This week it’s the “TV” category that provides most of the interest with the debut of Farscape on Blu-ray, the appearance of Michael Mann’s gritty and powerful Crime Story series, plus the 15th Anniversary Edition of NeverWhere, Neil Gaiman’s urban fantasy series produced for BBC 2.

 

 

With the holiday season approaching there are a number of great releases in this category led by the debut of the groundbreaking science fiction series Farscape on Blu-ray.  All four seasons of the Australian-American science fiction series created by Rockne S. O’Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions that aired from 1999-2003 are available individually (approximately 1,000 minutes each with an MSRP of $69.95), but the best deal is Farscape: The Complete Series (A&E, 4,086 min., $199.95), which contains all 88 episodes of the series looking and sounding better than ever in glorious re-masters hi-def.  Plus the set contains a cornucopia of extremely “watchable” extras including a brand new documentary “Memories of Maya: An Epic Journey Explored, the fascinating behind-the-scenes special “Farscape Undressed,” three archival documentaries, plus deleted scenes, promos and features on the series’ “Villains,” “Visual Effects.”

 

Science fiction fans will also be interested in Being Human: The Complete First Season (E1 Entertainment, 572 min., $49.98), which includes all 13 episodes of the North American remake of the BBC series about three roommates who are living in Boston and trying to maintain normal lives in spite of the fact their supernatural identities as a ghost, vampire, and werewolf.  This series debuted on Syfy in 2011 and has already been renewed for a second season.

 

There are also a couple of great vintage series debuting this week including Michael Mann’s highly regarded Crime Story: The Complete Series-25th Anniversary Edition (Image Entertainment, 2,196 min., $29.98), which is set in 1963 and stars Dennis Farina as a gritty Chicago cop at war with the mob.  Shows with 1960s settings (Mad Men, Pan Am) are all the rage now, but in many ways they can’t hold a candle to Crime Story in the effortless recreation of the period. 

 

Also of interest is the debut of It Takes A Thief: The Complete Series (E1 Entertainment, 3366 min., $199.98), which contains all 66 episodes of the stylish series that debuted on ABC in 1968.  Robert Wagner starred in the series, which was among the last (and best) of the 1960s spy shows, and was ably supported by a cast that included the legendary Fred Astaire, Malachi Throne and Ed Binns.

 

Doctor show devotees might want to check out Medic: The Complete Series (Timeless Media, 1075 min., $34.98), which collects the medical series starring Richard Boone that debuted in 1954 and featured episodes based on actual medical records from the L.A. County Hospital.  It wasn’t the first doc show on TV, but it did set the serious tone that developed into the dominant strain of TV doc shows.

 

Animated TV offerings include The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour Platinum Collection (Warner Bros., 470 min., BD $59.96, Limited Collector’s Edition $79.98), which includes 50 classic Warner Bros. cartoons in Blu-ray for the first time.  The “Collector’s Edition” includes collectible character glasses, a tin sign magnet, a framed litho-cel, and a digibook with rare images and a cartoon guide by animation historian Jerry Beck. Lesser animated offerings include SpongeBob SquarePants: Holidays with SpongeBob (Nickelodeon, 299 min., $29.99), plus the stop-motion animated Shaun the Sheep: Season 2 (Lionsgate, 280 min., $29.98), and the once popular California Raisins (Hen’s Tooth, 353 min, $24.95).

 

Other shows out this week include Aspen: The Complete Miniseries (Timeless, 288 min., $19.98, BD $24.98), which features Sam Elliott in one of his best roles as a Colorado lawyer who fights to prove the innocence of his client, who is wrongly charged in the rape and murder of a 15-year-old in the picturesque Colorado resort community.

 

The top U.K. release is NeverWhere: 15th Anniversary Edition (BBC Video, 173 min. $19.98), which collects the complete 6-episode urban fantasy series written by Neil Gaiman that aired in 1996.  NeverWhere is set in “London Below” where the residents are invisible to those living in “London Above.”  NeverWhere is a superior fantasy series, its only problem is that the BBC cut corners and shot the show on video, so the visuals don’t quite match the brilliance of the writing.  

 

Also of interest to those who enjoy fantasy TV series are Bedlam: Season 1 (BBC Video, 300 min., $34.98), which includes the first 6-episode season of the supernatural drama set in a stylish apartment complex renovated from an abandoned mental asylum and haunted by the spirits of past inmates, and Whitechapel Series 1: The Ripper Returns (BBC, 136 min., $24.98), a clever modern-day Ripper saga that aired in 2009, and has already been renewed for two additional seasons.

 

 

It’s a pretty light week for anime releases headlined by the North American DVD (and BD) debut of the third Bleach movie, Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black (Viz Media, “13+,” 90 min. $19.98, BD $24.98).  Thanks in part to its long run on the Cartoon Network Bleach remains one of the most popular anime/manga properties in North America.

 

Also new this week are the ICE Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, “13+,” 90 min., $29.98), which collects all three episodes of the 2007 OVA science fiction anime series created by Yasushi Akimoto and Makoto Kobayashi, and Squid Girl Part 2 (Media Blasters, “7+,” 150 min., $24.99), which includes episodes 7-12 of the 2010 series produced by Diomeda and based on the comedy manga created by Masahiro Anbe (see “Third Transformers Movie Hits DVD”).

 

Re-priced, re-released sets due out this week include the Gonzo-produced Blassreiter Complete Series (Funimation, “17+,” 580 min., $29.98), the classic harem comedy series Love Hina The Complete Series (Funimation, “14+,” 600 min., $39.98), and Shuffle! The Complete Series (FUNimation, “17+,” 600 min., $29.98).

 

 

A surprisingly light week for theatrical titles is heavy on drama and light on genre releases.  The top release is Beginners (Universal, “R,” $29.98, BD $34.98), which stars Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer in a satisfying comedy/drama that explores the father/son dynamic with a subtlety seldom found on screen.  There’s a fair portion of emotional truth in the saga of a cartoonist who finds love (and discovers a secret about his father) at the age of 40. Critics loved Beginners, which earned a strong 84% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but failed to connect with audiences (only $13.7 million worldwide).  With any luck this deserving film will find its audience on disc.

 

Also out this week is Larry Crowne,(Universal, “PG-13,” $29.98, BD $34.98) which stars the affable Tom Hanks as a downsized executive who reinvents himself in the face of economic adversity.  Julia Roberts co-stars in this misfire, which could manage only a poor 34% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Star power helped Larry Crowne earn $52.4 million worldwide, but the “feel good” film still was unable to earn back its $30 million cost theatrically (a worldwide gross of more than $60 million would be needed for that)—perhaps it will be able to break even on DVD.