Recent TV on DVD Releases

Torchwood season 2 is the ideal subject for a DVD set, because it actually stands together as a whole more effectively than viewed as individual episodes over a series of weeks. Watched together these 13 episodes tell a series of evocative stories, the strongest by far being the strange journey that Owen Harper (Burn Gorman) is forced to take. The experiences of Tosh (Naoko Mori, whom I interviewed in the spring), are also more moving as a whole.

• Features:
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Outtakes
  • The Life And Death Of Captain Jack
  • Torchwood Declassified
• Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Color (Anamorphic)
• Audio: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Studio: BBC Home Video
• Production Year: 2008
• Release Date: 9/16/2008
• Length: 585 mins
• Rating: NR
• Packaging: Custom Case
• Number of Discs: 5

Season 4 of Doctor Who starts with the death of a companion (Astrid, played by Kylie Minogue), tells a progressive story about Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), and brings back all the Doctor's former companions. Ultimately season 4 is about how and why the Doctor needs guidance from fellow travelers.

• Features:
  • David's Video Diaries
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Teasers & Trailers
  • Retrospective Featurette
  • Children In Need "Time Crash"
  • Audio Commentary
  • Doctor Who Confidential
• Subtitles: English
• Studio: BBC Home Video
• Production Year: 2007
• Release Date: 11/18/2008
• Length: 687 mins
• Number of Discs: 6

(Jan. 6) Pre-order now and you'll have the first half of season 4 in time for the premiere of season 4.5 in mid-January. The 4-disc set contains 755 minutes of material includes an Unrated Extended Edition of the film Battlestar Galactica: Razor featuring Michelle Forbes in a riveting performance as Admiral Cain, as well as podcast commentaries by Ronald D. Moore and others, and several featurettes including "The Look of Battlestar Galactica," "The Journey," "Cylons: The Twelve," "Season 4.5: The Untold Story," and "The Music of Battlestar Galactica."

My nominee for the best sci-fi series ever made was also the worst handled, with episodes aired out of order, poor promotion, and finally cancellation even before all the 14 original episodes were aired. The DVD set released in 2003 was a beautiful package that made up for that mishandling, and now the whole thing is out on Blu-Ray as well.

• Features:
  • All-New Firefly Cast Roundtable
  • 3 Unaired Episodes
  • Audio Commentary On Selected Episodes
  • 3 Behind The Scenes Featurettes
  • 4 Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
  • Audition Tape
• Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Color
• Screen Resolution: 1080p
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, Dutch
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Production Year: 2002
• Release Date: 11/11/2008
• Length: 658 mins
• Packaging: HD Case
• Number of Discs: 3

The complete 13 episode complement of Primeval draws viewers into a world of portals into the past and future and the various ways that the few who know about them are affected. In Primeval, the solution to each new crisis only exposes more of what's unexplained. Compulsive stuff with some interesting performances (particularly Andrew Lee Potts) and generally good effects.

• Features:
  • Audio Commentary
  • The Making of Primeval
  • "Through The Anomaly" by Andrew Lee Potts
• Subtitles: English
• Studio: BBC Home Video
• Production Year: 2007
• Release Date: 11/4/2008
• Length: 585 mins
• Number of Discs: 4

The original idea was to go back and clean up the original prints, so that Paramount could release a new, pristine set of disks of Star Trek. We've all seen the state some of those episodes were in after years of being copied for late-night reruns. But the project became more controversial when the digital effects guys decided to improve on what Roddenberry et al. were able to do in the 1960s, creating new effects that take advantage of modern capabilities. I picked up the first season with some hesitation, but generally the results were positive: an effort was made to try to integrate the new effects into the feel of the show, and so only a few of the new shots felt intrusive. This package, remastering season 3, completes the set.

This 7-disc set features 2500 minutes of material, including all the episodes from the original classic series of The Outer Limits. Created by Leslie Stevens, the program gained a cult following and influenced television sci-fi for decades to come. This collection includes "The Man With The Power" with Donald Pleasence as a college professor with deadly telekinetic powers; "The Human Factor" about a brain switch; "Tourist Attraction" with Ralph Meeker on a bizarre fishing trip; "Controlled Experiment" in which Barry Morse plays an alien sent to Earth to investigate a murder; the stunning pilot episode "The Galaxy Being;" and the rest of the series' 49 episodes.

At the height of both millennial angst and The X-Files's popularity, creator Chris Carter developed this cultish companion piece with star Lance Henriken specifically in mind. Millennium begins as what appears to be a gritty and gruesome crime investigation series, flirting with occult serial killers in the tradition of Seven. As the series moves into the tail end of it first season, however, its supernatural depth begins to unfold. Weightier than its counterpart, Millennium shares many tonal similarities with The X-Files, including its hybrid episodic-serialized format. Featured here are all three seasons of Millennium, as well as the unofficial series finale that aired the following season as a crossover episode on The X-Files.

Another cult favorite, The 4400 appearaed and disappeared on basic cable with little fanfare, despite some strong writing and high-quality performances from the likes of Billy Campbell. When 4400 missing humans are suddenly returned all at once in a blinding explosion, everyone is alarmed. Unclear about what this means, the government investigates the 4400 to piece together where they've been, even as they start to manifest strange powers.

• Features:
  • Video Introduction by Series Creator Scott Peters
  • Pilot Episode: Audio Commentary by Scott Peters & Joel Gretsch
  • The 4400: The Ghost Season
  • Deleted Scenes: Seasons 1, 2 & 3
• Subtitles:
• English, Spanish, Portuguese
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Release Date: 10/28/2008
• Length: 1938 mins
• Number of Discs: 15

While the first three seasons of Lost uncovered each survivor's origins through mind-melting flashbacks, season four has a whole new twist in store: flash-forwards. These glimpses of the future reveal crucial information about who eventually makes it off the island, all the while adding more mystery to a show steeped in compelling puzzles. This collection includes all 14 episodes from the 2007-2008 season, as well as bonus materials such as a behind-the-scenes look at the show's backlot, and a live performance of the Lost score by the Honolulu Symphony Pops.