'Studio One' is one of those shows I wasn't sure they'd ever release on DVD. Sure, it's an important, classic shows, but I wondered if they'd bother releasing them and if some of the tapes were erased or in horrible condition. There was a big 'Studio One' set released last year, and this week we have 'Twelve Angry Men' and the Rod Serling dramas in separate sets. Really great stuff, and well worth getting if you're into TV history.
For those of you still crying in your screwdrivers over David Tennant's exit from 'Doctor Who,' and waiting for Matt Smith to fill the void, BBC America has posted a three-minute video of "Tennant's greatest moments as the Doctor" to promote 'Doctor Who: The Complete Specials,' which is out today.
The clip takes us from "new teeth, that's weird" all the way up to the Master's death, with a good number of clips from the specials in between. And of course, Daleks and Cybermen. There are some nice reminders of how good Tennant was at playing both drama and comedy on the show, including his back and fourth with Sky Silvestry ("Shamble bobble dibble dooble") from 'Midnight' from series four and his exchange with a would-be companion from 'Planet of the Dead' ("People have traveled with me and I've lost them, lost them all").
It's not every week that you see four different DVD sets for game shows released, but that's what we have this week: "Best Of" sets for'The Price is Right', 'Password', and'Match Game '73', as well as a special set for the Richard Dawson 'Family Feud' episodes. I actually might buy the first three (not really a big 'Family Feud' guy). Having DVDs for classic episodes of those three game shows might be fun.
I'd like to see someone come out with a sampler DVD set of short-lived game shows or even well-known game shows that will never get their own full sets.
'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' - Vol. 3
'Beverly Hills, 90210'- Season 9
'Doctor Who' - The End of Time, The Waters of Mars, and The Complete Specials
The final 16-episode season of 'Lost' hasn't even started yet (we'll have a live chat tomorrow night for the season's premiere) and already there's release date for the DVD for that final season.
VideoETA and TVShowsOnDVD have announced that ABC and Disney will release a DVD set (both regular and Blu-ray) for the final season of 'Lost' on August 24. The set will include various features such as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the final season (and the show in general), interviews with cast and crew, audio commentaries, bloopers, deleted scenes, and hopefully some answers that we probably won't get when the show ends.
Fox showed little faith in the intriguing drama that followed a crew of astronauts haunted by a malfunctioning VR system and a bit of space madness. After ordering several changes to the show in order to make it more "mainstream," the network scrapped plans for a full series and dumped the premiere on a random Friday night last June with little promotion.
David Tennant's last appearance of the The Doctor to arrive on a Doctor Who DVD will arrive this spring with the animated Dreamland.
According to a BBC America news release, the CG-animated adventure will arrive in U.S. stores on May 4 for $24.98. Voiced by Tennant, The Doctor visits Dry Springs, Nev. in 1958 in an environment deliberately reminiscent of Roswell and the would-be New Mexico UFO crash.
In the one-off episode, The Doctor befriends a young waitress, Cassie, and her friend, Jimmy. When the Doctor examines an extraterrestrial artifact, he draws the attention of a mysterious man in black, an alien warrior and Colonel Stark, commander of "Dreamland" (the military base also known as Area 51).
I guess this is a good week to find out what type of TV fan you are. Are you going to be Callan or are you going to buy Bridget's Sexiest Beaches?
The only thing I might buy is the remastered edition of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. I can't remember the last time I saw it, but I've been on a Peanuts kick lately. Though it's a lot of singing and dancing (it's based on the classic Broadway musical) and I'm not sure if I can handle that.
Bridget's Sexiest Beaches - Season 1
Callan - Set 2
Dirty Jobs - Collection 5
Inspector Lewis - Complete Collection, Series 1 & 2
You can be forgiven if you thought The Sarah Silverman Program was done. The last time new episodes aired on Comedy Central was December of 2008, and in an era where some shows clock two seasons a year, that's an eternity.
Take heart, Silverman fans, the show returns for a third season on February 4, paired with last year's surprise hit, Important Things with Demetri Martin. And if you miss the season premiere, you can catch it again on the LOGO network on February 9, the day The Sarah Silverman Program: Season Two, Volume Two comes out on DVD.
Defying Gravity is one of those shows where I said "oh, I have to start watching that," and then it was gone from ABC. I guess there have been several shows like that in recent years. I can say the same thing about Damages and Durham County, but at least those two shows are still around.
Guess I'm interested in shows that begin with the letter D this week.
21 Jump Street - Season 1
Cranford: Return to Cranford and The Collection (Cranford/Return to Cranford)
I've always found Aziz Ansari funny. He was great on the offbeat sketch show Human Giant. I've come to enjoy him on the sitcom Parks and Recreation. But funny in sketch comedy and on a sitcom doesn't always translate to funny stand-up comedy. And since I'm admittedly more familiar with Ansari's other work than his stand-up, his one-hour stand-up special, Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, was far from a sure thing. I am happy to report, though, that Intimate Moments completes the comedy trifecta.
The special, which premieres on Comedy Central Sunday at 10 PM and hits stores in DVD and CD form Tuesday, is laugh out loud funny in several places. From the opening bit, where Ansari challenges an activist to kill for gay rights, to his stories about his cousin Darwish and Kanye West, there is a lot of smart, original material here. Fans of Human Giant won't be disappointed.
A new season of Top Gear, one of this particular gear head's favorite shows, is headed to BBC America on January 25. And, to build buzz for the show's upcoming 13th season, BBC America is giving away DVDs for the new releases of Top Gear Season 11 and Season 12.
One of the modern stalwarts of British TV, Top Gear is a popular import to the U.S. with its mix of super cars, stunts and less than politically correct humor. For viewers like me, it's fantasy fulfillment and as close to some mammothly powerful cars as we'll ever come.
We're a season behind here in the U.S., as U.K. fans already worked their way through Season 14. But, the show's ongoing success on U.S. screens means this franchise should drive on a little farther.
Doctor Who went from regular production to sporadic specials last year to freshen up the show and to give former lead David Tennant a shot at playing Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The end results of that year of specials are headed your way on DVD in a five disc set.
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials features what proved to be a mixed bag of special episodes that became a sort of de facto fifth mini-season for Tennant. While you're not going to find a bad piece of television anywhere on this disc (or anywhere in Doctor Who's 21st century rebirth), last year's programs got weaker as they marched toward Tennant's regeneration.
The line-up includes The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time, Parts One and Two. The first two stand alone, but the last three create a sort of trilogy documenting the 10th Doctor's final days.
Robot Chicken is its own bizarre, wonderful little world, usually coming to you 15 minutes at a time on Adult Swim. It always seemed to me a show that probably only worked in small doses, but Robot Chicken: Season Four on DVD was consistently funny over two discs of near-continuous watching (and the extras are at least as entertaining). Here are my thoughts in a short video.
The best thing about making fun of the daily failings of celebrities and other public figures, as is Kathy Griffin's bread and butter, is that you can write a new act every few weeks. Griffin's Bravo special, She'll Cut A Bitch, originally aired in April of 2009, and comes out uncensored with a few extra routines (about 12 minutes total) on DVD January 12.
She also released a CD last November, called Suckin' It For the Holidays, which had almost nothing to do with the holidays. There was very little overlap between the special and CD. Griffin has released a steady stream of specials for the past several years, in addition to shooting her reality show, My Life on the D-List.
So after a few weeks of not many DVDs being released, this week has a little something for everyone: old dramas (Route 66), 90s sitcoms (Becker), cartoons (The Simpsons and Bugs Bunny), car lovers (Top Gear), and even a 25th anniversary set for Transformers.
However, if you feel the need to buy season 5 of Jon & Kate Plus 8 ... well, I don't know what to say.
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
For those of you still crying in your screwdrivers over David Tennant's exit from 
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
The final 16-episode season of 
Battlestar Galactica
David Tennant's last appearance of the The Doctor to arrive on a Doctor Who DVD will arrive this spring with the animated 
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
You can be forgiven if you thought The Sarah Silverman Program was done. The last time new episodes aired on Comedy Central was December of 2008, and in an era where some shows clock two seasons a year, that's an eternity. 
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
i funny. He was great on the offbeat sketch show Human Giant. I've come to enjoy him on the sitcom 
A new season of 
Doctor Who went from regular production to sporadic specials last year to freshen up the show and to give former lead David Tennant a shot at playing Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The end results of that year of specials are headed your way on DVD in a five disc set.
The best thing about making fun of the daily failings of celebrities and other public figures, as is Kathy Griffin's bread and butter, is that you can write a new act every few weeks. Griffin's Bravo special, She'll Cut A Bitch, originally aired in April of 2009, and comes out uncensored with a few extra routines (about 12 minutes total) on DVD January 12. 
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
