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Fargo: Season One
Fox Home Entertainment, 4 discs, $24.96 NOW $19.99
One of the best new series of the past TV season, this FX continuation of the Coen Brothers’ Fargo is its own story, its own little universe, with its own characters – but somehow, fits perfectly with the humor, unpredictability and delightfully performed antics of the original film. Martin Freeman is great. Billy Bob Thornton is even better. – DB
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Collecting all 11 seasons, over a total of 25 years, this complete-set compilation of the David Suchet episodes of Poirot also is available on DVD, in a 33-disc set going for $175.99. But for a few dollars more, you can get every episode on Blu-Ray, and load yourself up with enough warm, friendly Christie mysteries to last through a long illness, a cold winter, or a stay-at-home Anglophile vacation. This collection includes the very last episodes, previously available only on Acorn’s website. – DB
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I’ve recently reviewed this new Blu-Ray and DVD release on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, so I’m on the record with loving a chance to enjoy this classic Sixties superhero series all in one handy collection, at long last. The “Limited Edition” goodies – the small Hot Wheels Batmobile, the deck of collectable Batman cards, seem excessive, but as a holiday gift, merely add to the festivities. Holy Terrific Baby Boomer Gift, Batman! – DB
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This dark tale of a search for a ritual killer by two polar opposite detectives expanded television boundaries with all ten episodes written by series creator Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. With Woody Harrelson and co-starring Matthew McConaughey, who gets the feature role of bleak existentialist Rust Cohle, who has an uncanny skill to get the truth out of the most unwilling suspects. Maybe one of the most comprehensive dramatic visions to come along, the set includes cast interviews, audio commentaries, deleted scenes and more. –EG
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Forgotten by many, this 1955-59 sitcom is revered by some – including Larry David, who considers it TV’s funniest comedy, and by Britain’s Radio Times, which not too long ago voted the series the Number One sitcom of all time. Silvers plays a quick-thinking, quicker-talking sergeant running an Army motor pool. Great cast, great setups and deliveries, with the type of tight writing and hilariously uncomfortable situations that bring to mind Fawlty Towers and, yes, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Just released, for the first time, in grand fashion by Shout! Factory. – DB
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This series may have ended with somewhat of a whimper – but in its central seasons, True Blood was vital, creative, funny and one wild thrill ride. And here it is, all in one collection at last: Fangs for the memories. – DB
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The 2010 Holmes-Watson reboot, Sherlock, lands the two together in modern London with the Internet and cell phones as the sleuthing tools of the day. This BBC series has been one of the most popular of recent US imports and it’s easy to understand why: from the bold reworking of the original stories to solid performances by Martin Freeman (who recently starred in the FX adaptation of Fargo) as Dr. Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, the new Sherlock is a must-see for loyal fans of the original works. Season One is on sale at Amazon at 30% off, Seasons Two and Three at 25%. –EG
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Issued as a limited release following the 2013 conclusion, the Breaking Bad complete series is back in the collector’s “money barrel” set. There are six graphically-themed cases inside, housing 16 discs that include 55 hours of special features from all seasons, a two-hour documentary, the Los Pollos Hermanos apron and commemorative challenge coins designed by Vince Gilligan. This is the ultimate collection for those who want to return to total immersion in the series. –EG
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Orphan Black: Season One
BBC Home Entertainment, 3 discs, $10.00
BBC America brought to TV one of the more inventive premises for a near-future dystopian thriller — a feisty, street-smart woman sees a score by assuming the identity of a just-deceased woman who was her unknown twin. Of course, the twists only start there, with Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) going down the rabbit hole to discover a world where genetic engineering has already begun. Usually, actors are happy with one lead role in a series. Maslany got the wide acclaim of fans and critics waiting to see the newest version of Sarah each week… often on-screen together. The 2014 Season Two is available here. –EG
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The Wonder Years: The Complete Series
Starlight Vista, 26 discs, $249.95
Finally, one of the most requested DVD titles has been released: The Wonder Years. The musical elements were a seminal part of the series, and the music rights, for home-video release, proved too complicated and expensive to acquire. But the problem has been overcome and the vast majority, more than 100 of the 115 episodes, are presented with the songs intact. That’s fabulous news. And the even more fabulous news is The Wonder Years holds up beautifully in every way and hasn’t dated at all. The music, the tone, the message and the nostalgia: Everything remains pitch-perfect. -- DB
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The Sopranos: The Complete Series (Blu-Ray)
HBO Studios, 28 discs, $170.00
This brilliant HBO series is now out again in a new complete-box set, priced much lower than last time around, and some new extras – including an appearance by yours truly. But that’s no reason to buy this set. Quality TV of the highest quality – that’s the reason. – DB
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Archer: The Complete Season Four
20th Century Fox, 2 discs, $14.99
One of the great, ongoing adult cartoons follows Sterling Archer, a suave, master spy, and a bungling, narcissistic tool. Archer is full of himself, and full of endless pop-culture hipster references. His fellow crew of agents at the super-secret ISIS spy agency fare no better, including his domineering and equally self-absorbed boss and mother, Malory (Jessica Walters). The series brings the jokes as fast as any and shines with H. Jon Benjamin voicing Archer – the spy without a clue -- who backs into victory each episode. –EG
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The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
PBS Video, 7 discs, $50.13
NOW $47.04
This newest Ken Burns documentary is being offered by Amazon at a 50 percent discount – and since this 2014 joint biography of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt emerged as the venerable filmmaker’s best work to date, that’s a bargain indeed. If you didn’t see this, you should – and if you don’t get it as a gift for someone else, get one for yourself. – DB
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Anyone who loved Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up will be just as delighted by this one-season NBC wonder, a high-school comedy-drama created by Paul Feig, with Apatow as a writer-producer and Rogen as one of the high schoolers. Shout! Factory did a great job with this 2004 video release – and giving it as a gift is a way to find it even more grateful fans. – DB
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Parenthood: Season 1
Universal, 3 discs, $12.49
Here’s an idea for a timely stocking stuffer. This is the final season for NBC’s excellent Parenthood series, and fans of that show might like a quick peek back at how it all began on NBC in 2010. Because a complete series box set is inevitable a year from now, right now Universal is selling previous single-season sets at a substantial savings. Season 1, for example, is a virtual steal at under $13. And my, how far these characters have come over the years… – DB
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 Mom: Season One
Warner Home Video, 3 discs, $18.49
If you haven’t watched CBS’s Mom, now’s your chance to see why Allison Janney won her Emmy this year for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy and why Anna Faris is being lauded for her performance, as well. And if you are a fan already, then you know you want others to become fans, too. The sitcom, now in the middle of Season Two, presents the life of a single mom of two (Faris’ Christy), in recovery over various addictions, struggling to pay the bills, and surrounded by friends and family who try to help her with it all -- “try” being the operative word. Wickedly funny with a lot of heart. –LD
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Louie: The Complete Season 3
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2 discs, $19.99
Louie’s Complete Season 4 is not out yet but that doesn’t mean 2012’s Season 3 (there was a hiatus in 2013) will not give Louie fans their usual down-beat, squirmy-smart delight. The season’s storyline saw Louie up for replacing David Letterman, and prepped by fictitious agent Jack Dall (David Lynch) who made famous one rehearsal interview attempt, coining it as “The Crying Cleaning Lady Hour!”. –EG
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Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Deluxe Edition
Warner Home Video, $8.97
It was weeks before Christmas and all through the ‘net,
Couch potatoes were worried by gifts yet to get.
So here is an answer that’s really a cinch,
Click the link that’s above and you’ll get The Grinch.
Spinning trumtookas and Cindy Lou Who,
Smiles and laughter are long overdue.
So bring it along on your movable feast
As you sit down to dine on the yummy roast beast. –LD
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Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
Classic Video, 1 disc, $4.50
This animated holiday special, from 1962, is more than 50 years old now, but still delights. Credit composers Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, who also teamed for Funny Girl, with a gift-wrapped treat of a score – and a reworking of the Dickens classic that, at this price, makes a perfect shocking stuffer. – DB
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Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey [Blu-ray]
20th Century Fox, 4 discs, $35.99 NOW $27.99
Rebooting the original Carl Sagan PBS series, this 2014 version, with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, brings glorious state-of-the-art CGI to explore all the lessons of the universe. Segments illustrating historical moments in scientific discovery are done in animation by Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy team. Don’t let that association mislead you — the sober-minded animated segments are critical to the clarity and success of the series, as is Tyson’s obvious passion for his subject. A great gift for anyone in the family. –EG
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The Singing Detective
BBC Video, three discs, $34.99 NOW $24.99
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 Grey – but for Dennis Potter fans, or adventurous and thoughtful TV viewers, this is the ultimate. - DB
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A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)
Warner Home Video, 1 disc, $11.49
Why wait for ABC to rerun this classic 1965 animated Christmas special? Give it to anyone with (or without) children, and you’ll be handing them a very handy holiday pick-me-up. Charles Schulz’s first TV special remains his, and TV’s, best. – DB
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The Point
BMG Video, 1 disc, $10.69
NOW $9.99
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 want to. A children’s classic that’s a joy to watch with them. Or without them. And, this year, under $11. –DB
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When Things Were Rotten
CBS Home Entertainment, 2 discs, $15.49
If you have a friend who’s a big Mel Brooks fan (and if not, why are they friends?), here’s a recently released treat: Mel Brooks’ very short-lived Robin Hood spoof from 1975. This TV series lasted only 13 episodes – and they’re all here, starring Dick Gautier as Robin, Dick Van Patten as Friar Tuck, and Misty Rowe as Maid Marian. Until now, this DVD release was one of the missing links in the Mel Brooks chain of outrageous comedy, so this compilation hits the bullseye. – DB
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Temple Grandin
HBO Studios, 1 disc, $8.69
Temple Grandin isn't just a great telemovie. It's the best one in years, and a reminder about just how good television can be when all elements of a production are absolutely perfect. Claire Danes stars in the title role, and just as she exploded onto the scene as a teenager in ABC's My So-Called Life 16 years ago, she vaults herself into another, Meryl Streep-like level in this new dramatic showcase. As Grandin, a woman who battled autism while becoming an advocate for the humane treatment of animals and a designer of gentler stockyard and slaughterhouse systems for cattle, she's nothing short of magnificent. –DB
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Lonesome Dove (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) [Blu-Ray]
Genius Entertainment, 2 discs, $14.99 NOW $13.59
This 1989 epic is one of the last truly great miniseries and always a timeless gift for western fans. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star in Larry McMurtry’s story of Texas Rangers past their prime – but still prime examples of fascinating characters. Duvall gives a career-best performance as Augustus McCrae, and Jones does likewise as fellow retired Texas Ranger Woodrow Call. In addition, the supporting cast standouts include Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Rick Schroder, Chris Cooper, and Steve Buscemi. Extras include a 6-hour director’s commentary and original on-set interviews. Special Amazon price at $12.99 –DB
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The Wire: The Complete Series
HBO Studios, 23 discs, $84.96
The Wire was created and written by former Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon whose first book was adapted for the other great Baltimore crime series Homicide: Life on the Street. (Simon’s last series, Treme, wrapped up last year.) This gripping 2002-08 series pulled no punches as it looked at the tragic spectrum of corruption not only in the drug trade, but in government, the media and unions. It was often hard to rank who would go lower to get what they wanted. The Wire should be part of any detective-crime library alongside True Detective and Breaking Bad. –EG
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Six Feet Under: The Complete Series
HBO Video, 24 discs, $69.96
HBO Video replaced its lavish gift box with this slimmer set, minus the two soundtrack CDs and the superior packaging. But all five seasons are here, of a series that captivates, challenges and entertains from beginning to end – especially the end. What a series finale. And what a joy to see so many cast members who have gone on to other great things: Peter Krause in Parenthood, Michael C. Hall in Dexter, Frances Conroy in American Horror Story, and Richard Jenkins in movies, just for starters. And series creator Alan Ball, of course, went on to True Blood. So clearly, there is life after Six Feet Under, but what a joy this HBO series was, a show that confronted death while celebrating life, from the unlikely setting of a family-run funeral home. –DB
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Naked City: The Complete Series
Image Entertainment, 29 discs, $81.99 NOW $77.49
The 1958-63 Naked City was perhaps the forefather of gritty police dramas to follow, like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue that not only looked at the crime but also into the personal dramas of the detectives behind the investigations. The series had a guest star roster that would go on to be the top actors of our time including Robert Redford, Peter Falk, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Walter Matthau and many others. All 138 episodes included. –EG
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
BBC Video, 2 discs, $13.49
Eons before the 2005 movie version, but after the original BBC Radio version, this 1981 miniseries presented a very low-budget, high-concept version of Douglas Adams’ fabulously inventive space oddity. It’s all here, from the talking galactic book guide to the deadly Vogon poetry. This set is five years old now, but a real bargain – and, for Adams-come-latelies, a real eye-opener. – DB
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The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection
Image Entertainment, 28 discs (DVD), $133.49; 24 discs (Blu-ray), $138.68
The Writers Guild of America voted The Twilight Zone Number 3 on its list of all-time best-written TV series, right behind the much more modern The Sopranos and Seinfeld. For a series that launched in 1959 to rank so highly on the list hints at just how good Rod Serling’s superlative TV anthology series really is. And this is a superlative package, with all 156 episodes and an ark-sized raft of extras, including tons of commentary and the original unaired pilot. You'll be stunned by the transfer quality as well as the venerable TZ content. Only a few TV series from the medium’s Golden Age remain a core part of our common cultural heritage, but The Twilight Zone manages to capture the imagination of each new generation of viewers. Also available on Blu-Ray. –DB
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Carnivàle: Season 1 & 2
HBO Studios, 4 discs each, $9.99 each.
Nothing like the circus as a place for the unsettling and bizarre, as American Horror Story: Freak Show is currently highlighting in all its gory glory. Carnivàle, the 2003-05 HBO series, made the traveling big top even more compelling by setting it in the Dust Bowl era and making it the supernatural battleground between forces of good and evil. A rocking good way of exploring old-time American values, Carnivàle got five Emmys after its first season and had a great cast including Amy Madigan, Ralph Waite, Clancy Brown, Nick Stahl and Michael J. Anderson from Twin Peaks. One of the great cinematic TV efforts, the series got cut short after its second season. –Eric Gould
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