TV on DVD Spectacular
by Brian Tallerico

The TV season on the big three networks is revving its engines and getting ready to leave the starting gate. Fox and The CW may have already hit the track, but CBS, NBC, and ABC are still in promotion mode, trying to get you pumped up for their new shows and returning favorites. What better way to prepare for the return of your favorite show or one that you were merely curious about last season than with a season set on DVD? There are an amazing NINE TV on DVD sets hitting the market in the middle of September that might catch your eye and The Deadbolt is here to break them down for you in what we're calling the "TV on DVD Spectacular". Sure, it might be better if they spaced these out - who can afford to buy them all? - but for TV fans who have adjusted to watching seasons all in a row, this is the best time of the year. Sit back. To paraphrase the legendary HBO tagline, "It's not TV. It's DVD."

(All titles hit stores this week except when noted.)

Brothers and Sisters: Season Two
Studio: Buena Vista
Starring: Balthazar Getty, Patricia Wettig, Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Sarah Jane Morris, Rob Lowe, Dave Annable
Created by: Jon Robin Baitz
Features: Guest Book, TV Dinners: Food From Season 2, Open House, Bloopers & Outtakes, Audio Commentaries, Deleted Scenes

(Releases next week.) Brothers & Sisters will never be a huge, breakout hit. It's not trendy enough. But the show has developed a loyal following that I personally believe will keep it on the air as long as the talented cast wants to show up to work every day. Brothers & Sisters ranked (just barely) in the top forty two years in a row and when you consider the number of shows that struggled last year, that's quite an accomplishment. We could easily be talking about the sixth and seventh seasons with the Walker family in a five years. Why? Because Brothers & Sisters does something that no other show on TV is currently doing - it paints an interesting picture of an extended American family. And that set-up has been a staple of television since the boob tube was invented from The Waltons to Dallas and many more. The "family soap opera" is a tried and true model. And Brothers & Sisters does it well, largely because it has one of the most talented ensembles on TV with great leads from Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths along with entertaining supporting work by people like Patricia Wettig and the underrated Dave Annable. Brothers & Sisters will never get the "hype" of younger-skewing shows like Gossip Girl or Fringe but it will more than likely still be producing quality television long after those shows have become merely answers to trivia questions.

Chuck: Season One
Studio: Warner Brothers
Starring: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, and Adam Baldwin
Created by: Josch Schwartz and McG
Features: Declassified Scene, Chuck on Chuck, Chuck's World, Chuck vs. the Chucks, Chuck's Online World, Madden NFL09 Demo for XBox 360

Chuck is in trouble. And I mean the series, not the bumbling, lovable loser himself. Chuck is tragically stuck in one of the most competitive time slots in the history of television, having to battle against shows with very similar demographics. Check this out - 8pm on Mondays features The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dancing With the Stars, Gossip Girl, Prison Break, and poor Chuck. It's ridiculous. And there's more reason to worry for Chuck. Why? Well, if the strike hadn't happened and there had been time to truly develop new shows during pilot season, I think this spy comedy probably wouldn't have made the cut. So, poor Chuck is on borrowed time already. With all of those other options Mondays at 8 and the doomed predictions for Chuck's fate, why bother with season one? Well, Chuck does feature some of the better comedy writing on television and a few great performances by Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski. Personally, I think Reaper is doing a lot of the same material - workplace comedy meets life-and-death action - better but if Chuck could work out a few of its kinks in the extended cast and behind-the-scenes, it could develop into a consistent charmer. There's enough good stuff in the thirteen first season episodes to check it out. Let's hope Chuck makes it to thirteen and beyond in season two.

Dirty Sexy Money: Season One
Studio: Buena Vista
Starring: Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, Blair Underwood, and Samaire Armstrong
Created by: Craig Moore
Features: The Road To Excess: Making Dirty Sexy Money, Enter The Penthouse: The VIP Set Tour, Haute Couture: Dressing The Darlings, The Other Woman: Candis Cayne, Dirty Sexy Bloopers, Audio Commentaries, Deleted Scenes

For me, the first season of Dirty Sexy Money wasn't quite dirty or sexy enough. The cast is insanely talented. What Peter Krause has accomplished on Sports Night and Six Feet Under should have earned him at least one Emmy and Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, and Blair Underwood are TV greats. But the first season of Dirty Sexy Money struggled with tone and watched its tawdry headlines get stolen by Gossip Girl and even Desperate Housewives. The show has been restructured and significantly changed - including the cast addition of Lucy Liu - for season two and early buzz is that there's reason to be optimistic. So, if you're thinking about checking out the return of the "new Dirty Sexy Money", don't you want to know where it all began? Because of the strike, Dirty Sexy Money only produced a stunningly low ten episodes in its first season. It's not even half a season. You can make time for that.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Three
Studio: Fox
Starring: Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton
Created by: Rob McElhenney
Features: Sunny Side Up Volume 2 Featurette, Meet The McPoyles Featurette, Dancing Guy Featurette, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 3 TV Spots, Commentaries

(Released last week.) If you're one of those people painting protest signs against Tropic Thunder, stop reading now and don't go anywhere near It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia either on DVD or when the fourth season debuts on FX this week. In my personal opinion, "Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person" was one of the funniest 22 minutes of 2007. In the episode, Dee was dating a white rapper who acted so stupidly, her gang of friends couldn't tell if he was really mentally handicapped or just an idiot. Hilarious. And it wasn't alone in great third season episodes of this edgy, clever comedy. You don't read a lot about this very funny (and increasingly so from season to season) FX show but it's going to develop a cult following. I can guarantee it. Personally, I won't miss a single episode of season four and you shouldn't either. Catch up with the first three seasons now on DVD.

Private Practice: Season One
Studio: Buena Vista
Starring: Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, Audra McDonald, Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, KaDee Strickland, Chris Lowell, and Paul Adelstein
Created by: Shonda Rhimes
Features: Kate Walsh: Practice Makes Perfect, Alternative Ensemble: Behind The Scenes Of Private Practice, Two Extended Episodes, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Commentaries

Honestly, Private Practice is not a show for me, but, to be fair, I'm not a Grey's Anatomy fan either. (And, for the record, the fourth season of that ABC hit also hit DVD this month.) I think they're both tragically over-written. Practice is a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy featuring that show's Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) and a talented ensemble of actors who have excelled on other series including Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, KaDee Strickland, Chris Lowell, Amy Brenneman, and Paul Adelstein. So, why don't you read more about it? Why wasn't it a top ten hit like Grey's Anatomy? I don't think the writing is as good on Private Practice but, to be fair, and I think this is why ABC renewed it, it's too soon to call PP a hit or a miss. Because of the strike, the first season only produced nine episodes, a stunningly low number. ABC has reportedly committed to the show for an entire season starting next month and through May, so this is really just the warm-up. No one has had time to settle into a dramatic groove and determine if this doctor's office should stay open or closed. Check up with season one before the series really starts with its sophomore effort.

Pushing Daisies: Season One
Studio: Warner Brothers
Starring: Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, Ellen Greene, Anna Friel, Kristen Chenowith, Lee Pace, and Jim Dale
Created by: Bryan Fuller
Features: Pie Time - Time for Pie

I LOVE Pushing Daisies. My personal number eight best show on TV in 2007 earned that spot with only nine episodes in its first season. Pushing Daises is coming back in the first week of October with its first original episode in TEN months. That's a lifetime in the world of television. They honestly might as well be starting over. If I have to come to your house and beg you to watch, I will. Pushing Daisies is that good. And it's even better on DVD. As I said 10 months ago, "To be honest, it seems almost impossible to watch a show like Pushing Daisies in real-time with commercials. How can the romantic fantasy stay afloat with Wendy's commercials jammed in between? It's a show made for DVRs or cable. It might not survive the ratings drain that it's seen in the last few weeks, but we'll tell you this: it will have legions of fans forever. With all of the options on all the channels, looking completely original automatically makes you a show that people will return to for years to come. And having some of the best writing on TV doesn't hurt." Become one of those legions of fans forever with the first season on DVD.

Samantha Who?: Season One
Studio: Buena Vista
Starring: Jean Smart, Christina Applegate, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa McCarthy, Barry Watson, and Tim Russ
Created by: Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd
Features: Samantha Whoops - Blooper Reel, Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary

(Releases next week.) Christina Applegate is the only person I could conceivably see stealing the Emmy trophy from Tina Fey next week for Best Actress in a Comedy. She's charming, beautiful, and fantastic in Samantha Who? and her performance alone makes it worth watching. In the show, she plays an amnesiac who is slowly learning that she used to be a cold, hard bitch and basically atoning for the actions of her former self. Applegate is fantastic but she's helped by great supporting turns by the always-excellent Jean Smart and the very funny Melissa McCarthy. Samantha Who? started to get repetitive in only fifteen episodes but the writing is good enough that I think they'll work out that kink without the strike looming over them. And I'll never grow tired of the cast. How about this for some TV trivia? Samantha Who? is the only half-hour comedy series on ABC this Fall in their entire line-up. When it comes to comedy on ABC, it's only one word - Samantha.

Torchwood: Season Two
Studio: BBC
Starring: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, and Gareth David-Lloyd
Created by: Russell T. Davies
Features: Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, The Life and Deaths of Captain Jack, Torchwood Declassified

Torchwood is not only unlike anything else in this column, it's unlike anything else on television. With sci-fi writing as strong as Battlestar Galactica (and sometimes even better), Torchwood would probably be my number one on a list of "Show You're Probably Not Watching, But Should". I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn't enjoy this clever, creative series about what lies underneath the world we live in. Torchwood is about an underground special ops group in Cardiff, which is kind of like Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in that its the center of a lot of activity that would make most mortals soil themselves. These are the "Men and Women in Black" and it's one of the most consistently entertaining and surprising shows on television. It's better paced and written than most sci-fi movies and it's a cult hit waiting to explode into a bigger phenomenon in the States. Do your part and check out season two on DVD.

Two and a Half Men: Season Four
Studio: Warner Brothers
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, Holland Taylor, Marin Hinkle, and Conchata Ferrell
Created by: Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn
Features: Two Men Talking About Two and a Half Men, Commentary on Two Episodes by Creators Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn and Cast Members Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, Gag Reel

(Releases next week.) Two and a Half Men is one of the most successful (and arguably THE most successful) comedies of the new millennium. A regular resident of the top ten shows on television, the series also got nominated for several Emmys this year, including Best Comedy. It's as consistent a performer as there is on television right now. How consistent? A top twenty finish in all of its first five seasons with the sixth getting ready to debut. That's impressive. For some reason, Warner Brothers waited forever to release the show on DVD but they've made up for lost time, pumping these things out at an impressive rate over the last year. The first season hit DVD just about a year ago and now we're already up to number four with the fifth likely to come soon. Of course, no one is starting their Two and a Half Men collection with season FOUR but if you enjoyed the first three seasons, you'll be happy to get more of the same with number four.