It hasn’t been a great summer for home entertainment releases, but this week’s offering are especially thin with the exception of Dig, the USA Network series from Heroes creator Tim Kring, the Stephen Soderbergh-directed period medical drama The Knick, and the BBC period fantasy drama Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell.

TV on DVD

Only a few items of real interest for geek viewers this week including Dig: Season 1 (Universal, 521 min., $44.98, BD $49.98), which collects the 10-episode USA Network series co-created by Tim Kring (creator of Heroes and the upcoming Heroes Reborn) about an FBI agent (well-played by Jason Isaacs), who uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy in the Middle East, and Person of Interest: The Complete 4th Season (Warner Bros., 59.98, BD $60.98), the information age thriller created by Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan.

Also due on Tuesday is the gritty historical western about the building of the Transcontinental railroad, Hell on Wheels: The Complete 4th Season (eOne, 559 min., $39.98, BD $49.98), as well as a series that is even more fascinating, the Steven Soderbergh-directed historical medical drama The Knick: The Complete 1st Season (HBO, $59.98, BD $79.98), which stars Clive Owen as a talented, but drug addicted surgeon and Andre Holland as an assistant chief surgeon, who has to battle racism in both the hospital and on the streets of New York in what is one of the most interesting period dramas currently on American television.

Other contemporary series out this week include the raunchy CBS sitcom Two Broke Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros., 462 min., $24.98), the well-acted, ripped-from-the-headlines Law & Order: Special Victims Unit—The Complete 16th Season (Universal, $44.98), and the ABC Washington DC drama Scandal: The Complete 4th Season (Disney, 946 min., $45.99).

Vintage TV series include the classic sitcom The Jeffersons: The Complete 8th Season (Shout Factory, 500 min., $24.97), plus another Norman Lear comedy series Maude: The Complete 2nd Season (Shout Factory, 600 min., $24.97), and the sampler set, The Carole Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes Ultimate Collection (Time Life, $199.99).

Fantasy fans should check out Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell (BBC. 420 min., $29.98), a seven-part historical fantasy series from the U.K. that is set during the Napoleonic era.  But this series has an alternate history twist since “magic” is widely accepted, though rarely used in the world created for this series, which is based on the ingenious novel by Susanna Clarke.  Though not for everyone, this is a miniseries that most fantasy fans will definitely enjoy.

Anime

This week’s top release for mecha fans is Captain Earth: Collection 2 (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98, BD $59.98), which includes the second half of the 2014 mecha anime from Bones about a teenage boy who works pilots a giant robot to protect the Earth from alien invaders known as the “Kill-T-Gang.”

Also due on Tuesday is Haikyu!! Collection 2 (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98, BD $59.98), which collects the second half of the 2014 sports anime from Production I.G.  A second season of the volleyball-themed comedy drama has been ordered in Japan.  Though generally underappreciated by American fans, sports anime are very popular in Japan and reveal a lot about Japanese life and culture.

Another interesting release is the Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior: Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98), which collects all 12 episodes of the 2014 Brains Base slice-of-life/comedy/romance about a high school student who has to live in a dormitory after his father is transferred to another city.

The controversial Kite Collection (Media Blasters, 60 min., BD $29.98) provides a high-def version of the 1999 neo-noir OAV that features a very young looking female protagonist, who goes on a violent revenge spree after her family is murdered and she is brutally raped.  This OAV has been banned in Norway and is strictly “adults only.”

This week’s lone re-priced re-release is the Basilisk Complete Collection (Funimation, 600 min., BD/DVD Combo $44.98).

Theatrical Movies

It is a very light week in this category.  The top film is the “found footage” horror film Unfriended (Universal, “R,” 83 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), which basically turns the movie screen into a laptop.  The social media gimmick does wear thin as the movie rolls on, but Unfriended can’t help but comment on the excesses of social media and our current obsession with it, which gives this exercise in horror a lot more juice than the typical “found footage” effort.

The only other theatrical release is Hot Pursuit (Warner Bros., “PG-13,” 120 min., $28.98, BD $36.99), a less-than-successful road comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, that could manage only an 8% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.