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There´s A TV In My Dvd Player!
CL's picks of the best television on DVD
By Matt Brunson @moviematt1, Sam Boykin, John Schacht, Ann Wicker, Timothy C. Davis, Samir Shukla, Linda Vespa and Maggi Grooms
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EXTRAS: Select episodes with commentary by series creator, writer/director Alan Ball; behind-the-scenes featurette; short piece on the making of the title sequence; deleted scene from the pilot episode; season recaps.
- Tara Servatius
TWIN PEAKS
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Sherilyn Fenn, Piper Laurie. Originally broadcast on ABC 1990-1991.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Season 1.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: Not since "Who shot J.R.?" had primetime television asked a question as compelling as "Who killed Laura Palmer?" David Lynch's startling series brought big screen innovation (and the director's patented eccentricities) to the boob tube with a murder mystery that found FBI Agent Dale Cooper (MacLachlan) sleuthing in the title town, a place as notable for its oddball citizenry as its killer cherry pie.
BEST SEASON: The first season was far more focused than the second (still unavailable on DVD), which meandered after Laura's killer was IDed and was abruptly cancelled with countless plotlines still unresolved. One important note: this box set does not include the two-hour pilot episode that sets up the series — it's in limbo because of legal wrangling between various companies associated with the program.
EXTRAS: Select episode analysis by the filmmakers; new interviews with cast and crew; optional Log Lady introductions to each episode.
FUN FACT: Remember the cross-dressing DEA agent Dennis (Denise) Bryson, who guest-starred in a handful of episodes? He was played by David Duchovny, who would go on to star in another "out there" series, The X-Files.
- Matt Brunson
THE SINGING DETECTIVE (mini-series)
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahyde, Alison Steadman, Joanne Whalley. Originally broadcast on BBC 1986.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: OK, not what you think of as a traditional drama, but this uncategorizable show had to land somewhere. The BBC miniseries was hailed by the Chicago Sun Times as "The greatest production in the history of television," and there's a strong case to be made for such luminous accolades during the course of its six-segment tenure. Written by the talented and twisted imagination of Dennis Potter, and with Michael Gambon chewing the scenery as Philip K. Marlow — mystery writer, imaginary bandleader and private detective, and psoriasis sufferer — Potter's script is a marvel of inter-related storytelling, flashbacks and future visions unfurling — often in song — to reveal a truly shocking truth.
- John Schacht
DEADWOOD
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Ian McShane, Powers Booth, Brad Dourif, Timothy Olyphant, Robin Weigert and Molly Parker. Broadcast on HBO, 2004-present.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Season 1.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: Finally, a real Western! And if you're partial to swearin', this c***sucker's for you! Featuring a goddam amazing cast led by the best fuckin' TV villain since fuckin' Snidely Whiplash, as played by Ian McShane (who even has the Whiplash moustache). Written by head NYPD Blue writer David Milch, this story of a South Dakota frontier town from the 1870s pulsates with life — and death — like few other series.
- John Schacht
COMEDIES
ALL IN THE FAMILY
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers. Originally broadcast on CBS 1971-1979.
SEASONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Seasons 1-3 (Season 4 will be released April 12).
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: One of the undisputed classics in TV history, Norman Lear's groundbreaking series courted controversy by tackling nearly every taboo subject previously unaired during primetime. A smash from the start, it was the top-rated series its first five seasons, and introduced audiences to four enduring characters: working-class bigot Archie Bunker (O'Connor), his good-hearted wife Edith (Stapleton), their loving daughter Gloria (Struthers) and her liberal husband Mike (Reiner). With titles like M*A*S*H and The Mary Tyler Moore Show also on the air, television comedy arguably peaked during the 1970s, and this series — still timely, still hilarious — was one of the primary reasons.
BEST SEASON: Season 2. Picking a favorite AITF season is as daunting as picking a favorite Beatles tune. Still, the second year includes several classic episodes: "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie," "Cousin Maude's Visit" and "Sammy's Visit" (with Sammy Davis Jr. visiting the Bunker household).
EXTRAS: None.
FUN FACT: It's hard to imagine anybody but O'Connor as Archie Bunker, yet one of Lear's first choices for the role was Mickey Rooney, who thankfully turned it down. For his part, O'Connor had earlier auditioned for the role of the Skipper on Gilligan's Island.
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