TVSquad

I think I'm getting spoiled by special DVD sets. I have a lot of "complete series" sets and anniversary sets, and many of them are these massive, well put together sets that seem to be really complete and perfect. I'm thinking of sets that I own for such shows as The Twilight Zone, The West Wing, Friends, and The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as season sets in shows like The X-Files and The Simpsons.

I say we're spoiled because I think that even die hard fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 might be a little disappointed by the packaging for their new 20th Anniversary DVD set (there's two actually - a limited edition tin box and a regular set; this review is for the limited edition box in the pic above). Not for the content, but for the way it is put together.

Fans of the short-lived ABC comedy Sports Night were disappointed when the DVD set for the show came out in 2002. We were really happy that there was indeed a complete series set for the show, but there wasn't any extras in the set at all. No commentaries, no features, no interviews, no booklet. Some people even reported that the discs didn't work that well, that they would stop and start or freeze altogether on some DVD players (I have the old set and never had this problem). Fans were happy to have the show, but still wanted more.

Well, now we do. Shout! Factory has released a new 10th Anniversary set for the show, and all of the the extras that were missing in that set are here, and then some.

Last one this week -- I promise! We've got five copies of Stargate: Infinity - The Complete Series on DVD for five lucky, random commenters. The DVD is available in already available in stores.

To enter, simply leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, May 23 telling us why you'd like to own this DVD set. As always, we'll randomly choose five winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

I'm talking about the American version of the show that ran for a short time on NBC several years ago. It starred Rob Schneider, Justine Bateman, and Ron Eldard. Remember it now? It actually ran for a season and a half before it was pulled.

Shout! Factory is releasing a 4 disc DVD set of the show, which will include all 22 episodes (including seven that never aired). No word yet on if there will be any extras or other features. As you can see from the cover of the box, where Rob Schneider is standing there naked but with a newspaper over his genitals (get it? naked people covered up!), the show was, um, hilarious.

It always amazes me when shows like this come out on DVD. Not a hit, but it came out recently enough and there must be some sort of cult buzz to justify a DVD release. It just makes me think of all the shows in the 60s, 70s, and 80s that lasted even longer but were too long ago and/or don't have that buzz that would make a company put the show out on DVD. Though I guess if shows like this keep getting released, the chances of those older shows coming out increases, so more power to 'em.

The set comes out on February 13.

I'll preface this by telling my fellow Home Movies fanatics that right now there's no guarantee this is ever going to happen, but according to an e-mail sent to Landstander, maintainer of the Home Movies Super Site, Shout! Factory, the company that produces the Home Movies DVD sets, wants to commission new episodes of the series for either download or as a straight-to-DVD type thang. The episodes would cost five dollars each. Episodes would run from fifteen to twenty-five minutes, and there would be about eight of them. It seems that at this stage the company is just putting out feelers to see if there would be enough people out there who would buy these episodes to make it a worthwhile endeavor. Home Movies is one of my favorite shows of all time, but it seems to me everyone involved, especially Brendon Small, has already moved on to new horizons. I guess we'll wait and see.

[via Adult Swim HQ]

Next Tuesday, the Shout Factory will be releasing a five-disc set of the first season of That Girl, the 1960s series featuring Marlo Thomas as a struggling actress trying to make her way in New York City. In the final season, she marries Phil Donahue. Wait, that actually happened in real life. My bad. Besides the thirty first season episodes, the set will also include the original pilot, as well as promos and two documentaries about the making of the television series, each featuring Marlo Thomas.