TVSquad

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

This might not be the biggest DVD release day in history, but it's certainly one of the business. There's something for everyone this week, including a bunch of "Fan Favorites" DVDs for various sitcoms, including NewsRadio, All in the Family, and I Dream of Jeannie. That's a neat idea, though I wonder, if you're a big fan, wouldn't you already have the DVDs?

Oh, and remember Day Break, the ABC mystery series from a couple of years ago? You can get the Complete Series. I don't think I ever saw the end of that show. You can watch it on SlashControl, so maybe I'll start there before buying the set.

• All in the Family - Fan Favorites
• Ax Men - Season 2
• Barney Miller - Fan Favorites
• Bewitched - Fan Favorites

For some reason I thought that Henry Gibson was a lot older than 73, but the character actor with the huge resume passed away from cancer at that age yesterday in Malibu.

One of the more famous TV credits on that resume was Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, the influential 60s comedy show that no one under 30 has ever seen. He also appeared in shows like Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies, Deep Space Nine, Coach, MacGyver, Evening Shade, Sisters, Newhart, Magnum, P.I., and Simon and Simon.

More recently, TV fans know him from his many appearances as a judge on Boston Legal and his voice work on King of the Hill (he played Bob Jenkins). He was also in several movies, including Magnolia (he played Thurston Howell???), The Nutty Professor, Nashville, The Blues Brothers, Wedding Crashers, and a ton of others.

The science fiction blog Io9 has a chart up at their site that tracks the themes that have been used on sci-fi TV shows since 1970. How many shows have been about time travel, robots, aliens, space travel, and/or mutants? Is there a trend to the themes of sci-fi shows over the years? (Here's the complete list of shows they looked at to create the chart.)

It's time for another TV list! Everybody loves lists, right? This one has AOL picking the best TV shows of the 1960s.

As usual, it's a list that will get the debate going. Shows that without a doubt deserve to be on the list: The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, I Spy, and Bewitched.

Shows that without a doubt don't belong on the list: The Flying Nun, Hogan's Heroes, and The Mod Squad. Sure, I enjoyed those shows when I was younger, but I really don't think they belong in the "best" category (I'll let you debate another show on the list, Batman - great or just "campy" great?)

So last night we had the return of the guys and gals from Sterling Cooper, and Asylum.com has a list of the best fictional TV advertising agencies.

Beyond Mad Men and Bewitched, I couldn't have told you the names of the ad agencies on Bosom Buddies, Full House, or thirtysomething if a million bucks was at stake. Did they miss anyone? I know we've had other ad agencies on TV but my mind is blank at the moment.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

Now this is a DVD release week. Lots of stuff for every type of TV fan. I'm definitely getting Mad Men (and I'm going to watch all of the episodes again immediately to get ready for next month's launch of season 3), and I'm tempted to get the season 8 set of Bewitched, though I'll probably wait for the inevitable complete series set. I've never seen The Guns of Will Sonnett, but friends tell me it was good. Hopefully that's on Hulu or AOL Video or Retro TV so I don't have to actually buy it yet.

• American Gladiators - Season 1
• Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection 4
• Bewitched - Season 8
• Bleach - Uncut Box Set Vol. 3: The Rescue
• ER - Season 11

Mother's Day is Sunday, but we all have to realize that not every mom deserves a box of chocolates, a nice dinner, or a bouquet of flowers. AOL has their picks for the worst TV moms of all time, and a lot of the usual suspects are on the list. I think we can all agree that Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond should be on the list. She clearly loves her kids, but...wow, how manipulative and pushy and meddling can a person get?

Evelyn Harper from Two and a Half Men is on the list, too. She's such a bad mom that it's sometimes easy to forget that she's even Charlie and Alan's mother. She seems more like some older, sexy aunt or something.

I have to get something off my chest, and I'm not talking about my man boobs. It has to do with Will Ferrell. See, I like Will as an actor. He had some fine roles on Saturday Night Live and has proven himself a qualified movie actor. Some of his roles have even revolved around television show remakes. Unfortunately, those remakes tend to, um, not make fans of the original shows very happy.

Okay, they don't make me very happy. Sure, his redo of Bewitched was okay, but it really didn't have the "magic" and quirkiness of the old series. Now, he's remaking the classic Saturday morning show Land of the Lost. From the most recent trailer, it seems that Ferrell is going to go the action comedy route (heavy on the comedy) to draw in the audiences. For fans of the old Sid & Marty Kroftt series, this is not good news.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

I don't know why I haven't bought any of the Bewitched sets yet. It's one of my favorite sitcoms, but I think it has gotten so far into the releases (this week it's season 7) that I've convinced myself that there will be a complete series set and that I should wait for it. But I'm tempted to buy this set because it features an entire episode set and filmed in my hometown!

As for the Columbo movie set, well, I have to buy that now because I just bought the entire series on DVD.

• Afro Samurai - Resurrection (regular set and special editions)
  
• Becker - Season 2
• Bewitched - Season 7
• Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection: 1990
• Dave's World - Season 2
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Vol. 14
• Night Court - Season 2
• The Partridge Family - Season 4
• Tom and Jerry Tales - Vol. 6

The TV neighbor has served many useful roles over the years; some that many thought had been lost by the unrelenting sands of time.

They've become the great modern philosopher like Wilson, the evolving thinker like Bill Dauterive, the bearer of bad news like Newman, and even the court jester -- as long as you don't count one of these guys.

Not only would we not want some of them living next door to us, we wouldn't want them living. Period. These are the annoying next-door neighbors who should have been run out by the Neighborhood Homeowners' Association with torches and pitchforks.

It's Halloween, so you know that like most holidays we're seeing more and more TV-related lists. AOL TV has picked the top 20 witches of all-time.

I have to admit that when I first saw this piece I couldn't even name 20 witches that we've had on television. Sure, I immediately thought of Samantha and Endora on Bewitched, Willow on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Tabitha on Passions, and the girls from Charmed, but after that I really had to scratch my head on how they were going to come up with 20. But then I saw that they extended the rules to include witches from cartoons and TV movies, so after that it's probably pretty easy. Though I think it's an easy way out to pick all the girls from Charmed.

Witchipoo from H.R. Pufnstuf is there, as is the girl from Wizards of Waverly Place. I've never seen this movie Worst Witch they speak of, but they pick more than one witch from it so maybe it's more well known than I realize. I love the fact they picked Amanda from Tucker's Witch.

Of course, the list isn't perfect. Nancy Grace isn't on it.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Dody Goodman: She was a comic and character actress who appeared on several TV shows, including Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Tonight Show, St. Elsewhere, Diff'rent Strokes, Murder, She Wrote, The Phil Silvers Show, Punky Brewster, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and The Love Boat, and was in movies such as Grease and Splash. She died at age 92.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• The 4400 - Season 4
• Acapulco H.E.A.T. - Complete Series
• 'Allo 'Allo - Series 8
• Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 3 Fire, Vol. 3
• Bewitched - Season 6 (color)
• Crossing Jordan - Season 1
• Greg the Bunny - Best of the Film Parodies: Vol. 2
• A Haunting - Hauntings in America
• Hiya Kids! A 50's Saturday Morning Box
• The Jack Benny Show - The Jack Benny Show
• Madeline - Next Stop America
• Man vs. Wild - Collection 1
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (widescreen)
• Naruto - Uncut Boxed Set Vol. 7 (special edition)
• Punky Brewster - Season 1, Vol. 1
• Sgt. Preston of the Yukon - Best Of
• Speed Racer: The Next Generation - Vol. 1
• Spider-Man - Mutant Agenda
• That Girl - Season 1, Vol. 1

Hey, so do I, and I didn't even protest anything.

A Salem, MA man who was arrested three years ago while protesting a statue put up by TV Land in honor of Elizabeth Montgomery and the classic show Bewitched is suing the Witch City for $1 million. He says his civil rights were violated, he was roughed up by two cops, and that the whole arrest was unnecessary. The man, Richard Sorrell, was protesting the placement of the statue, across the street from where several people died in the witch trials. The trial started yesterday. The police disagree with Sorrell and say that he was treated professionally. They also say that Sorrell actually elbowed and knocked down people during the protest.

This was actually a debate that was going on at the time, whether or not the town should let TV Land put the statue in Salem. The town heard arguments of various citizens for and against the statue and ultimately decided to erect the statue.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Dennis Letts: He was a teacher who taught at universities for 30 years and then decided to get into acting. He appeared in several TV shows, including Walker, Texas Ranger, Once and Again, and The CBS Summer Playhouse, as well as the TV movies Dallas: The Early Years, Challenger, and The Last Prostitute. On the big screen he was in Cast Away, Infamous, Passenger 57, A Perfect World, and many others. He died of cancer at age 73.