.
• House: Season 5 – Dr. House, raisin’ hell like the class when the lunch bell rings.
• Lie to Me: Season 1 (Blu-ray) – Following House in the DVD list, as it will in the new fall schedule.
• NCIS: The Complete 6th Season – Gibbs keeps going, and going, with no end in sight. The 6th season actually saw ratings increases.
• Wiseguy: The Complete 1st Season – Like thirtysomething, another 80s classic that is overdue for the DVD treatment.
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Volume 1 – Four episodes from the first season find Batman teaming up with Blue Beetle, Plastic Man, Aquaman, and Red Tornado.
• Smallville: The Complete 8th Season (Blu-ray) – Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Aquaman rescue Clark. World saving ensues.
• One Tree Hill: The Complete 6th Season – I’ve totally lost track of the kids in Tree Hill at this point.
• Samantha Who?: The Complete 2nd Season – Things didn’t end well in the ratings, but Christina Applegate shines as Samantha. We’ll have a review of this series up soon.
• Scrubs: The Complete 8th Season – Come for J.D. and Turk, stay for Denise the Intern. This is the set that includes the DVD previewing ABC’s hit shows.
• Booker: Collector’s Edition – The failed spinoff from 21 Jump Street. In collector form.
• MonsterQuest: Season 3, Part 1 – “The world’s most persistent and compelling monster stories, from MegaJaws to the Swamp Beast of Boggy Creek, the Lake Demon to the Abominable Snowman.”
• Battle 360: Bloody Battle of Guadalcanal – The History Channel always gets me with this stuff.
• Battles BC: The Complete Season 1 – Ditto.
• Suite Life on Deck: Anchors Away – Hannah Montana wishes she had the staying power of Zach and Cody.
• Dungeons & Dragons: The Animated Series – The complete series, starring Willie Ames and Adam Rich. Really.
• The Untouchables: Season 3, Volume 1 – Robert Stack as Eliot Ness. Classic.
• How the Earth Was Made: The Series – Another solid entry from History Channel.
• Sex, God, Rock ‘n Roll: Season 1 – Stuart David blends edgy comedy and original music. Filmed in front of a live audience in Boulder.
• Sonny with a Chance: Vol. 1 – Sonny’s Big Break – Demi Lovato in another Disney creation that I somehow missed. How do you keep up with them all? Well, DVD, I guess.
• TV Sets: Beyond The Ordinary – A collection featuring Star Trek‘s “The Man Trap,” and the pilots for The 4400, Medium, and Joan of Arcadia.
• TV Sets: Crime And Punishment – This one offers Hawaii Five-O‘s “Full Fathom Five,” The Streets Of San Francisco‘s “Thirty Year Pin,” CSI: NY‘s “Blink,” and the Dexter pilot.

Clacked by Brett Love
on Aug 25, 2009 @ 16:00 EST5EDT