Description

The first sequel of the incredibly popular "reality TV" show follows another group of ordinary people from a variety of backgrounds that are placed in the middle of the Australian Outback.Together, they must use wits, strength and teamwork to keep from starving, baking, drowning or a variety of other nasty possible fates. In each episode, the members vote to remove one person from the game until only one remains to claim the grand prize. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Survivor at its best.
The Austrailian Out Back was one of Survivors best seasons, second only to Pearl Islands.Thishad every thing, from the plane ride in, to Tina winning a million dollars.It had Kel SMuggling beef jerkiy, Mike falling in the fire, Jerri the witch getting voted off, and the flood nearly washing away the Barramundi emergency rice.Buy this Season.

Classic Survivor, one of the best seasons
If anyone is debating whether or not to buy this box set I say hesitate no further! It is definitely worth the money.
This was back when Survivor was new and fresh. The show wasn't predictible like it is now. Now you can almost tell from the start who is going to go first, who isn't going to get along, etc.
The Australian Outback season had so many highlights from Michael's falling in the fire to Kimmi and Alicia's chicken fight. The character's had character. You enjoyed seeing them together. And it seems in this season, unlike other seasons, the survivor's really showed the effects of 39 days of only eating rice and having meager supplies. Just compare how they looked in the first episode to how they looked in the final few episodes.
I couldn't wait to get the DVD set not only because it is my favorite season but also since I missed 4 of them back in 2001 when it was originally on. So it was nice to see them for the first time.
The extras aren't too bad either. I find out a lot I didn't know by listening to the commentaries on the episodes.
All in all, this box set is worth getting. I can't say the same for some of the other seasons.

The BEST Survivor to date.
I had missed the first season of Survivor, but decided to catch the second game to see what all the hype was about. I was pleasantly surprised and instantly got hooked on the show! From bad girl Jerri to hunk Colby to catty Jeff to the hilarious Mad Dog, this show was the best!

Unfortunately it was followed by horrible game set in Africa and it was all downhill from there.

It's Here, hurrah, and it's great!
This was the second of 2 seasons that I had never seen (season 1 being the first one), and I now understand why they call this one the Homerun Season. This season had everything, and still had the simplicity, not the wow and pizazz of the later survivors.

To compare this DVD to Survivor Season 1, I don't like the intro. (just stills of pictures. I really like on the Borneo ediition you hear the theme song and stills of the 16 players). The front pages are similar to Season Eight. There are 6 commentaries, 4 more than season 1, a lot LESS than season eight. (this is why I gave it 4 stars - I LOVE the commentaries).

Buy this if you love the series, and let's hope Africa, Marqueas, Thailand, Pearl Islands, Amazon, and the rest come out soon!

Best Season Ever
I don't think any other season will live up to the 2nd installment.The cast actually had charisma.The show's structure remained simple; no crazy tribe shuffles or switcheroos.The locale was awesome; not just some other island.Only complaint:Kel's early departure, but hey, you can't have it all. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

They can't release it soon enough
So, this is it. The final episodes of the final season of Sex and the City. Yes, it is expensive buying all of these DVDs, but what fan can afford NOT to relive the experience? It all ends with a trip to Paris that cannot be missed....with a late-breaking return of Mr. Big....or perhaps not? How will it end and who will it be? Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha say goodbye to their fans in these final episodes. This is a must-see DVD--for those who already know how it ends and desperately need to relive it, and more importantly, for those who didn't get to see it the first time around.

A fitting farewell
I think Sex in the City is such good girl-therapy. This series is seriously about how important female relationships are. Guys came and went through the series, but the constant remained...the friendship of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. I loved how they didn't always agree with each other, but they were supportive 100% of the time. These DVDs are worth the money...they will supply hours of laughter, tears and hope. It was so fun to see what everyone wore and how many pairs of Manolo's Carrie went through in a season. It was a fun, feel good series....and I will miss it.

A Perfect End To A Perfect Show
I am VERY MUCH looking forward to this last collection. I watched all 8 of the last episodes with sadness and joy.

Carrie continues her relationship with "The Russian" and in the end finds true love where she didn't expect it.
Charlotte finally has the relationship she wants and gets her "baby" in a unexpected way.
Miranda finally settles down with Steve and by the end of the season becomes the beautiful woman we always new she could be.
Samantha deals with cancer and finds true love and monogomy with Smith.
Big finally opens up his heart and goes to drastic measures to get the woman he really loves.

It's a wonderful end and I hope that there will really be a movie that we can go see in the theaters. Here's hoping!!

End of an era
I love all of these DVD sets. I have them all. I started watching them while stationed overseas where I could not get the current seasons and I couldn't stop watching them on after the other. I was deployed during this last part of season 6 and have been dying to see it ever since. I am deployed again and keep checking the internet to find out when it will be released.

I was disapointed that the season was split in two. I bought part I thinking that it was the whole season and refused to watch it until I got to my current location. I was so disapointed that I didn't have the complete season.

So what about the price.. I love these sets and this is the last one.

SATC Season 6; part 2
Look, I moved and lost HBO at the most critical moment... Right before the remaining season 6; part 2 episodes started. I love all of it. Not just for the very funny comedy, incredible fashion, and life antidotes, but for the clear display of social commentary!
I've purchased all seasons 1-6 thus far and I need to complete my collection. The money I've spent is worth the soon-to-be classic television. I don't want it to be lost forever, so please keep your negative comments to yourself! If you don't like it, just ignore it and leave the rest of us SATC fans to our peace! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Ouch! If you dont mind corny....
Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful. I don't think this is the type of thing anyone could like but judging from the other reviews I'm wrong. The humor is blank and bland. The acting is terrible. DONT SEE IT EVER. Don't do it you will never want to watch a movie again.

The Dukes of Hazzard- The Complete Third Season
This is the best season yet, I hope they bring out the other seasons

How do you write a review for something not yet released??
As I write (end of April), CMT has been airing the third season of The Dukes each night at 7 and 11 PM EST. So I've been actually watching, and enjoying, the episodes described in those previous reviews that were actually helpful.

I loved this show as a kid, I would sneak out and watch from the top of the stairs when it was still past my bedtime to see this show.Back then something like TV was big time important in life.If nothing else this show always reminds me of those times, when the show was fun and holes in the plot or really hokey writing and situations just didn't get noticed.And it got it's last revival (when TNN was The Nashville Network and not this Star Trek, err Spike TV stuff) when I was in college (it was only then that I noticed at least a couple episodes made with Coy and Vance were virtually identically remade when Bo and Luke returned to the show). I even remember seeing at least one episode of "Enos" when it aired (did they even rerun that show?It didn't last more than maybe half a dozen episodes, if that).So if nothing else this series always reminds me of good times and being a kid again.

Now, granted, this isn't exactly on the level of Shakspearian playwriting - but the worst TV ever made?Not likely.More than likely that's some show made north of the border that is so bad no one has seen it since it originally aired. Or else it's some of the Cartoon Network's original programming in their Adult Swim block.My opinion is if you don't have a sense of humor, you can't watch this show. While I kind of wish it could have run in the later slot for at least another full season, a lot of potential for darker storylines there and the first season to me was the best of the bunch, it still is enjoyable - and something you can watch with kids and not have to worry about swearing, extreme violence or sexual situations...what does come up is in such a campy way, even I knew as a kid it wasn't real.

Hopefully they have some good extra material on this disc - I would think the cartoon series or the Enos series would make a good bonus to one of these sets, maybe the next season or so with the "replacement" Duke boys (ratings had to be pretty bad if they thought they could make the same episodes all over again with Schnieder and Wopat; so you'd expect the DVD sales would be lower too).

A true one-of-a-kind television show...
In the late 70's and early 80's, television viewers fell in love with The Dukes Of Hazzard, a weekly foray into the fictional setting of Hazzard County, Georgia. Cousins Bo and Luke Duke (John Schneider and Tom Wopat) spent each episode trying to do good, while the loveable "Boss" Hogg (Sorrell Booke) concocted various schemes for making money and having the Duke boys (who always foiled his plans) thrown in jail for violating their probation (the result of a deal with the federal government to end the centuries-old Duke family tradition of bootlegging).

Joining Bo and Luke are their Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle), a grandfatherly figure who owns the family farm, and Cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach), whose skimpy shorts coined the cultural term "daisy dukes". Along with "Crazy" Cooter (Ben Jones), the local mechanic, they create a formidable threat to the money-making shenanigans of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best) and the owner of seemingly every business entity in Hazzard County, "Boss" Hogg.

But critics will argue that the true star of the show was the General Lee, Bo and Luke's bright orange Dodge race car with the Confederate flag pasted on its roof...

The Dukes Of Hazzard (Season 3) DVD provides a number of famous episodes, including guest appearances by musicians Tammy Wynette, Roy Orbison, and The Oak Ridge Boys. Sheriff Little of Chickasaw County (Don Pedro Colley) makes his first of many appearances on the show in Season 3. With Waylon Jennings's weekly narrations as "The Balladeer" (performing artist of the show's legendary, chart-topping theme song), The Dukes Of Hazzard provides hours of family-friendly programming as Boss and Roscoe match wits with the Duke clan...

Below is a list of episodes included on The Dukes Of Hazzard (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 37 (Carnival of Thrills: Part 1)
Episode 38 (Carnival of Thrills: Part 2)
Episode 39 (Enos Strate to the Top)
Episode 40 (The Hazzardville Horror)
Episode 41 (And in This Corner, Luke Duke)
Episode 42 (The Late J.D. Hogg)
Episode 43 (Uncle Boss)
Episode 44 (Baa, Baa, White Sheep)
Episode 45 (Mrs. Roscoe P. Coltrane)
Episode 46 (The Great Santa Claus Chase)
Episode 47 (Good Neighbors Duke)
Episode 48 (State of the County)
Episode 49 (The Legacy)
Episode 50 (Duke vs. Duke)
Episode 51 (My Son, Bo Hogg)
Episode 52 (To Catch a Duke)
Episode 53 (Along Came a Duke)
Episode 54 (By-Line, Daisy Duke)
Episode 55 (The Return of Hughie Hogg)
Episode 56 (Bye, Bye, Boss)
Episode 57 (The Great Hazzard Hijack)
Episode 58 (The Hack of Hazzard)
Episode 59 (The Canterbury Crock)

The DVD Report

Third Season got the highest ratings of its Seven-year run
This is the peak of "The Dukes of Hazzard" series reaching second behind "Dallas".

Season Three consist of 22 episodes, they are as follows:

#37 Carnival Of Thrills- (Sept. 16th, 1980)
(Special Two-Hour Episode)
#38 Enos Strate to the Top - (Nov. 5th, 1980)
#39 The Hazzardville Horror- (Nov. 7th, 1980)
#40 And in this Corner, Luke Duke - (Nov. 14th, 1980)
#41 The Late J.D. Hogg - (Nov. 21st, 1980)
#42 Uncle Boss - (Nov. 28th, 1980)
#43 Baa, Baa, White Sheep- (Dec. 5th, 1980)
#44 Mrs. Rosco P. Coltrane - (Dec. 12th, 1980)
#45 The Great Santa Claus Chase- (Dec. 19th, 1980)
#46 Good Neighbors Duke- (Jan. 2nd, 1981)
#47 State of the County- (Jan. 9th, 1981)
#48 The Legacy - (Jan. 16th, 1981)
#49 Duke vs. Duke- (Jan. 23rd, 1981)
#50 My Son, Bo Hogg- (Jan. 30th, 1981)
#51 To Catch a Duke- (Feb. 6th, 1981)
#52 Along Came a Duke- (Feb. 13th, 1981)
#53 By-Line, Daisy Duke- (Feb. 20th, 1981)
#54 The Return of Hughie Hogg- (Mar. 6th, 1981)
#55 Bye, Bye, Boss - (Mar. 13th, 1981)
#56 The Great Hazzard Hijack - (Mar. 27th, 1981)
#57 The Hack of Hazzard- (Apr. 3rd, 1981)
#58 The Canterbury Crock - (Apr. 10th 1981)

Out of a total of 145 episodes we will surely own 58 episodes, only Four seasons consisting of 87 episodes are left and I hope all of them will be released very shortly. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The facts have become legend. Star Trek, the NBC series that premiered on September 8, 1966, has become a touchstone of international popular culture. It struggled through three seasons that included cancellation and last-minute revival, and turned its creator, Gene Roddenberry, into the progenitor of an intergalactic phenomenon. Eventually expanding to encompass five separate TV series, an ongoing slate of feature films, and a fan base larger than the population of many third-world countries, the Star Trek universe began not with a Big Bang but with a cautious experiment in network TV programming. Even before its premiere episode ("The Man Trap") was aired, Star Trek had struggled to attain warp-drive velocity, barely making it into the fall '66 NBC lineup.

The series' original pilot, "The Cage," featured Jeffrey Hunter as U.S.S. Enterprise captain Christopher Pike--a variation of the role that would eventually catapult William Shatner to TV stardom. Filmed in 1964, the pilot was rejected by NBC the following year, but the network made a rare decision to order a second pilot. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was filmed in 1965, and only one character from the previous pilot remained--a pointy-eared alien named Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), whom Roddenberry had retained despite network disapproval. The second pilot was accepted, and production on Star Trek began in earnest with the filming of its first regular episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Never a ratings success despite a growing population of devoted fans, Star Trek was canceled after its second season, prompting a letter-writing campaign that resulted in the series' third-season renewal. It was a mixed blessing, since Roddenberry had departed as producer to protest the network's neglect, and Star Trek's third season contained most of the series' weakest episodes. And yet, the show continued to "to explore strange new worlds…to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no man [a phrase later amended to "no one"] has gone before."

There were milestones along the way. The first interracial kiss on network primetime TV (between Shatner and series co-star Nichelle Nichols) furthered a richly positive and expansive view of a better, nobler future for humankind. The series offered a timelessly appealing balance of humor, imagination, and character depth. And at least one episode (Harlan Ellison's "The City on the Edge of Forever") ranks among the finest science fiction stories in any popular medium. Beloved by long-time fans in spite of its cheesy sets and costumes, and the now-dated trappings of late-1960s American culture, "classic Trek" has aged remarkably well, and its sense of adventure and idealism continues to live long and prosper. --Jeff Shannon

The three 2004 DVD sets collect all 79 episodes of the show, including "The Cage" in both a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white. Each set is supplemented by over an hour of featurettes incorporating new and old interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, other cast members, and producers, and there's also some vintage footage of Gene Roddenberry. Accompanying the 20-minute seasonal recaps ("To Boldly Go...") are a number of interesting featurettes: "The Birth of a Timeless Legacy" examines the two pilot episodes and the development of the crew; "Sci-Fi Visionaries" discusses the series' great science fiction writers; Nimoy debunks various rumors in "Reflections of Spock"; "Kirk, Spock & Bones: The Great Trio" focuses on the interplay among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley); and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, James Doohan (Scotty), slowed by Alzheimer's but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes.As they've done for many of the feature-film special editions, Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda provide a pop-up text commentary on four of the episodes filled with history, trivia, and dry wit. It's the first commentary of any kind for a Star Trek TV show, but an audio commentary is still overdue. The technical specs are mostly the same as other Trek TV series--Dolby 5.1, English subtitles--but with the welcome addition of the episode trailers. The plastic cases are an attempt to replicate some of the fun packaging of the series' European DVD releases, but it's a bit clunky, and the paper sleeve around the disc case seems awkward and crude. Still, the sets are a vast improvement both in terms of shelf space and bonus features compared to the old two-episode discs, which were released before full-season boxed sets became the model for television DVDs. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Description

All 68 Episodes of the Landmark Series On 20 DVDs! Upstairs, the Bellamy family negotiated the scandals and successes ofthe English aristocracy. Downstairs, their loyal and lively servantsshowed far less reserve when confronting the challenges of their lives.Together, their stories made TV magic.

When UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS debuted, network executives fretted that theseries was "not commercial" and viewers would "switch off in thethousands." More than thirty years later, it is universally recognizedas one of the most successful and important shows in television history,seen by over 1 billion people worldwide and the winner of 9 Emmys, aGolden Globe and a Peabody, among many other awards.

Take a final journey back to 165 Eaton Place with this comprehensive setfeaturing all 68 episodes of the unforgettable masterpiece, digitallyremastered for presentation on DVD. The collection also includes therarely-seen retrospective Upstairs Downstairs Remembered: The 25thAnniversary Special. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Simply Put: The Best Drama Ever
Often, when one of those "Top 100 Television Shows Ever Created" lists comes out, 'Upstairs, Downstairs' is listed as Number One, usually just above 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'I Love Lucy.' Well, now I know why. This show stunned me with its quality and vivid characters!

For those unaccustomed to a British accent, it may take a few minutes of viewing before your ears adjust. And I kindly suggest that you do NOT watch the 25th Anniversary documentary until you've first seen all the episodes (I wished I hadn't -- it gave away a lot of great twists and surprises).

This show is so subtle and respectful of its viewer. For instance, there are characters who are smitten with each other yet who never say or act upon that love: the show doesn't dare to condescend to you by telegraphing it in any obvious or official way.

Many fans cite the fourth season (about the Great War) as the show's best, but frankly and guiltily I must confess that I prefer the real soapy elements of the show that have less to do with world events and more to do with the interpersonal relationships and mini moral dilemmas of the householders.

There is one notorious episode called 'The Swedish Tiger' that is quite awful and that made it into the series by mistake (fans already know the whole story) so please don't judge the other 67 great episodes by the one awful one!

My personal favorite episode is the one that focuses on the Irish scullery maid's forbidden crush on another great family's footman. It's sounds pedestrian, I know, but that's the genius of the show. It crafts seemingly simple situations with so many nuances and facets that you feel as if you're standing in the kitchen with these people!

Simply Put: The Best Drama Ever!
Often, when one of those "Top 100 Television Shows Ever Created" lists comes out, 'Upstairs, Downstairs' is listed as Number One, usually just above 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'I Love Lucy.' Well, now I know why. This show stunned me with its quality and vivid characters!

For those unaccustomed to a British accent, it may take a few minutes of viewing before your ears adjust. And I kindly suggest that you do NOT watch the 25th Anniversary documentary until you've first seen all the episodes (I wished I hadn't -- it gave away a lot a great twists and surprises).

This show is so subtle and respectful of its viewer. For instance, there are characters who are smitten with each other yet who never say or act upon that love: the show doesn't dare to condescend to you by telegraphing it in any obvious or official way.

Many fans cite the fourth season (about the Great War) as the show's best, but frankly and guiltily I must confess that I prefer the real soapy elements of the show that have less to do with world events and more to do with the interpersonal relationships and mini moral dilemmas of the householders.

There is one notorious episode called 'The Swedish Tiger' that is quite awful and that made it into the series by mistake (fans already know the whole story) so please don't judge the other 67 great episodes by the one awful one!

My personal favorite episode is the one that focuses on the Irish scullery maid's forbidden crush on another great family's footman. It's sounds pedestrian, I know, but that's the genius of the show. It crafts seemingly simple situations with so many nuances and facets that you feel as if you're standing in the kitchen with these people!

Expensive and worth every cent
The most amazing aspect of this collection is how well it holds up after all these years. Having initially seen in the 70s, I wasn't prepared to be surprised. After all, didn't I know all the plots and characters? But what I found was, while I remembered most of it, there were huge chunks that I couldn't account for. I've watched the entire series now, some five times, all the way through, and it only gets better. The writing alone is worth the price of admission, but couple this with excellent acting, stellar camera work, and knockout sets, and you've got the superb drama that is UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS. Please, don't call this a soap opera--this is an insult to the writers and actors. This is great drama that just happened to be spread out over a couple of years. Here are just a few examples of what I'm talking about:

THE WRITING: The characters are not cardboard cutouts, but real, fallible people. Lord Bellamy, for all his wisdom and charm, does make some bad decisions (the stock tip scandal, the attempted bribe of the parents' whose infant Mrs. Bridges has abducted), and this only makes him more likeable. Who wants a stodgy old Edwardian man that's perfect? Then there's the subtle references to what's come before, so that if you've missed an episode or two, you'll still know what the characters are talking about. References to Lady Marjorie and the Titanic, the previous maids and footmen who have come and gone, etc. While this is somewhat standard in television and series writing, the deft handling of these references makes this series unique.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: One of the finest examples of this is Edward, the footman. Always joking and playful, his is probably the most dramatic change during the series. When WWI breaks out, he's off to the front, only to come back shell-shocked. His transformation from a rollicking and randy young man, to that of a worn-out and scared soldier is remarkable. The one scene where Bellamy finds him on the stairs and comforts him in the morning room is worthy of an award. Reminiscent of "All Quiet on the Western Front," the performance Christopher Beeny gives in only a few minutes is one of the best ever seen on television.

THE SETS: With exquisite tastefulness, the sets on "Upstairs, Downstairs" are the best example of Edwardian decor ever to grace the screen. Never mawkish or overblown, they nevertheless hark back to a tasteful Victorian era without all the fuss, yet embrace the Edwardian era and the "moving forward" theme that permeates the series. It's amazing what one expertly placed kentia palm will do for good drama.

CASTING: This one's a no-brainer. Whoever did the casting deserves a gold star. The regulars are loveable with faults, and the guest appearances add just enough spice to the affair to keep you on your toes. Especially liked was the character of Alfred---surly, evil, comic, and dramatic, he's one of the highlights in the collection.

My only dislike of this series was that it eventually ended. It was a mark of genius to show the period from 1904 to the stock market crash, with WWI being the centerpiece. Overall, this is probably the best series ever created for television, and like all great works of art, the formula probably won't be repeated in our lifetime. There aren't enough stars for this one.

Unforgettable Masterpiece - Wonderful Characters
This is one of the best shows ever created for television. The acting was incredible, the scripts thought provoking and the period details were amazing.

Angela Baddely's Mrs Bridges and Gordon Jackson's Mr. Hudson are 2 of the most unforgettable characters in TV history. They were so real they really were the glue that held this show together. Add to that Jean Marsh as Rose (how could you not love her) The whole cast was incredible - even some members (like Pauline Collins as Sarah) who weren't in all the episodes are unforgettable.

The show is just incredible and you don't think it can get any better. Then the war years happen and the show is even better than it was before. These war episodes are classic. There is some great acting by the "upstairs" characters in those years (Simon Williams as James, Lesly Anne Down as Georgina & Meg Wynn Owen as Hazel especially) - also "downstairs" Christopher Beeny as Edward just breaks your heart in these.

This is a must have if you love drama on television. I am so jealous of someone who has never seen them before.

Some of the color quality on the DVD isn't great and some of the sound. I think this is because the series is older. I don't think it takes away from how great the show is or your experience watching it. Ignore the other reviews and enjoy this great show.

ROCKS!
Often, when one of those "Top 100 Television Shows Ever Created" lists comes out, 'Upstairs, Downstairs' is listed as Number One, usually just above 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'I Love Lucy.' Well, now I know why. This show stunned me with its quality and vivid characters! For those unaccustomed to a British accent, it may take a few minutes of viewing before your ears adjust. And I kindly suggest that you do NOT watch the 25th Anniversary documentary until you've first seen all the episodes (I wished I hadn't -- it gave away a lot a great twists and surprises). This show is so subtle and respectful of its viewer. For instance, there are characters who are smitten with each other yet who never say or act upon that love: the show doesn't dare to condescend to you by telegraphing it in any obvious or official way. Many fans cite the fourth season (about the Great War) as the show's best, but frankly and guiltily I must confess that I prefer the real soapy elements of the show that have less to do with world events and more to do with the interpersonal relationships and mini moral dilemmas of the householders. There is one notorious episode called 'The Swedish Tiger' that is quite awful and that made it into the series by mistake (fans already know the whole story) so please don't judge the other 67 great episodes by the one awful one! My personal favorite episode is the one that focuses on the Irish scullery maid's forbidden crush on another great family's footman. It's sounds pedestrian, I know, but that's the genius of the show. It crafts seemingly simple situations with so many nuances and facets that you feel as if you're standing in the kitchen with these people! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hollywood's film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal movies based on lame '60s and '70s television shows, a syndrome that shows no sign of abating. But here's evidence that the reverse effect, turning a movie into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive results. Indeed, based on the 21 episodes produced for the first season of Stargate SG-1, it could be argued that this show is significantly better than the 1994 feature it's derived from.

The central conceit of the original Stargate--the existence of an artificially created "wormhole" through which one can travel to different worlds light years away from Earth--was an intriguing one. In seizing on the obvious possibilities for expanding on that premise, series executive producers-writers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright have smartly retained some of the film's basic elements (its amalgam of myth and theoretical hokum, or the ongoing clash of wills between scientists and soldiers), while adding a variety of fresh ideas (including new characters, new locations, and a welcome dose of humor, much of it supplied by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver himself, who replaces Kurt Russell in the central role of Colonel Jack O'Neill). The result is a show with multidimensional heroes and villains and consistently compelling story lines (many of them introduced in the pilot and carried forward through subsequent episodes) balancing excellent special effects and production values. All this and full frontal nudity, too (at least in the aforementioned pilot). Who can resist?

The first season is spread out over five DVDs; the 100-minute pilot shares the first volume with two other episodes, while discs 2 to 5 contain anywhere from three to five shows each. Sound and visuals (in widescreen format) alike will take full advantage of any home system's capabilities. But aside from language and subtitle options, bonus features are limited to brief featurettes that play like commercials and provide little in the way of background information or insight (there are no features at all on the first disc). Then again, if you really want to know what that symbol on Teal'c's forehead means, or why the nasty, parasitic Goa'ulds look a lot like the fledgling stomach monsters in the Alien series, there is no doubt a Web site out there just for you. --Sam Graham ... Read more

Reviews (235)

A Great Start...
The Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Box Set is a great introduction to this excellent sci-fi series. Although the first season had its share of clunkers (as is only normal with any new series trying to find its footing), SG-1 succeeded in quickly establishing its characters and unique plotlines, and definitely had a much better first year than most series.
While I do feel that the few aforementioned bad episodes were among the series' all-time worst (most notably, "Emancipation" and "Brief Candle"), these are easily excused since the high quality of most of the rest of the season more than makes up for it.

Among my personal favorites of the first season:

Children Of The Gods: A great follow-up to the movie, introducing us to characters both old and new. Lots of action and great special effects. My only complaint with the pilot episode is the inclusion of gratuitous and unnecessary nudity in the scene in which Sha're is possessed by the Goa'uld Amonet.

Thor's Hammer: The series' first mention of the Asgard, who will become a major ally for Earth in later seasons. Also introduces the first ones, the Unas.

The Torment Of Tantalus: A moving and awe-inspiring episode dealing with loneliness and the thirst for new scientific discoveries.

Enigma: SG-1 rescues a few members of the Tollan race, who are vastly technologically superior to Earth but refuse to share their knowledge. Also introduces SG-1's NID nemesis, Colonel Maybourne.

There But For The Grace Of God: Still one of my all-time favorite SG-1 episodes, this outing finds Daniel Jackson transported to a frightening alternate universe in which Earth is under attack from a devastating Goa'uld onslaught!

Within The Serpent's Grasp: One of the show's best season-ending cliffhangers, in which SG-1 defy orders and risk all to prevent a vicious attack on Earth by Apophis.

All in all, Stargate SG-1's first season did a great job in setting the tone and groundwork for the incredible years to follow. This box set is a great primer for this awesome science fiction series!

Yeah, it's really THAT da##ed good.
Having watched only a few episodes prior to getting the first season box set, I wasn't entirely sure that I would enjoy the show. But I tend to make big jumps based on intuition, and Stargate: SG1 looked very promising.
What I found: The shows themselves are entertaining, although the first few episodes have some rough moments. Mostly, those are linked to Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) trying to "correct" the behavior of a given society. Colonel O'Neill (Richard Anderson) is a good balance-point for the scientists, giving a more pragmatic view of things. His sarcastic comments lighten a lot of tension, and create a pretty enjoyable humor thread that Jackson (Shanks) can play off of. Teal'c (Christopher Judge), an honored warrior for the enemy Guaould (spelling?), is impressive. For a guy wearing mascara, he does a remarkable job of being both formidable and remote when appropriate. When called upon to play an emotional scene, however, Christopher Judge is amazingly convincing. And few people have played the warrior character as well. General Hammond (Don. S. Davis) is a fantastic counter-balance to the maverick attitudes of O'Neill and the rest of SG1. His observations about orders and duty are the reminders of what the goal of SG1 is supposed to be, and still he maintains a commander's loyalty to his teams. He's a great character, and vastly under-used, in my opinion.
The stories: Variations on a theme, of course. Star Trek well-explored the elements of contacting alien races, and Stargate: SG1 has not much room left to play that angle. I must note that their tones and moods are usually quite different than Star Trek (any of them) tended to be, and that's interesting (there are times, however, where either you or your co-watchers will want to scream at the SG-1team, and sit them in front of a Trek marathon. Should be a part of their training...). The distinction is in how the show relates to Earth and it's various pantheons. In the first season, the writers touch upon Greek, Norse (Asatru) and, of course, Egyptian pantheons in what I thought were some interesting ways.
The DVDs: Well, the first one of the series was damaged on the last episode, and I can't return the one without sending the whole lot back. But the rest have been fine, and the sound and visual clarity are excellent. Of course. We as consumers expect no less these days. But I thought I'd mention it.
Warning: Box set ends with the season, and that's a cliff-hangar. If waiting makes your stomach tense, your knuckles ache and your eyes melt, wait until they release season two (Hurry up! Hurry... up!!). Otherwise, grab your sci-fi friends and/or your significant other, curl up, and prepare to be entertained.

Okay, it's not bad.
Well the Stargate idea works a bit better as a TV show then it does a movie. The casting, writing, visual effects, production design, cinematograpghy, and types of stories that they do is not bad. In fact it works better then most any other science fiction Tv show I ever seen. Better then Alien Nation, X-Files, Galactica, V, Buck Rogers, Quantum Leap, the 70's Hulk TV show, the Six Million Dollar Man, and the more recent Outer Limits Tv show. Stargate is better then all of them.

stargate sg-1 season 1 review
Stargate Sg-1 is one of the few shows I'll watch over and over again. It is one of my all time favorite shows, up there on my list with the Simpsons.

Episode 1: Children of the Gods 5/5 This is the very first episode of the series and it picks up where the movie left off. Colonel O'Neill is called back to duty to find out what is attacking the Earth stargate. He and his team are eventually captured on the planet Chu'lac where they must find a way to escape. A great start to the series.

Episode 2: The Enemy Within 4.5/5 On their last mission, Kowalsky, the leader of Sg-2, was taken over by a Goa'uld larva. Desperate to find a way to save him, they try a surgery and ask Teal'c, a former Jaffa, for advice. Meanwhile, Teal'c's loyalty is being tested by the U.S. government who want to know what information he has to offer.

Episode 3: Emancipation 4.5/5 Sg-1 visit a planet where the women are treated poorly, and Carter gets kidnapped. Carter is determined to change the quality of life for the women of the village, who, in her opinion, are treated as property. The rest of Sg-1 sides with her, and they embark on a quest to help a young couple face old traditions.

Episode 4: The Broca Divide 5/5 Sg-1 visit a planet with both a primitive side and a civilized side. The team quickly learns that there is some kind of illness going around, making some of the villagers "touched" and others "untouched" But they spread this disease to the base, where the SGC is nearly shut down, until the newly introduced Dr. Frasier finds a way to solve the problem.

Episode 5: The First Commandment 4/5 One of the more lackluster episodes on season one, where Sg-1 is sent to bring back another Sg group, only to find that they have taken advantage of the residents of that planet.

Episode 6: Brief Candle 5/5 Sg-1 encounters a planet where the people age at a rapid pace. Colonel O'Neill is infected with whatever it is that causes the villagers to age fast, and Sg-1 must find a way to save both O'Neill and the Argosians. One of the better episodes on this season.

Episode 7: Cold Lazarus 4.5/5 This episode brings out more information about Colonel O'Neill and his family. The orginal O'Neill is knocked out by what appears to be a large crystal structure, and the SGC meets another race taken advantage of by the Goa'uld.

Episode 8: Thor's Hammer 5/5 On a quest for weapons, Sg-1 encounters the people of Cimmeria, where they find out how the planet has escaped being taken over by the Gau'uld. But they destroy the device the Cimmerians use, and have no means to contact the race that built the weapon.

Episode 9: The Torment of Tantalus 5/5 Wile researching the old SGC archives, Dr. Daniel Jackson learns that they opened the Stargate and sent a man through in 1945. He also learns that the man who went through worked for Katherine's father, and Sg-1 goes on through the gate to rescue the fallen hero who never made it home. This episode delves more into the character of Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Episode 10: Bloodlines 4.5/5 Teal'c confesses that he has family on Chu'lac, and determines to save his son from becoming a Jaffa. Introduces Teal'c's family and friends, and goes more into the character of Teal'c.

Episode 11: Fire and Water 4/5 Daniel Jackson is taken prisoner by the sole survivor of an aquatic race who wants to learn more about what happened to his mate.

Episode 12: The Nox 5/5 Sg-1 encounters the Nox on a planet known for animals that can become invisible. The only trouble is, Apophis is there as well, and Sg-1 fears for the quiet, peace loving race of people who are not what they seem.

Episode 13: Hathor 4.5/5 Release from her prison, the Gau'uld queen Hathor makes her way to the base, where she plans to take over the world. The only problem is that she seems to have power over the men on the base, and it's up to Samantha Carter and her fellow female colleagues to save the day.

Episode 14: Cor-ai 4/5 Teal'c returns to a planet he visited while first prime of Apophis, and is faced with murder charges. Now its up to Sg-1 to prove how he's changed.

Episode 15: Singularity 5/5 Sg-1 saves a girl from a planetary plague, only to learn that the Gua'uld Nirrti let her survive to destroy the Tauri, via a bomb implanted in the girl's chest.

Episode 16: Enigma 5/5 Sg-1 rescues the Tollan, whose home world was destroyed. Only problem is, the Tollan need a new home world, and consider themselves too advanced for the worlds the SGC has to offer.

Episode 17: Tin Man 5/5 The only survivor of a planet turns Sg-1 into robots to serve him, but there's more than their seems on this planet.

Episode 18: Solitudes 5/5 O'Neill and Carter find themselves stranded on an ice planet while the SGC attempts to find them.

Episode 19: There But For the Grace of God 5/5 Dr. Jackson encounters a mirror that transports him to an alternate dimension where the SGC is under attack.

Episode 20: Politics 4/5 The government decides to close the SGC instead of taken Dr. Jackson's advice that the Gua'uld are on their way.

Episode 21: Within the Serpent's Grasp 5/5 First of a two-part adventure. Sg-1 disobeys orders and goes to the address Dr. Jackson got, and learns that Dr. Jackson was right: Apophis is on his way to destroy Earth.

A great start to an even greater series. 5/5 overall.

Stargate SG1: Really, it's a show for everyone
So, this is how I discovered the beauty that is "Stargate". Only the first season has made its way to the network channels here in Sweden and that was a couple of years ago. I remember tuning into the first 6-7 episodes, but there wasn't really that much that held my interest. I remember seeing "The Nox" (or as I referred to them at the time - "the Cirque the Soleil people"), "Brief Candle" (or "the one where O'Neill gets really old, really quick") and "Tin Man" ("Hey, there's two of them!"). Like I said, I didn't feel like this was a show that had much to say, it didn't feel interesting enough.

How wrong was I? Well, I feel really bad that I let it go so quickly because I stumbled across it again lately and what can I say...? I love it. I really do. Actually, I'm *in* love with it, and *very* few tv-shows make me feel this way ("Firefly" is one of them). So, on the plus side I now have a whole sea of seasons worth of catching up to do.

So, what made me change my mind? Well, the first answer to that question would be the character of Daniel Jackson and Michael Shanks' portrayal of him. The character is passionate, caring, curious, intelligent and so much more. And, let's face it, in my eyes that makes him damn attractive, too. (And it gets even better in the seasons to come). I actually watched the movie "Stargate" and thought that Jackson (then played by James Spader) was my absolute favorite aspect of that movie. Same with the series, I adore the character.

Then there's the wonderful wit and charisma of Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) who thankfully took a different direction with the character than Kurt Russell did in the movie. Not that Russell was bad, but RDA's many, *many* one-liners are part of what makes the show so enjoyable to watch. That, and the interaction between the "core four" (Jack, Daniel, Sam and Teal'c). Oh, the witty and wonderful dialogue. Oh, the sarcastic comments. Oh, the hilarious banter between Jack and Daniel.

The only reason this does not get the highest rating is because the first season is still a work in progress, but the chemistry between all the characters is definetely there and that's what makes the show so entertaining to watch. ... Read more

Description

The object of many pre-pubescent lads' desires, Mrs. Emma Peel - as brought to light by Dame Diana Rigg - dazzled television screens on both sides of the Atlantic from 1965 - 1967. Now, for the first time anywhere, all 51 of the enduringly classic adventures featuring the dynamic duo of Steed and Peel are gathered together in one massive collection. The Complete Emma Peel Mega-Set is a one-stop haven for DVD collectors, with all episodes remastered and bolder than ever, with the digital clarity only DVD can deliver! It also includes galleries of extremely rare, high-quality production stills culled from the archives of The Avengers. Contains all 51 Avengers episodes ever made featuring Dianna Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

A rigg-lover's dream come true
The immensely popular ABC series called "The Avengers" has long since achieved legendary status since it appeared back in January 1961. Since then there have been 161 episodes, which break into four major sections. We have the early episodes (1-26) with Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Ian Hendry as Dr. Keel. Then the "Cathy Gail" series (27-78) with Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale, the man-tossing, leather-covered intellectual who broke new ground for female characters on television. Even more popular was the black and white series (79-104) with Diana Rigg and Emma Peel (read "M[en] appeal "), which led not unexpectedly to the color series with Rigg (105-129). Then the final section with Linda Thorson as Tara King (129-- in which she co-starred with Rigg-161).
As of this writing, the early episodes in the Gale series and all of the King series are not yet available. However, A&E has just released all of the Rigg entries, both the black and whites and the color, in a wonderful boxed set called "The Avengers: the Complete Emma Peel Mega-Set." And Mega, I suppose, is as good as any adjective to describe the enjoyment value of the contents therein. We have here all the Rigg episodes, including the transition entry in which Tara takes over for Emma, on 16 DVDs, each holding 3 episodes with an occasional 4th as a "bonus."
Those who have never seen them before will want, of course, to watch them in order. Others will want to jump to their favorite episodes, which is pretty easy on DVD. You will notice that the black and whites were less studio-bound and the sets in general more realistic. With the first color episode, the series took a strong science fiction bent; and the sets, as the producers admitted, were more a view of England as the Americans would like to think it is.
You will also have a lot of fun spotting stars-to-be. There is Donald Sutherland, Brian Blessed and Charlotte Rampling in "The Superlative Seven," Peter Bowles in "Dial a Deadly Number" and "Escape in Time," Geoffrey Palmer in "A Surfeit of H2O," and Christopher Lee in "Never, Never Say Die." It was a policy that no actor could appear more than once a season, so Bowles and Lee, for example, would have to wait for the King series to play other characters. In fact, the only characters as such to reappear in the color Rigg series from the black and whites is the bumbling Brodny (Warren Mitchell) who can be found in "Two's a Crowd" and "The See-Through Man" and the evil assistant (Frederick Jaeger) to the Cybernaut-master.

And for more fun, see how many actors from "Are You Being Served?" you can spot? There are three in all.
The most frequent repeat actor seems to be comedian Roy Kinnear, who also has the honor of being in the very last King episode in the role of Bagpipes Happychap. And then we have rotund Patrick Newell who was murdered in the very first Rigg entry, drugged in a color one, and wound up as Mother in the King series.
But all in all, it is the interplay between Macnee and Rigg that really made this program work. Unlike Cathy Gale, who seemed actively to dislike Steed when she was not merely tolerating him, Mrs. Peel had a genuine fondness for him and was not averse to stirring his tea (anticlockwise, as he preferred it). And as for the question of Peel and Steed being lovers, recall that they are fictional characters and have no life off the screen.
The dialogue was light hearted, and you seldom if ever saw blood after a mere trickle in their third episode. You also never saw a policeman, an element that for some reason the producers thought would be a jarring note. (You figure out why; I cannot.)

The best episodes? There is no question that "The House That Jack Built" leads the pack. This is the one in which Emma finds herself in a house designed to drive her mad and Steed appears only at the start and end. The worst? Possibly "Silent Dust." The silliest? That has to be "Epic." The most serious? "Murdersville." So what if the package costs a small fortune? You could purchase them separately, of course; but think of what you would be missing.

Steed Sets A Moral Trend - Emma Shows Appeal
This DVD set consists of the best episodes The Avengers had to offer - the entirety of the Emma Peel years, which (to most Americans, anyway) was virtually the whole of the series, itself.

For the uninitiated: John Steed and Emma Peel were the coolest, suavest, hippest, sexiest pair of crimefighting secret agents ever to grace T.V. He was old-school British upper-crust orthodoxy and money, she was the chic young-blood, hip-flip, proto-feminist karate expert in boots, leather pants and miniskirts. Together, Steed ("top professional") and Mrs. Peel ("talented amateur") weekly "avenged crimes against the people and the state," which ranged from evil plots by average Cold War Russian spies to ambitious megalomaniacs to everyday organized killers-for-profit. Their foes included makers of murdering robots, terrorists manufacturing atom bombs in department stores, clandestine military invaders and/or saboteurs from foreign shores, and even a mind-controlling plant from outer space. The show was part spoof, part parody, part sci-fi, and a lot of straightforward supersleuthing action/adventure. It was clever and colorful, smart and fashionable, funny, witty, and even thrilling.

There are very few bad episodes in this entire bunch, and even the worst of them is elevated by the phenomenal chemistry between the two stars, Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, whose witty repartee and general unflappability were always the most genuine magic of the whole series. The bond between the two's characters is formed of the noblest qualities: courage, patriotism, moral fortitude, mutual respect and devotion, and the willingness to risk their own lives for each other and the safety of the world at large, if need be.

Sadly, the recent badly-made movie severely damaged the desire of a new generation to see what all the grand fun of the original series was all about; but believe me, it's well worth rediscovering, and every bit as good today as it was when it debuted, almost forty years ago.

Treat yourself. Meet "The Avengers," and discover how fast they come to feel like old friends.

Time for middle-aged women to chime in...
I first watched the Avengers when I was in grade school in the mid-sixties, and I fell in love with both the show and Steed and Mrs. Peel. I felt compelled to respond to the Viewer from Ohio, and anyone uninitiated into the Avengers Fan Club. First, the Avengers never proclaimed to be "realistic." Its tongue-in-cheek send-up of the burgeoning secret agent genre made it far more enjoyable than any of the other offerings of the time. What makes these episodes (and I admit to being partial only to the Mrs. Peel years) is the marvelous, seductive yet unstated sexual energy and outstanding chemistry between Steed/Macnee and Rigg/Peel. Their double-entendre delivery is worth the price of this spectacular set. The character of Mrs. Peel offered the young American girl the first real feminist hero on television---smart, strong, brave, yet with no doubt about her femininity and sexual identity. As for Patrick Macnee: I'm sorry, Viewer from Ohio: he presented a charming and very attractive character, and the relationship between the 2 leads fueled the fantasies of many peri-pubescent girls (I'll let the boys speak for themselves). And, I've met Mr. Macnee: he's a very nice man indeed.
For fans of the series, this set is a must. For newcomers, I still believe it is the most enjoyable series I've ever seen and I recommend it to everyone, but know what the show is about before spending a couple of bills on 16 DVDs! But if you DO know, then this is a set worth owning. I'd rather watch this (and do!) than almost anything on TV in THIS century!

I'm in love with Diana Rigg
Sorry, but I just had to get that out of the way. Dame Di spent her teen years in my home town of Leeds in the UK. Swoon.

Emma Peel was an incredibly important female role model at a time when blond bimboes were pouting, being dumb and twisting their ankles while being led by the heroes as they fled from the bad guys.

Emma Peel, warrior woman, took on the bad guys, and usually won. Xena: Warrior Princess, played so masterfully by Lucy Lawless - also 5'10", owes a great deal to Mrs. Peel, who was immortalized by the insanely talented, classically-trained actress, Diana Rigg.

I actually loved the black and white episodes - apart from the stories themselves being intriguing, they have an Art House quality about them.

Likewise, the color episodes, which are of superior quality, are just as magical in their own way. The Avengers, even down to the score by Laurie Johnson and unmistakable indidental music, was just flawless, with Macnee and Rigg beng every bit as magical and compelling a screen couple as Bogie and Bacall.

Absolutely wonderful to have these as a single package. If I recall, the name Emma Peel came from the time when they were trying to develop a female character who would have Man Appeal or M-Appeal... hence Emma Peel.

Whatever the reality, in Diana Rigg's Emma Peel, they succeeded mightily. Possibly the most perfect woman who ever walked the Earth.

Did I say 'possibly'? Tsk tsk.

Incredible
I am a HUGE fan of this series, specifically the Emma Peel years, I find all of the Avengers good but when Diana Rigg did the show it became a classic. In this set is the complete set. Worth EVERY penny and any Avengers fan shouldnt live without this amazing set. The picture quality is simply stunning the dvds themselves are packed quite nicely also. I won't try to be all witty like some cheesballs do.....but simply, Buy this it is WELL worth it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted with Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) are, respectively, Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaonic Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian gods from the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. Amid a plethora of derivative look-alikes, Stargate SG-1 has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi.

Among the second season's 22 episodes, "The Serpent's Lair" concludes the cliffhanger from the end of the first season in a rollercoaster of wit, plot twists, and cutting-edge special effects as the SG-1 team resign themselves to a suicide mission. In the two-parter "The Tok'ra," Sam's estranged father is dying of cancer, but her obligations sway her toward saving a member of the Goa'uld renegade Tok'ra who is also dying. In "Show and Tell," the central story arc takes a dramatic turn when a child arrives to warn that some survivors of a Goa'uld attack are determined to eliminate anyone who might host their enemy--which means Earth as a whole. There's great fun to be had in "1969," with a time-travel plot that loops many aspects of the show's story lines together, and the cliffhanger finale, "Out of Mind," has Jack experience an Aliens-style awakening 79 years into his future. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Finally...
SG-1 is crazy good, and Season 2 was arguably the best season so far. As with many TV adaptations, the sophomore year is when a series tends to truly expand its horizons from the original, and this is certainly true with Stargate SG-1. Season Two lays the groundwork for many of the key storylines of the series, so it is a must for any viewer. I've been awaiting this since the first box set, especially with the Region 2 DVD's being up to Season Four.

I cannot stress to anyone enough who has not watched the TV series that it is superb. If you would have asked me over a year ago about SG-1, I would have dismissed it easily as a cheesy Made-In-Canada (don't fret, I'm Canadian) Sci-Fi series. True, a lot of that would have been from my bias from the movie, and that it starred Patty and Selma's hero MacGyver ;-), but after only seeing a few shows, I became quickly hooked. I was blown away by the unbelievable chemistry of the cast, the great story writing, and the quality of the special effects. We truly need more advocates for the series, as good TV is often hard to find. I'm about to preorder my copy now...

A must have for all Stargate fans
Although it has taken a long time for them to be released, these DVD's have definitely been worth the wait. Stargate SG-1 is one of the best sci-fi shows that has been around in years, taking an original and interesting premise (originally introduced in the Stargate movie, although expanded and changed a little) and weaving it into a detailed and complex storyline that continues to entertain.
The second season sees Stargate SG-1 really come into it's own, finding it's feet after a mostly hit-and-miss first year. Among other things, we see the introduction of some new characters (both good and bad) this season, which adds a whole new dimension to the show and sets up some brilliant story arcs. The mythology behind the Stargate is explored a little deeper as well, allowing for some interesting discoveries and character development.
Featuring such memorable episodes as The Serpent's Lair, A Matter Of Time, Holiday, 1969 and The Fifth Race, this is a collection that I will be re-watching and enjoying for a long time to come.

great show
I'll save the same for every single season... richard dean anderson is the life of the show. Love it.

Best of the Series
I love every season of SG1, but season 2 was hands down the best. The thing that makes SG1 better than all other SciFi is continuity. The story lines are far reaching and many of the best story lines started in Season. In fact, I am looking at the episodes of season 2 and I believe every single on is contunued or refered to in future episodes. What an amazing series from just an OK movie.

The Series Takes Off
The first season of Stargate: SG-1 was very good. It had good stories, but it also had great potential to become something better. Season 2 has begun to realize said potential. Many of the episodes this season expanded on ideas and arcs from the first season, as well as introducing new ideas, characters, and locations. For example, we meet Thor (in his true form), as well as some of the other Asguard, a powerful alliance with the Tok'Ra is formed, the NID storyline is taken in new directions, and we learn about the builders of the Stargate system as well as the origins of the intergalactic U.N. from the first season episode, "The Torment of Tantalus". We also meet some new Goa'uld system lords, as well as see the destruction of an old enemy.
The actors (Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis, and Teryl Rohtery) all grew in their roles as Col. Jack O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Capt. Sam Carter, Teal'c, Gen. George Hammond, and Dr. Janet Frasier. Not only did they prove their worth as their own characters, some of them got the chance to play others as well in the episode, "Holdiay". I'm sure that Judge liked that one because he got to play O'Neill, who is Teal'c's polar opposite.
The storylines were improved this year (not that they were bad last year), with some great examples being: "The Serpent's Lair", "In the Line of Duty", "Prisoners", "Thor's Chariot", "Secrets", "The Tok'Ra, Pts. 1 and 2", "Spirits", "Touchstone", "A Matter of Time", "The Fifth Race", "Serpent's Song", "Holiday", "1969", and "Out of Mind". There were a few groaners, such as "One False Step", but overall, this was an awesome season. ... Read more

Description

Casting a fresh look on a timeless legend, this exciting, action-packed update of the DC Comics Superman captures the daring exploits of the mysterious visitor from another planet and brings the city of Metropolis to life. Originally aired in the 90's on ABC, this humorously romantic action/adventure hour-long series puts a modern twist on the time-honored, legendary superhero, bringing to life the comic book characters Clark Kent (Dean Cain); his superhuman alter-ego, Superman; and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher), fiction's first lady of the press, in the most unrequited romance of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (178)

The Great Show Ever about Superman
I love the way they did this version I always thought Christopher Reeves was a stuff shirt and Margot Kidder come on even Noel Neal did a better job as Lois,Teri Hather was the best Lois Lane ever and Dean Cain played Clark Kent aka Superman better then any of the others George Reeves did it pretty good as well.

A disgrace to Superman!!!
This show had almost nothing going for it. Bad special effects, cheesy acting, terrible villains(The Wedding Destroyer?-UGH!!),bad stories,and Dean Cain a.k.a. the absolute worst Superman in the characters history. He looked and sounded NOTHING like Superman. What on Earth were they thinking when they casted him? The only bright spot was Teri Hatcher. Without a doubt, the prettiest Lois Lane ever. But Hatcher was not enough to save this piece of trash. True Superman fans hate this show. If you don't believe me,read the message boards for yourself on the Internet Movie Database. I wish I could give this disgrace of a show ZERO stars!!!

In Name Only....
First, just speaking as someone who liked Superman better before the change done to the Man of Steel in 1986 in the comics by John Byrne, all subsecquent apperances that were done on the Man of Steel have been in name only. They have had nothing to do with the charecters, they have just been done to make cheap movies and cheapshows, and as Warner Brothers owns all the rights to the charecter of Superman, the "true" Superman fans have had to watch the hero get the make-over in one cheap way after another.This TV show that had Cain and Hatcher in it was, Well it was total Garbage.It was a primetime soap operas with cheesy acting,scripts, and video game style production values.The actors defend their work on this disk set, but they are patheic.They can not act and they had to destroy an American icon just to make cheap prime time drama.I join the ranks of other true Superman fans who have said to Warners, "You have our unending contempt>"And that goes also for Smalleville and that new movie now being made by Singer.

I will buy this faster than a speeding bullet! 6/7/05
I was impressed with Dean Caine's ability to act as Clark Kent. This was the first time I cared about his character. I only liked Superman, not Clark Kent until Lois & Clark. Terri Hatcher was the best Lois Lane ever. Margot Kidder & Christopher Reeve had their day, but Terri & Dean are spectacular. I was led to believe by Warner Bro's TV insert 50 years of quality get up to $50 back insert in Wonder Woman Season 2 DVD. Inside the insert it stated Lois & Clark The New Adventures Of Superman was one of the TV DVD sets you could buy to get money back. No DVD exists, no release date for this series, so I went to WB email site and complained of false advertisement and asked to be notified by email when they release it. I guess they finally listened! June 7th 2005 Season 1 finally comes to DVD! There's going to be a Superman party at Wal-Mart at midnight! (The store manager is setting this one up with free Superman prizes & etc... I want all 4 seasons not just one. I will stand in line at Wal*Mart before midnight with all of my L & C friends. This is my all time favorite TV series. Buck Rogers is my second, and I was glad to get that one. It amazes me how they release any TV series u can immagine, or don't want to immagine except Lois & Clark, and that makes me mad. Well, I am happy to announce that I finally get the first season of my favorite TV series on DVD! I have premiere pilot on VHS from columbia house. I don't want VHS I want DVD. Another series I want is Justice League on DVD not a few episodes here and there... I mean the complete series. I am sure WB works very hard to make their customers crave and be very disappointed. Thank you for reading, I hope someone out there agrees with me. Here is the complete episode Guide for Fans like me, for Season 1...
1- Lois & Clark - The New Adventures Of Superman (2 Part Pilot)
2- Strange Visitor From Another Planet
3- Never-ending Battle
4- I'm Looking Through You
5- Requiem For A Super-hero
6- I've Got A Crush On You
7- Smart Kids
8- The Green, Green Glow Of Home
9- The Man Of Steel Bars
10- Pheromone, My Lovely
11- Witness
12- Honeymoon In Metropolis
13- All Shook Up
14- Illusions Of Grandeur
15- The Ides Of Metropolis
16- Foudling
17- The Rival
18- Vatman
19- Fly Hard
20- Barbarians At The Planet Part 1
21- The House Of Luthor Part 2

I hope Season 2 is announced on DVD soon... -JM

Best Show Ever
This is THE show I have been waiting for to come out on DVD. This is a lot better than Smallville (which I also love). Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher are the best on-screen couple I've seen. The stories are wonderful. The acting is wonderful. If you're a fan or even if you're not, BUY THIS. You will certainly not regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It was a short but sweet fifth season for Sex and the City, as HBO's resident comediennes found themselves affected by forces beyond their control--the pregnancies of both Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda). A truncated shooting schedule to accommodate the actresses forced this season to be reduced to a mere eight episodes, and indeed, you can tell both actresses are expecting. (Carrie's wardrobe became more outlandish and more concealing than usual.) Still, the actresses and creators forged ahead, creating a handful of episodes that if short in content were long on emotion and laughs. Whereas the fourth season found all four grappling with various relationships, the fifth season focused on the perils of being single, with a new intensity lacking in the previous sexcapades. Carrie and Miranda wrestled with their solitary lifestyles, albeit with new attachments--Miranda had new baby Brady and single motherhood, while Carrie found herself in the world of publishing as the author of a real-life book of her columns. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) wondered if she'd ever find another man, while Samantha (Kim Cattrall) finally got rid of the one that had been vexing her far too much, hotelier Richard (James Remar). If the season as a whole felt less than the sum of its parts, those parts were some of the best comedy in the show's history, from Samantha's anointment as the "Michiko Kakutani of vibrators" to Carrie's stressful, one-degree-from-fiasco book launch party. (And fear not, Chris Noth's Mr. Big does pop up now and again.) The season's climactic episode, "I Love a Charade," found all four at the straight wedding of a seemingly gay pal (Nathan Lane) and contemplating their future with a wry, bemused tone. It was one of the series' best episodes ever, equally touching and funny, and grounded the show in an emotional maturity that announced that after all their wild travails, these women had truly grown up. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (189)

8 episodes same price as 24
Ok, the folks at HBO publishing are getting greedy. Season 5 was only 8 episodes. So in HBO's infinite wisdom they decided to charge us fans the same list price as a 24-episode season, with no extras worth mentioning. (However they do split it up onto 2 DVD's to make you think you're getting more for your money.)
While the shows are great I have to ding this season with 3 stars because of the blatant disregard for loyal consumers.
In season 5 we have Carrie being free and single, Miranda dealing with the baby and Steve, Samantha dealing with Richard, and Charlotte in life after Trey.
If you're a junky/collector I guess you'll end up purchasing it like me, otherwise send a message to HBO and just rent it.

Sex and The City Season 5 Short but sweet
I like the zillions of others across the world am a huge fan of Sex and The City. Not having HBO, I discovered the series through word of mouth and then via rentals at the video store. Season 5 was short but sweet and with the pregnancies of both Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker, was there much more that the producers could do than offer up eight episodes?! What if they had decided no season at all? God we'd have all been in mini therapy groups! So let's not complain and take what we can get girls cuz eight episodes were better than nothing! WHERE MY CHIEF COMPLAINT does come in is the exorbitantly high price of the DVD set. Come on HBO lighten up a bit! Two discs with only four episodes on each can surely be priced @ $15-$20 tops! As for me,since I've rented season five on DVD, I'll wait until the passing of time and the eventual lower price I'll find in a used copy.

Too expensive!!!!!!!
I am not rating this season low because of content--the content was excellent--and I realize that the pregnancies of Sarah Jessica and Cynthia are unavoidable...but come on! Don't charge us all the same price for less than half of the normal number of episodes!!!

Review on SATC--the MATERIAL--free of whining about $$
I really like Sex in the City. I feel sad that no one has even TRIED to duplicate it--I know full duplication can't be done but since it's leaving I would even have settled for some decent knockoffs of the show (laughter). In no other show/film have sex and relationships from the point of view of women been explored this frankly--it will probably never happen again-at least not in my lifetime. I am in the middle of watching the fifth season. I'm enjoying it. We have all watched these four women for four years now. Are they supposed to remain unchanged in any way for that long? Shouldn't they have different changes and challenges in their lives? I will admit that the fifth season did not come as close to perfection as the others did. (Has your work been almost perfect consistently everyday in everyway 365 days a year for 4 straight years? Mine hasn't-it's called being human.) Season Four in my opinion is still an essential for anyone who really connects with this one-of-kind series. Being that I respect the brave work of this ground-breaking show and because this format is supposed to review the material and the work--(...) Also don't you find it amazing the things people put their passion and rage behind? Homeless mothers who need health care for their children express this level of passionate anger about overpriced prescription drugs-however a person ranting about the cost of a HBO sitcom on DVD-and going on and on like some of these people have here?? I tend to wave that off as "You have some serious issues and buying SATC is probably the least of your problems" Some reviews can be dismissed right away like the ones from misogynists who obviously just hate to see independent women having fun and enjoying sex/relationships/career in the free-wheeling way men always have. They secretly want all women to be like Afghan women were under the Taliban. (...). (...)

We can be so hard on celebs. We love them yet we hate then and we are ultra critical of them. Lastly, I again want to remind you, dear reader, to consider the source and look up any info you can find on a reviewer and weigh that against whatever they write. Also take totally anonymous reviews with a big grain of salt. And again...I enjoyed the fourth season of Sex In The City even with it imperfections!

Sex and the City meets the average girl
As a devotee of Sex and the City, I never wanted to admit that anything was wrong with the show... until I saw Season 5. A lot of people will say that Season 5 is what's wrong with SATC, but I say that Season 5 is what's RIGHT about the show! Season 5 is the most realistic of all six seasons. Playfully dubbed "the season without men" by the show's writers, there are very few long-term (or short-term, for that matter) relationships for the women in this season. Until Season 5, the women of SATC have gone through a seemingly endless string of semi-serious to serious relationships without any real examination of what and who the women are without men. This season forces all of the women to show their true colors without men. Even Samantha's antics are toned down and used more to expose who she is rather than what she does.

Many fans complained that Season 5 wasn't funny enough. Not enough men, not enough sex. Real single women know that Season 5 was the closest of all the seasons to what all of us experience in our daily lives - loneliness, good friends, occasional romantic connections, and a lot of "in between". Season 5 isn't "filler" or a poor season - its real life. Fans of the show who don't enjoy this season are, perhaps, happy to forget about their own lives while following those of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. I prefer to think of the women of SATC as myself and my friends - and Season 5 proves that they are. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The third and final season of Seth MacFarlane's late, lamented Family Guy finds television's most dysfunctional cartoon family even more animated than usual. As MacFarlane notes in a bonus segment about the controversial series' censorship battles, he was inspired to go for broke, thinking that the series, already juggled like a hot potato in the schedule (at one point, it aired opposite the mighty Friends), had been cancelled. Just as Spinal Tap walked the fine line between "clever and stupid," so did Family Guy gleefully mock the line between "edgy and offensive." Case in point is this set's holy grail: "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," not aired during the series' original run, in which clueless Rhode Island patriarch Peter Griffin is convinced that if his lumpen son is to be rich and successful, he must become Jewish.

Like The Simpsons, Family Guy lends itself to multiple viewings to catch each densely packed episode's way-inside "one-percenter" gags (so-called by the creators because that is the percent of the audience who will get them), scattershot pop-culture references, surreal leaps, and gratuitous pot shots at everyone from, predictably, Oprah, Kevin Costner, and Bill Cosby to, unpredictably, Rita Rudner. Also like their Springfield counterparts, this series benefits from a great ensemble voice cast, with surprising contributions from a no-less-stellar roster of guest stars. Yes, that's actually Kelly Ripa as her "real" self, a heart-devouring alien in "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1," and June Foray popping in as Rocky the Flying Squirrel in "Brian Does Hollywood." Family Guy's stock has recently risen with its addition to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup, a much better fit than prime time. To see Peter invite Charles Manson to a party for Sharon Tate ("but only if you don't embarrass me") is to marvel how much of this ever got on the air. Happily, it is on DVD. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (156)

This Family Rules!
This is a great DVD set collecting the final season of the best animated comedy show to hit the airways since the SIMPSONS. Each episode is jam-packed with more pop-cultural references than a VH1 special. From the DUKES OF HAZZARD to Adam West, the Incredible Hulk to Optimus Prime (yep, he's in here!), series creator Seth MacFarlane manages to masterfully walk that fine line between parody and homage.
The picture quality on the episodes are crystal clear and the sound is sharp. The extras are pretty good this time around(especially compared to the first DVD set). The most talked about addition to this set is definitely the inclusion of the previously unaired episode. I personally didn't find anything offensive about it but I'm sure somebody somewhere can. The deleted scenes are funny to watch considering the animation is unfinished. The best bonus feature is the short pilot pitch that was only shown to FOX executives to sell the series. After seeing this, I have to commend FOX on taking a chance with this SIMPSONS knock-off (there I said it, but who cares? Does anyone care that the FLINTSTONES are a HONEYMOONERS rip-off?!)
So, with all this praise, you might be wondering why I didn't give this 5 stars. The answer is simple...the horrible commentaries! I'm a huge fan of commentaries because they allow the viewer to feel like they're sitting in a room conversing with the very people that are responsible for your entertainment. But the few commentaries on this set are played entirely for laughs, as cell phones can be heard ringing, people walking in on the recording sessions, pointless anecdotes that have nothing to do with the episode, and then annoying long moments of silence where it seems like everyone just wants to go home. Occasionally, somebody might start to say something relevant to the show, but is quickly interrupted by more horse-play. It's great that the crew get along so well, but who wants to listen to people goofing off for a half-hour? These guys should definetly check out the SIMPSONS sets for commentaries with a good mixture of levity and information.
But this is only a minor quibble about an otherwise wonderful box set that's easily one of the best additions to anybody's DVD library.

Family Guy, we barely knew thee!
With the release of this boxed set, you can now own the third and final season of the short-lived but outstanding cartoon series "Family Guy." The 22 episodes from this season are, overall, quite hilarious. The commentary is frequently as enjoyable as the episodes, as various members of cast and crew discuss the creation process, animation, writing, censorship, etc. The last two episodes in this set are very memorable. The last aired episode explores three pieces of "viewer mail" -- three bizarre scenarios like wishes from a genie in a bottle, superpowers from toxic waste, and "Little Rascals," Quahog style. The last episode didn't make it on the air. Tasteless but side-splitting jokes about Judaism obviously didn't please censors and network officials. It's well worth it to own all three seasons (two boxed sets) of this show. The writers constantly push the boundaries of taste, tact, and television censorship. Television wasn't ready for "Family Guy," but you should be ready to own every episode!

Best Show Ever
Family guy is the best show ever made. It is the funniest cartoon/television show. Its characters are brilliant, humorous and offensive at the same time, which of course makes for a very enjoyable show. The political references, 70's/80's tv references are hysterical as well as stewie, the diabolical 1 year. I reccomend this to anyone with a sense of humor, and someone who doesn't take offense easily.

THIS SHOW WILL KILL YOU........WITH LAUGHTER
I have yet to find anything, show, movie, or real life, that is at least as funny as Family Guy. After about a year of searching (...) I came up with nada. Family Guy's quick wit, and clever writing offends anyone and everything it can. Basically, if you're watching it you'll be offended whether you know it or not. It has good uplifting moral values for all to enjoy(...). Well actually it has NO values of any kind. This show is probably intended for the viewers who are old enough to understand what's going on in the world. That does not include people over 60! Well, anyway Family Guy is a great buy at any price. (...)

Basically a Bad Show, Getting Better
While FAMILY GUY bombed on Fox (and don't let anyone tell you that Fox tried to kill it; Fox renewed the show twice even though the ratings stunk almost everywhere and the reviews were scathing), it's become a huge success on DVD and cable, leading to the production of new episodes of the show and an upcoming summer run on Fox for these new episodes, where it can bomb all over again.

So what's my problem with it? Well, first of all, almost everything is derivative of other, better shows. And not just THE SIMPSONS, but PINKY AND THE BRAIN (Stewie, the little big-headed megalomaniac, is a direct ripoff of the Brain). Second, the show uses references as a substitute for humor -- which is to say that they'll often refer to some '80s TV show or commercial and expect us to laugh just because we get the reference; there's rarely any satirical point being made about the shows it's supposedly "parodying." Third, the voice acting is often quite poor -- MacFarlane improved as the series went on, but his acting is often stiff and one-note, with none of the interesting vocal inflections that, say, Dan Castellanetta brings to Homer Simpson. (To be fair, MacFarlane is better as Brian the Dog than as Peter.) Fourth, the show doesn't have much variety in its gags; the basic tropes -- sexual innuendoes, parodies, famous historical figures acting inappropriately -- are repeated from show to show. Fifth, the animation is truly terrible; the characters are inexpressive, stiff and immobile. Any episode of The Simpsons or King of the Hill has better animated "acting." And King of the Hill, often denigrated as the unfunny link in Fox's chain of animated shows, actually has character comedy, which means that it is funny even if you don't get a bunch of cheesy '80s references -- King of the Hill or the early Simpsons are genuuinely funny; Family Guy is fake funny, getting laughs by cheap means. It's about as cutting-edge as an episode of "Wayne and Shuster".

But the biggest overall problem is that the characters are just not worth following. The characters are so clearly sitcom stereotypes, and the stories are so minimal (just a clothesline on which to hang the gags) that the greatest joy of a good sitcom -- following interesting characters like a Homer Simpson or a Hank Hill or even an Eric Cartman -- is not there. All that's there is the gags, and eventually they all come to seem the same because they are based on nothing; the characters are too shallow to be humorous. (Stewie was such a one-note character that by the final season, almost every joke involves him acting *out* of character in some way -- a sure sign that a character was ill-conceived in the first place, and a sad contrast with the far superior Brain from PINKY AND THE BRAIN.) Brian is the only character with some depth to him, and the episodes focusing on him tend to be the best.

I will say that by the last season, the writers seemed to be trying to tell more coherent stories and give the characters a bit more life. This bodes well for the new episodes. But the 50 or so episodes that already exist add up to a show with poor writing, poor story structure, poor voice acting, poor animation (Peter's face is so inexpressive that his "happy" face looks about the same as his "sad" expression), and above all weak characters. In other words, a poor show. Its cult success is impressive, but then, we can all name shows that are successful without being any good. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"So," Tony Soprano asks analyst Dr. Melfi in the wake ofnot-so-dearly-departed Livia's death, "we're probably done here, right?" Sorry, Tone, not by along shot. Unresolved mother issues are the least of the Family man's troublesin the brutal and controversial third season of The Sopranos. Ranked byTV Guide among the top five greatest series ever, The Sopranosjustified its eleven-month hiatus with some of its best, and most hotly debated,episodes that continue the saga of the New Jersey mob boss juggling thepressures of his often intersecting personal and professional lives. The thirdseason garnered 22 Emmy nominations, earning Lead Actor and Actress honors forJames Gandolfini and Edie Falco for their now-signature roles as Tony and hisincreasingly conflicted wife, Carmela.

The Sopranos continued to upend convention and defy audience expectationswith a deliberately paced, calm-before-the-storm season opener that revolvesaround the FBI's attempts to bug the Soprano household, and a season finale that(for some) frustratingly leaves several plot lines unresolved. The secondepisode, "Proshai, Livushka," confronts the death of the venerable NancyMarchand, who capped her career with perhaps her greatest role as malignantmatriarch Livia. A jarring scene between Tony and Livia that uses pre-existingfootage is a distraction, but Carmela's unsparing smackdown of Livia at the wakeredeems the episode. "Employee of the Month," in which Dr. Melfi is raped andconsiders whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack, earned Emmysfor its writers, and is perhaps Emmy nominee Lorraine Bracco's finest hour. Thedarkly comic "Pine Barrens"--another memorable episode, directed by SteveBuscemi--strands Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) in theforest with a runaway corpse. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriouslyunstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and Tony's affair with "full-blownloop-de-loo" Gloria (Emmy nominee Annabella Sciorra). Plus, there is Tony'sestrangement from daughter Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), his wayward delinquentson Anthony, Jr. (Robert Iler), Carmela's crisis of conscience, bad seed JackieJr., and the FBI--which, as the season ends, assigns an undercover agent tobefriend an unwitting figure in the Soprano family's orbit. Stay tuned forseason four. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (85)

A series that just gets better and better.
The third series of 'The Sopranos' consolidates the brilliance of the first two, rather than taking it in any radically new directions. The characters, their relationships and their environment are so strong; the dramatic irony between our sympathy with and enjoyment of these people, and our knowledge of their brutal and unhypocritically presented crimes, is so complex, that any blatant originality merely for the sake of it would be a betrayal.

But, because the central components are so strong, there is plenty of room for play - in the way narratives are set up to encourage then defy expectations; in the interplay with canonical gangster texts, especially 'The Godfather'; in the consistently creative use of music - for mood and to emphasise character, yes, but also to create ironic distance, to add montages of 'commentary' over the stories, to connect apparently disparate scenes, to add a depth of texture. Because it is in texture that 'The Sopranos' has really developed - the recklessly confident film-making; the layered scripts; the rich dialogue; and the knowing acting combine to create programmes of truly, yes, operatic density.

There are a number of new plot developments in this series - Meadow goes to Columbia University; the FBI (in a supremely funny handful of episodes) attempt to bug the Sopranos; the Russian mafia grow in menacing importance; Janice takes up with a Christian musician; Anthony Jr. becomes increasingly unmanagable at school and at play, but proves an unexpectedly skilful footballer; Ralph (Joe Pantoliano) replaces Richie Aprile as the major made-guy thorn in Tony's side; Carmela feels increasingly guilty about her mob-financed luxury; Tony begins an affair with a beautiful, smart, successful car saleswoman (Anabella Sciorra) who has even more mental problems than he. Most crucial for the series is the role of Jackie Aprile Jr., college-mitching son of Tony's former mob boss and best friend, who wants to see some of the criminal action, and starts dating Meadow as a spectacularly misjudged entree. The major weakness of the second series - the tokenistic continuation of the Dr. Melfi framing scenes long after they've outrun their dramtic usefulness - is corrected by both bringing the psychotherapist (dangerously) closer to Tony's life, and by having Carmela join in the sessions, to comic effect.

There is a brooding, elegiac feel to the series, with Tony thinking not just about his mother, but his dead friends, Pussy's actions in the last series, and the future possibilities open to the younger generation. If nothing else, Series 3 boasts the best-ever episode of 'The Sopranos', directed by one Steve Buscemi, which begins farcically, with Paulie and Christopher accidentally killing an irate Russian, and bungling the disposal of his body in a snow-wasted forest; before turning into a nightmare, as they lose their bearings after the corpse runs off, and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere. Loosened from the secure ties and identity-affirmation of family and Family, the episode brilliantly encapsulates what's at stake in the series, as unforgettably as the immortal 'Seinfeld' episode when the quartet can't find their car in the shopping mall car park.

Oddly compelling despite subject matter
The third season of HBO's acclaimed Sopranos continues the established tradition of this film-quality television series. The Sopranos are a fairly normal suburban New Jersey family except that the father, Tony, is the head of an organized crime organization. In the third season, Tony's mother Livia dies (as did the actress that portrayed her, Nancy Marchand), daughter Meadow goes off to Columbia University, son Anthony, Jr. struggles to stay in high school, and Tony's mobster friends continue with their regular business ventures. James Gandolfini's portrayal of Tony is always at the heart of the series' success. He is able to pull off the difficult task of being likeable as a suburban father while simultaneously cheating on his wife and killing people. People I know who don't usually care for onscreen sex, violence, and foul language are irrestibly drawn to this series because of its compelling performances, professional direction and screenwriting, and long-spanning story arcs. There is a large cast of supporting characters whose stories progress as the audience becomes more familiar with them, as in a daytime soap opera. Of course, some of them get whacked. Actually, the third season has considerably less killing and nudity than the first two. But the profanity continues in full force. This is not material suitable for the kiddies. To me the best aspect of the content of this series is the way it examines the themes of integrity, responsibility, and especially loyalty. There is a perverse sense of justice when a disloyal mobster is "disappeared" by the collective efforts of his mob family. The DVD extras are very slight. The featurette is very short but does offer a chance to hear the actor who portrays Furio speak without his Italian accent. The audio commentaries by actor/screenwriter Michael Imperioli, director (better known as an actor, though not of Sopranos) Steve Buscemi, and creator David Chase are among the least informative I have ever heard. Buscemi, one of my favorite actors, is entirely too humble and deferential to the set-in-place Sopranos powers-that-be to deliver any sort of authority on his commentary. But despite the lack of substantive DVD extras, this package is well worth watching to those who like competently delivered episodic television. But do definitely start with the first season!

My Favorite Season of the Sopranos
I'm a great fan of the series and have all four seasons on DVD and just finishing watching 5 on HBO. The third season is my favorite by far. Some reasons why:

The introduction of Ralphie Cifaretto to the show (played outstandingly by Joe Pantoliano), the hilarious and well acted Pine Barrens episode, the great chemistry and high drama between Tony Soprano & Gloria Trullo (Anabella Sciorra), and Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile (nice plot line involving him and besides he's great eye candy), the return of Janice, Carmella's scene in the male psychiatrist's office when she briefly confronts the reality of her life.

It's just fantastic and like the entire show so far, it's a must see. Although some were disappointed with Season 5 and truthfully it could have been better, the Sopranos continues to be complex and quality TV. It's more than just a mob show, for sure.

BADA BING...BADA BOOM...
If you are looking at this review, you probably already have the first and second season. All I can tell you is that the third season is as good, if not better, than the first and second. This is truly one of the best series ever to have graced the television screen. Leave it to HBO to have come up with such an engaging, well-written, well-acted, and totally addictive series.

There are some major plot developments this season. Starting off slowly, the first episode chronicles the synchronized, often comical efforts of the FBI, which is trying to get an electronic surveillance bug in place in the Soprano's household. The season then heats up considerably from thereon.

Livia Soprano, Tony's wicked mother and a canker in her children's lives, dies, bringing daughter Janice back from where she had fled, after she had bumped off her manic boyfriend, Richie Aprile, last season. Janice returns with a narcoleptic, musician boyfriend who is the antithesis of Richie. As always, Janice likes to stir up trouble, and her mother Livia's wake and funeral services are fertile country for her new machinations and self-importance. When she tries to stir up trouble with Livia's one legged, Russian caregiver, which leaves the caregiver searching for her missing prosthetic leg, however, Janice soon discovers that she has gone too far, and her chickens come home to roost with a vengeance.

Meadow, the Soprano's daughter and eldest child, a college student at Ivy League Columbia University, gets a new boyfriend, Noah Tannenbaum. He is handsome, intelligent, and articulate, and Tony hates him on the spot for reasons the viewer will quickly discern, as Tony pulls no punches with Noah. This will create a certain amount of tension between father and daughter, and an estrangement ensues. When Noah breaks her heart, Jackie Aprile, Jr. is waiting in the wings with her parent's blessing, and Meadow goes from the frying pan into the fire.

Anthony Soprano, Jr., the Sopranos' other angst ridden teenager and youngest child, who has turned out to be an unexpected gridiron wonder, is also sowing his wild oats, getting himself in deep trouble at school, much to his parents' anger and dismay. When Anthony, Jr. continues in this vein, there is a big surprise in store for him, causing him to undergo a major life change. He is not, however, the only Soprano family member to do so.

Tony finds himself head over heels with Gloria, another of Dr. Melfi's patients. A Mercedes car salesperson, Gloria, the new light of Tony's life, is gorgeous, passionate, and a totally loose cannon. She will cause quite a bit of conflict for Tony as their affair heats up, as Gloria likes to fight fire with fire. Gloria has to watch out that she, herself, does not get burned.

Carmela, Tony's long suffering and patient wife, being only human, finds her thoughts increasingly absorbed by Tony's henchman, Furio, the sexy, pony tailed Italian. The problem is that Furio, too, is experiencing deep feelings for Tony's wife, a situation that can only become increasingly dangerous for all concerned. How Furio and Carmela handle their feelings and resolve this potentially dangerous development is of great interest.

Dr. Melfi herself undergoes great personal angst this season, following her violent rape at the hands of a stranger. A very conflicted Dr. Melfi finds herself on the edge of taking a path from which there can be no return. This season also finds Dr. Melfi doing husband/wife tag team counseling with both Tony and Carmela, a venture that provides some comic relief and gives rise to potential conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, Jackie Aprile, Jr., Tony's godson and Meadow's new main squeeze, the deceptively soft spoken and good looking son of the late mob boss, Jackie Aprile, Tony's best friend, is up to no good. Lying through his teeth about everything to everyone, he is misguided by his seriously unstable step-father, mob made man Ralph Cifaretto, who is busy plying both sides of the coin. It seems that Ralph, dissatisfied with the role to which he has been relegated within the family, is doing Tony dirty, going against his wishes at every turn, and the situation with Jackie, Jr. is no exception, a situation that will culminate in heartbreak for all concerned.

Back at the ranch, Tony's other henchmen seem to have their own troubles. Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano, the nominal boss of the family, who is kept in check by his nephew Tony, is busy battling cancer and a federal prosecution. Young Christopher Moltisanti, Tony's nephew, gets his long desired promotion, and is told to report to Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri. Christopher soon finds out that with Paulie "Walnuts" business is business. Meanwhile, Christopher gets involved in a sideline that bodes ill for him and his fiancee.

When Tony sends a resentful Paulie "Walnuts", accompanied by Christopher, on a mission that should have been that of another, Christopher sees an unexpected side of Paulie. When the mission, involving a member of the Russian mob, goes bad at the hands of an angry Paulie, Christopher discovers that Paulie may not be as stand up a guy as Christopher thought. While this is a terrific episode, very funny in a macabre sort of way, it also cleverly sets up Paulie in a new light for future developments. This particular episode, one of my favorites, is a feather in the cap of actor Stephen Buscemi, who directed it.

These are just some of the highlights of the third season. There is so much more! The writing continues to be intelligent, and the story lines are as well thought out and engrossing as ever. The performances are uniformly stellar. The late, great actress, Nancy Marchand, whose portrayal of the venomous Livia Soprano was a feather in her cap, left a legacy of memories, having died after creating such a memorable character. She will sorely be missed. This third season's attempt to bridge her death and use existing footage and computer effects to create a dialogue between Livia and Tony, however, was misguided, as its effect is a tad ghoulish, as well as disturbing. Nonetheless, I absolutely love this series!

Tony is harder, more killings and rape.
If the last episode of Season Two got you hooked, you're going to be on the edge of your seat for Season Three. The DVD screensaver intro is different than past collections. Special features are also on Disc 1 which leads to cast and filmmakers,series index and DVD-ROM/Weblink. If it has been awile since you've seen Sopranos, it also offers you a Season One and Season Two recap. Actress Nancy Marchand who played "Livia Soprano" died so they used prior footage and also a body double with CGI computerized image of her face to complete the scenes in the second episode (#28) of the Third Season. Tony's psychotherapist is attacked and raped by an Italian (played by Mario Polit) who she thought was Puerto Rican. She tells her husband, but tells everyone else she was in an accident. If you are in the mood for a hilarious episode. Episode #37 (11) is the one. Tony's numbskulls shoot a Commie in the snow-ladden woods. They follow the trail of blood, but no body. They must find the Commie's body. Tony is having a fit. Joe Pantoliano joins the series. Burt Young is in episode #31. The Fourth season of "The Sopranos" is now available on VHS and DVD. ... Read more

Description

Based on a manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon is the story of a teenage girl who meets a magical cat who gives her super powers. She becomes the leader of a team of brave girls, known as the Sailor Warriors. Sailor Moon has long been justifiably renowned for the strength of its plot, its direct and honest treatment of romance and, in this uncut version, a realistic and unflinching acceptance of death as a necessary possible consequence of a righteous fight. ... Read more

Reviews (108)

Finally.. The Original UNCUT Sailor Moon Season 1
ADV finally announced the release of the uncut version of Sailor Moon (Season 1). It will packed in 2 high quality hard boxes each one contain 4 DVDs (46 episodes, over 1000 minutes total running time). The voices will be in original Japanese, with English subtitles.

In this uncut version, a realistic and unflinching acceptance of death as a necessary possible consequence of a righteous fight.

The story as it described in ADV words: Based on a manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon is the story of a teenage girl who meets a magical cat who gives her super powers. She becomes the leader of a team of brave girls, known as the Sailor Warriors. Sailor Moon has long been justifiably renowned for the strength of its plot, its direct and honest treatment of romance and, in this uncut version, a realistic and unflinching acceptance of death as a necessary possible consequence of a righteous fight.

A diamond in the rough.
I would love to be able to give this five stars, the story deserves it. Unfortunatly the box set itself is a little disappointing. The audio quality is pretty poor with the sound fading in and out at odd times as well as being rather tinny. I know some of this may simply be due to the fact that the series didn't have a big budget for sound in the begining but seriously, it's been 11 years since the series came out. It's not that hard to clean it up a little is it? Anyway another point of note for those of you who were looking to have both the english language track and the japanese language track in one DVD, this isn't it. This has only the japanese language track with english subtitles.

Aside from the technical issues with the DVD, I absolutely loved the story itself. I ended up watching the whole set in about two days because I couldn't put it down. So in spite of the technical problems with this edition, I do recommend it for any Sailor Moon fan or anybody who like me doesn't enjoy the english dubs for anime and is interested in seeing a bit of Sailor Moon. However, I do not recommend this for the very young Sailor Moon fans who aren't up to reading subtitles very quickly just yet.

Best season of Sailor Moon Ever!
I remember the first time I watched Sailor Moon was on Cartoon Network about six years ago. From the first time I saw the show, I was hooked on it. Luckily, I got to see the first season first and the rest in order. Now about a month ago I bought the boxed set uncut version and was shocked and amazed at how much better the show was in Japanese. Also, there were many more episodes which they didn't show on Cartoon Network. For about 3 years, I was off being hooked on Sailor Moon because the fourth season really lacked. But now, I want to see every episode in its original form, uncut and in Japanese. Watching theshow makes mewant to learn the language evae more. I now have to buy season two and so on. And the best part about this was that I paid less than $60 here at Amazon, about $50 less than Best Buy.

Sailor Moon--the way it was MEANT to be!!
This box set features the entire Sailor Moon Season One, all 46 episodes, all uncut in original Japanese audio with English subtitles.
Reasons why you should buy this boxset-
*Because it's subtitled
*Because it's uncut
*Because it contains several episodes that were never shown in America
And most importantly...
*Because it's Sailor Moon!

I highly recommend this to any Sailor Moon fan (ages 14+) who is looking to see the REAL first season of Sailor Moon, not the choppy, edited, dubbed, HORRIBLE Dic version.
Hope that helped.
~Ashley

Sailor Moon in its purest form
I am a big sailor moon fan and have seen all the seasons in japanese (including StarS). After all the times ive watched sailor moon since 1995 ive realized that season 1 is its purest form. Lets face it the American dub sucks. But in this version its the japanese uncut which i can say is 100% better than the stupid dubbed way. People are complaining about the sound and what not... live with it and grow up. if your a true sailor moon fan then who cares how they made it whats happening i the show should have your full attention not how the screen is and if its not loud enough turn the volume up its not rocket science. This is a really good season and as i said its sailor moon in its purest form all i can say is dont pay $150 for it when you can get it on ebay for $50-$70 and 99.9% of the time you wont have any problems with ebay ive been on ebay for quite a long time and havent had any problems yet. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: Like 1999's other screen touchstone, American Beauty, the HBO series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.

The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his midlevel capo's machismo, yet instantly recognizable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers, and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.

Unlike Francis Coppola's operatic dramatization of Mario Puzo's Godfather epic, The Sopranos sustains a poignant, even mundane intimacy in its focus on Tony, brought to vivid life by James Gandolfini's mercurial performance. Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful, and murderous, Gandolfini is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. Both he and the superb team of Italian-American actors recruited as his loyal (and, sometimes, not-so-loyal) henchmen and their various "associates" make this mob as credible as the evocative Bronx and New Jersey locations where the episodes were filmed.

The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional," perceptive, and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (232)

How the Sopranos saved Christmas.
On December 22, 2000, I recived the Sopranos First Season on DVD. It was a Birthday/Holiday gift form my girlfriend of 5 years. Over the course of the next week and a half, if there was any doubt of my whereabouts, it was a safe bet I was watching the next episonde. I am a 23 year old actor. My VHS collection numbers 350. My DVD collection a mere 20, however the Sopranos box set delivered more hours of riveting enjoyment than anything has in a long time. The show is, in my opinion a perfect blend of satire, drama, social comentary and fantastic story telling. Every person I introduce to the Sopranos is throughly impressed with all aspects of the series. On a personal note, I think James Gandolfini has finally given us something that Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino have long strived to achive. Gandolfini brings a familiarity to this roll that is one of the key elements to the show's success. He has created a character that is not out of reach for the veiwing audience. Edie Falco and Nancie Marchand are also invaluable components to the creation of the overall feeling of accesability. While we may not all know what it is to have an AK-47 within arms reach, we do know what it is to have a nagging mother and a confused and judgmental spouse. The icing on the cake of this series is its supporting cast, the boys at the club and kids at home create an atmosphere that is simply tantilizing to the veiwing audience. I recomend this set to mafia fans and house wives alike. Get it for the gangster in you, after all...a hit is a hit.

Woke up this morning and got myself the Sopranos...
Anyone who knows me could tell you I'm a huge fan of mob/crime films, so it's rather weird that I never had a huge interest in this show until now. I don't have HBO in my house and simply never cared enough to go out and rent/buy all four seasons. Then my parents watched it and were suddenly in love with it. Knowing that my mother wouldn't go within ten yards of a film like "Goodfellas," I figured this had to be an excellent show.

And I was right.

I still don't get HBO, but when I think of the past five years where I could have been watching this show on DVD instead of "Paradise Hotel" on FOX, I kick myself. I've only watched the first season and am looking forward to what comes next. "The Sopranos" is a meticulously crafted drama that's unlike anything else I've ever seen on television. Frankly, I was always just into comedy sitcoms because I didn't have the interest or patience for this type of TV. But, in "the Sopranos'" case, I'll make an exception. I'd only be cheating myself if I didn't.

I might be five years late, but at least now I understand what the hype is all about. Highly recommended for other late bloomers.

HBO's way of telling us to thank God our dad isn't a mobster
"The Sopranos" has done more than just revolutionize television...being one of the best shows on TV with compelling story lines, quarky characters, and snappy mafia lingo...the show has redefinied the definition of family. But while we've grown up with our family, we've grown up with Tony's family and it's HBO's way of telling us to thank God our father isn't a mobster. The first season is great when we see Tony desperately trying hard to hide the salomi with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi. There's his dutiful wife that suspects that he's been cheating. TRUST ME THE LAST THING THAT I NEED TO SEE AT NINE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT ON HBO IS JAMES GANDOLFINI'S SLUGGISH, BEARISH BODY ON TOP OF A HOT CHICK. But it only fuels to the show. The violence. The sex. The language. It all accomplishes the real grit of being a mobster. I've heard fans say that they think Tony is the tragic hero-type, but HE'S A COLD-BLOODED KILLER! There's nothing heroic about that. Then there's the fact that a few years ago, somebody made a real adult film based on "The Sopranos". That's when you know you've become part of pop culture. Five stars all the way, for the cinematic effect that the collage of episodes brings to the small screen. Now you've got the skinny on "The Sopranos"...kapish?!

HBO's way of telling us to thank God our dad isn't a mobster
With compelling story arcs, quarky characters, and catchy mafia lingo, "The Sopranos" has taken the definition of family and redefined it. But ever since the beginning, "The Sopranos" has sparked a sensation with American pop culture and has revolutionized television with the use of sex, drugs, violence, and profanity to fuel complex story lines. For example, "The Sopranos" has had so much of an impact that there's an adult film called "The Sopornos" based on it. That's when you know you've got a hit. NOW THE CRITICISM: As always I've got to slam every movie/show I see, so first of all, what is the deal with Tony Soprano (Gandolfini) trying HIDE THE SALOMI with Dr. Melfi. And why doesn't his wife Carmella (Falco) give a s*#%. Second, Dr. Melfi (Bracco) doesn't have a right to complain since all she has to do is transfer her mob boss patient out of there, but SHE DOESN'T. I THINK SHE NEEDS A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF HER OWN. There's Uncle Junior (Chianese) with his grandpa nit-picking. I liked the start of the show when Tony and Uncle Junior were warring over turf. Why can't Sirico win the Emmy for Paulie Walnuts. (...) Another thing, I bet if I had a ring stuck on my finger, I'd just run it through Silvio's greasy hair and it'd fall off, shelled in hardened vasoline. Finally, what is with the audience, thinking Tony is a tragic hero. He really isn't, HE'S A COLD-BLOODED criminal. Just because he provides for his family doesn't justify his actions. While Chase (writer/producer) humanizes him, he's still a vicious guy that treats women like garbage. Note: The last thing I need to see at 9:00 on HBO is Gandolfini's sluggish, bearish body on an intensely hot chick. BUT this is certainly one of the best shows on TV, if not THE BEST! "The Sopranos" is great in its writing, directing, and acting. I JUST WISH THOSE PROTESTORS WOULD SHUT UP , STOP RANTING, AND STOP RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US. I IMPLORE YOU TO WATCH THE FIRST SEASON AND I GUARANTEE YOU'LL GET HOOKED, at least for the first three seasons. NOW I'VE TOLD YOU THE SKINNY, SO CHECK IT OUT...KAPISH?!

It's a hit!
EXCELLENT DIRECTING/PRODUCING/WRITING/ACTING. Great performances and the originality is unbelievable. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great season, transfer and extras still lacking
Law and Order's third season is the beginning of the golden years of the show, six or seven seasons in which this became one of the best crime shows ever.Part of it is the plots, but a larger part is the addition of Jerry Orbach to add both character and humor to a narrowly written role.The show itself is 5 stars, but I knock off a star for yet another season in which the transfers and extras leave something to be desired.Still, very much worth buying.

What makes this season golden?Nostalgia for the early 1990s helps, with big hair, Times Square full of strip clubs, crime labs using old IBM 386 computers, colored shirts and narrow ties, and a general feeling that a far more gritty New York made a better backdrop for a crime show than today's sanitized version.

Some of it is the writing and source material.Episodes include the standard ripped-from-the-headlines stories - Tailhook (Conduct Unbecoming), sweatshop workers (Wedded Bliss), doctors assaulting patients (Helpless, Promises to Keep), drug smuggling rings (Consultation), hackers (Virus) - but one reason the first few seasons are more robust is that they had just started to scratch the surface of historical crimes, like a restaging of the Malcolm X murder (Conspiracy) and a medical device company scandal (The Corporate Veil).This means that while the bang-bang plot advancement really comes into its own this season after a couple of years of slower episodes, the writers don't have to resort to cheap plot tricks to keep things interesting.Routine false leads and judges throwing out evidence every episode can wait for the formulaic later years.I also particularly like several of the non-Hollywood endings, like Prince of Darkness ("What happened to the little girl?" "She was picked up at school by her uncle.""She doesn't have an uncle.")

But a larger part is the acting.With the mid-season addition of Orbach - who plays first-year Briscoe a bit more troubled and edgy than in later years - the Law side of the series finally has two actors that don't think that playing an NYPD detective is beneath their talent.Briscoe's trademark wisecrack helps ("They brought the hookers in?I thought they were on the room service menu"), but there's a chemistry between Orbach and Noth that makes the makes plots come to life.In addition, several of the regular guest stars (Tovah Feldshuh and Lorraine Toussant as memorable defense attorneys, Leslie Hendrix's first appearances as the irascible medical examiner) add life to the show in their brief roles.Finally, one fun part of watching the early years are the stars who have gone on to bigger careers: Claire Danes, Edie Falco, Sam Rockwell, Gloria Foster (the oracle from the Matrix), Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman, Alias' Ron Rifkin, ER's Paul McCrane and Julianna Margulies.

As I have for the first two season sets, I take a star off for transfers and extras that aren't up to the quality of the show. I have mixed opinions about cheaply producing double sided DVDs in three slim cases without any written material, but at least it takes less space on my shelf.Transfer quality is in fact better than the first two seasons, but it's clear remastering was cursory as there is still periodic flecking.After no extras in the first two seasons, at least this set includes some.However, they're still disappointing especially after the long delay in putting this out.The 8 deleted scenes don't add much, although we finally see one of Briscoe's brassy middle aged girlfriends (for the only time in the series!)A five minute interview with and six minute tribute to Orbach by fellow stars doesn't even include the master of ceremonies of his celebration, Sam Waterston; they would have been better served just putting a copy of that on the DVD instead of getting Trial By Jury actors on the profound effect his 4 episodes with them had on their careers.What the series really needs is interviews with writers and actors on the various episodes.At least they don't include an ad as they did in the first year.

However, this is very much worth picking up for Law and Order fans.I just wish if Universal is going to price something at a premium that viewers can watch for free on basic cable, they'd at least add premium content.Maybe next season.

Great as Usual
Terrific show as usual. They also improved in my opinion on the dvd case which now has three individual slim cases for each disc. Enough can't be said about this show, but, I'm partial to it being a Criminal Justice major...but the show is good as always..I just hope they speed up the release of the next seasons.

Law & Order: The Early Years, The Best Years!
Law & Order is my favorite series, possibly of all-time because there have always been great characters and a great cast with fantastic writing to drive it forward.The early seasons are the best, and the third year gives us a little more Paul Sorvino until about 1/3 of the way into the season.This is when the beloved Jerry Orbach joined the cast, and gave us 11 years of television memories.This season has my favorite line up with Orbach, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, and Steven Hill.TNT has aired several third season episodes lately, and I can't wait to see these all sharp, clear, and cleaned up on DVD instead of the old muggy broadcast versions.The first and second seasons look fantastic on DVD, and horrible on television - get these sets!

Also, this set features never before seen deleted scenes which ought to be a special treat for every fan along with the Jerry Orbach featurettes.I have a lot of favorite episodes in this season, and I will cherish this set just as I have all my other law & Order DVD sets (I've probably watched the first two seasons dozens of times already).

-NJM

The best season of Law & Order
The third season of Law & Order found Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth) assigned another new partner in the sardonic Lenny Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), who would become the face of the series for eleven more seasons.The interplay between Briscoe and Logan is one of many highlights of the third season of Law & Order, as characters became more developed (such as Dann Florek's Captain Cragen) and the cases and investigations take twisting turns when the viewer least expects it; something that many cop/crime dramas have imitated throughout the years.However, this would be the last season for original cast members Florek and Richard Brooks, as the revolving cast door of Law & Order began to spin more than ever before.All in all, it's nice to finally have these episodes on DVD, and series afficiondos should consider this landmark season a must own.

Its good there putting the older seasons on DVD
Law & Order's early seasons were really the best. In The third season you have Jerry Orbach coming into the show.All these episodes are great becuase i have seen many of them before.The Dvd is finally being released after a long wait after the 2nd season. The 15th season which is still on NBC on wedsnday is going to have a DVD release as i have heard.Also the New Law
& Order TrialBy Jury is going to be out on Dvd. Law & Order and all its other series are absolutly the best ... Read more

Amazon.com

The nation's top-rated program got back to basics for its fourth season. The personal lives of the Las Vegas crime scene investigators would take more of a backseat to the stories themselves: the victims, the cases, the criminals. After a successful operation, William Peterson's Gil Grissom has regained his hearing--and his Manhunter-era beard--and is back in fighting form. "You're like your old self," Captain Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) notes in "All for Our Country." Just in time, as he'll soon be promoting one of his staff to lead CSI, and it's between Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and Nick Stokes (George Eads). He also has a new politically minded sheriff with which to contend, Rory Atwater (24's Xander Berkeley). The latter will make his first of several appearances in "Invisible Evidence," while the results of Grissom's lead CSI decision will be revealed in "No More Bets."

That said, one CSI will enjoy a bit of a personal life this season--Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), who'll begin seeing nightclub owner Chris Bezich (Nicholas Lea, Krycek from The X-Files) in "Early Rollout." The other CSIs, particularly the re-energized Grissom, will remain as married to their jobs as ever--although the latter's unspoken interest in Sara will be tested in "Butterflied."

Other episodes of note include "Feeling the Heat," with Stacy Edwards and Arye Gross, "Jackpot," with Henry Czerny and Re-Animator's Jeffrey Combs, and the instantly infamous "Fur and Loathing," which was written by Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) and centers on the death of a "furry." As Grissom explains to Willows, "furries" are a "tribe of people who prefer to interact as furry animals." Stahl also penned "Getting Off," about the death of a clown, and continues to come up with some of this still-groundbreaking series' most colorful scenarios. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Amazon.com

As Lt. Horatio Caine (David Caruso) notes in episode 4 ("Just One Kiss"), "The evidence, as always, will speak for itself." In other words, CSI: Miami follows the same super-successful formula as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Fortunately, this instantly popular spin-off established its own unique identity from the start. Like CSI, the Dade County criminalists of CSI: Miami solve murders using forensic science. Unlike the Vegas crew, however, they're cops with the power to arrest, their coroner (Alexx Woods) talks to dead people, and almost everybody speaks Spanish. Sometimes their crime scene is a swamp, sometimes a resort hotel. Either way, the skies are always sunny--the gators always biting. Real-life Florida resident Caruso is joined by Khandi Alexander (NewsRadio) as Woods, Emily Procter (The West Wing) as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, Adam Rodriguez (Roswell) as underwater recovery expert Eric Delko, and featured player Rory Cochrane as Tim "Speed" Speedle. Cochrane (Dazed and Confused) wouldn't become a full-fledged cast member until the 12th episode ("Entrance Wound"). Meanwhile, Kim Delaney (Caruso's former NYPD Blue cast mate) wouldn't join until the first ("Golden Parachute"), but left after the 10th ("A Horrible Mind"), reportedly due to a lack of chemistry with Caruso.

Just as CSI has made the most of its location with stories about showgirls and casino owners, so has CSI: Miami exploited its surroundings for all they're worth. Pilot episode "Cross-Jurisdictions" (a crossover with CSI), for instance, was loosely based on the murder of Miami-based designer Gianni Versace. Other notable episodes include "Camp Fear" with Joan of Arcadia's Amber Tamblyn as a detention camp cadet and "Dead Woman Walking" with Karen Sillas (Under Suspicion) as a victim of radiation poisoning. Like its parent program, CSI: Miami quickly became a ratings powerhouse and was followed by CSI: New York in 2004. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (16)

CSI Miami is one of the best
I love CSI Miami, David Caruso who plays Horatio Caine, does a wonderful acting job. He makes you believe in the CSI and that they are there to help and solve cases. He has a certain charisma that he portrays and that makes him very believable. This being a spin off CSI, i feel that this show does things better. It's location and the types of crime scenes that they have, are so much more better and make it more enjoyable to watch. If you haven't seen any episodes before think about buying the DVD, cuz u'll probably end up loving the show. I don't really like other shows like Law and Order and CSI for much, but the cast and type of crimes in this series make me love it alot.

Top Notch TV Series
CSI: Miami is a great "detective" show. The people behind this show tend to do a pretty good job of keeping things realistic and each episode typically features a plausable situation. While the show focuses more so on solving the cases and investigating the crime scene, they do tend to insert small pieces of sub-plot regarding each of the main characters, so the show is not without sufficient character development.

Typically, CSI: Miami is a good show to watch if you want to see the scientific side of things. Rather than most other police shows, which focus less on what goes on behind the scenes and more on the detective characters. However, while the main characters lack the focus of other shows, they are still enjoyable to watch. David Caruso does an excellent job with his performance as the logical and thorough Horatio Caine, while each of the other characters support him nicely.

I'd highly recommend this series to anyone who appreciates the scientific side of crime scene investigation. It's well worth your time.

Two Thumbs Up Almost as good as CSI Las Vegas
I enjoyed it alot. Took me awhile to adapt to the different Miami characters as opposed to the Las Vegas team, but I really enjoyed the series. Almost as good as the regular CSI.

Too bad
CSI : Miami is, in my opinion, the best TV series i have ever seen.
I've been waiting for this DVD release so long... Too bad : the only audio tracks are English and spanish. No french.

More than this : no subtitles, even in english.
Conclusion : I will not buy it.
So disappointing !

I just love C.S.I . Miami
does anyone knows if this DVD come with subtitles in english? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Whether it's a snowy nude sprint down Main Street, the mysterious appearance of a long-lost relative, or the improbable death of yet another of Maggie's boyfriends, life's never dull in the remote hamlet of Cicely, Alaska. Colorful characters and quirky plots propelled Northern Exposure into the hearts of millions of viewers, earning the CBS "dramedy" series seven Emmy awards between its 1990 debut and its demise six seasons later.

In season 1, we meet Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), an urban New York yuppie who consents to four years of rural servitude after Alaska pays his medical-school tuition. Joel's fish-out-of-water adventures drive the show, but it's the quirky ensemble of characters--Chris, the DJ/philosopher (John Corbett), Holling, the bartender (John Cullum), Maurice, the town patriarch (Barry Corbin), Ed, the filmmaker (Darren E. Burrows), and Maggie, the bush pilot (Janine Turner), among others–-that keeps the series consistently entertaining. The town develops its own offbeat personality as well, a Mayberry-meets-Twin-Peaksblend of Native mysticism, Aurora Borealis-induced dreams, unlikely tales of long-lost family members, and rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature known simply as "Adam."

Northern Exposure provides a utopian escape--a place where life is interesting but never dangerous, everyone's insightful, the mystical becomes real, and nobody's burdened with a mundane 9-to-6 desk job. Cicely is a delightful place to visit, even if it's only for an hour at a time.

A mid-season replacement, season 1 consists of just eight episodes on two DVDs. Each episode includes 5-10 minutes of outtakes and deleted scenes. --Shane Burnett ... Read more

Reviews (167)

Yay! Finally!
With the glut of completely forgettable TV shows and movies flooding onto DVD, it's nice to see a series of great quality, superior writing, memorable characters, and consistent imagination make it finally to DVD! "Northern Exposure" is a true classic! It'll be great to have it available legally in Region 1 NTSC (there have been bootleg Region 2 PAL versions floating around for a couple years already on eBay, but with extremely poor sound/video synchronization).
The first season only has 8 episodes (since it premiered during the summer of 1990. It might have been better to combine the 1st season with the 7 episodes of season 2 (which ran in April/May 1991, for a 15 episode set, but comprehending the mind of marketing 'geniuses' is bound to lead nowehere.) The first 'regular' seasons with 22-24 episodes only began in September 1991.
Let's hope this release signals that after season 1, the next 5 seasons will also soon see the light of day.

Some of the extras promised for this release:

Deleted Scenes
Video Documentary Footage
Mock Movie Footage
"Unexposed" Footage

(and special limited edition "Parka" packaging!)

Where's the Beef?
Norther Exposure is probably one of the best cast, best written, & best Location-scouted TV shows ever aired. My wife & I eagerly awaited for the show's arrival to DVD. When we purchased the show--for an outrageous $50.00--we were shocked at what we received. Yes, the innovative packaging was fun, but it hid the fact that there was nothing inside. As others have noted, the price is horrible when you realize that there were on 8 episodes! What makes it worse is that there is absolutely no information included. No booklet with stills from the show, no list of episodes, nothing at all. On top of that, they do not even give you multiple discs, they give you cheezy 2 sided discs with 2 shows on each side. What were they thinking? Others have noted that seasons 1 & 2 should have been combined. I agree. If you are a fan of the show & want the episodes from season 2, you'll get reamed gain... there are only 7 episodes!

Great TV you can't find these days.
I am giving this DVD 5 stars because that's what the show is worth. You can't find TV like this now days and perhaps never will again. I have watched late night re-runs and fell in love years ago. I cannot wait to revisit Sicily Alaska again.
The 1st season is only 8 episodes so yeah it is a little short. I can guarantee it will only leave you wanting more though. Because the show is so amazing I am not to concerned about price. I am crossing all fingers and toes that they will release the rest of the seasons on DVD or I will be forced to buy the A&E VHS copies.

Northern Exposure--The ultimate TV show!
I remember watching the TV show when it was in it's 2nd or 3rd season and I became completely hooked on it. I'm very glad I got this DVD that contains the entire 1st season of shows and the extra goodies that come with it. I can hardly wait for the 2nd season to be released on DVD.

Close, but not enough.
This was great. My friends were able to see how the story all started and I got to see it all over again. But only 8 episodes, I would agree with other reviewers, they should have gave the first two seasons. Definitely better than a lot of other TV to DVD issues out there right now. ... Read more