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 "Farscape" was the first real trademark hit for
the Sci Fi channel, an original series filled with exotic aliens, marbled
worlds, and spacescapes that look ripped from the cover of "Amazing Stories."
But it was more than just space opera and pulp adventure. Our heroes are
essentially outlaws, escaped from an authoritarian regime and on the run from
pretty much everybody out there. The totalitarian worlds and mercenary survivors
of this hostile universe are a far cry from the Federation friendly universe of
"Star Trek," and the dark art direction and wild, often grotesque creatures
(courtesy of Jim Henson studios) made this the most imaginative and
unpredictable science fiction show on TV in its day. This series knew how to
make an epic on a budget.
There had been numerous releases of this series
in various pieces over the years. Now A&E has become the show's home video
caretaker and brings the entire series together in a tightly and efficiently
packed box set: 88 episodes on 25 discs divided into four seasons (each with its
own case and also available individually) and a collection of bonus discs. It
features all the commentary tracks (29 in all), featurettes, interviews and
deleted scenes of the previous releases, plus the DVD debut of the TV special
"Farscape: Undressed," a "crash course primer on Farscape," as host Ben Browder
says. A special edition available exclusively through Best Buy also includes the
mini-series "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" that brings the series to a
close.
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| Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series |
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Co-created by Conan O'Brien and starring Andy Richter, the
"Complete Series" of this short-lived comedy numbers six half-hour episodes.
They are, however, very funny episodes (remember that Conan wrote for "The
Simpsons" before he became a late-night talk fixture). Richter is a CPA thrust
into a new career by chance and boredom. He turns private investigator, guided
by advice from the video clerk downstairs (Tony Hale), the owner of the local
falafel house (Marshall Manesh) and a hardcase old detective (Harve Presnell)
tired of retirement. The creators, writers and stars return for commentary (on
each and every episode) and two half-hour featurettes, and there's the
obligatory gag reel.
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| The Steve Coogan Collection |
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Steve Coogan's great BBC creations are collected in this
showcase. While his most famous shows ("Knowing Me, Knowing You With Alan
Partridge," "I'm Alan Partridge" and "Saxondale") have been previously released,
this box set debuts "Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible," a bizarre spoof of
horror anthologies with Coogan as both host and star; "Coogan's Run," a comedy
anthology with Coogan in multiple roles; and various specials and live
appearances with Coogan reprising such characters as Tony Ferrino and Paul and
Pauline Calf. Great, weird, funny stuff. There's commentary on most episodes,
deleted scenes, featurettes and other bonus footage. Thirteen discs in a digipak
with bookleaf trays.
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| Ally McBeal: The Complete Series |
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Calista Flockhart became a star when David E. Kelley cast her as
the funniest and skinniest lawyer on TV: the neurotic Ally McBeal, unlucky in
love and unafraid to wear microskirts in the courtroom. It made for the most
offbeat legal show on TV, filled with romance and goofy detours into fantasy and
cartoonish gags. Fox offers the complete series in one go: all 112 episodes of
the five seasons on 30 discs (divided into separate seasons, each with its own
case) plus a bonus disc featuring vintage featurettes, the crossover episode of
"The Practice" and the original "Bygone Days: An Ally McBeal Retrospective," and
a CD soundtrack. "Ally McBeal: The Complete First Season" is also available
separately in a six-disc set with no supplements.
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| Rome: The Complete Series |
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The most expensive production in HBO's history, a Roman epic
with lavish period detail and a contemporary sensibility, lasted only two
seasons, but they were impressive seasons that spanned two Caesars and the fight
for control of the Roman Empire as seen from the perspective of centurion Lucius
Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and legionary Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). It's like no
costume epic you've ever seen, with dense writing, vivid characters from all
castes, a dynamic portrait of political gamesmanship and a lusty evocation of
ancient Rome. The 11-disc set features 24 episodes (with commentary on more than
half of them), nine featurettes and the optional "All Roads Lead to Rome"
on-screen guide, collected in a booklike case with album sleeves. Also available
on Blu-ray.
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Sean Axmaker is a film critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a
DVD columnist for MSN Entertainment, and a contributing writer to GreenCine.com,
Turner Classic Movies Online, Parallax View and Asian Cult Cinema, among other
publications. You can find links to all of this and more on his shamelessly self-promoting blog.
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