Warner Bros. Home Video has announced plans for a mega-re-release of "Dirty Harry" movies, including special editions of individual films. Details after the jump.

I am a "Dirty Harry" fan. I saw all the movies, three of them in theaters when they were released. I know that the original is a great piece of filmmaking and one that made me pay more attention not only to Eastwood but to Don Siegel. And even with all that familiarity, some of the descriptions of DVD extras after the jump have me wanting to dive into these new editions.

The official word:
Warner Home Video (WHV) will pay homage to Clint Eastwood and the films that gave birth to the modern action hero when the Dirty Harry film franchise returns to DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi-Def on June 3 after an 18-month absence. The Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector’s Edition – an assemblage of all five Dirty Harry films, plus hours of all-new enhanced content, unique memorabilia, a film-inspired map of San Francisco and more – will re-introduce Dirty Harry to new generations of fans around the world.

Bonus Feature-Length documentary Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
40+ page hardcover book
Wallet w/metal badge and removable laminated I.D. card
Five 5”x 7” Reproduction Lobby Poster Cards plus an exclusive UCE card
Scorpio Portrait of a Killer Poster-Sized (19” x 27”) map of San Francisco detailing Harry’s hunt for the killer
Never-Before-Seen Production Correspondence

Can't say I'm excited about this one, especially when "Square Pegs" looms. But it's out on April 1, and the official word is after the jump …

From the mind of David Milch, creator of the acclaimed HBO series Deadwood, and celebrated “surf noir” novelist Kem Nunn, comes the HBO drama John From Cincinnati, a series like no other on television. Testing the boundaries of past and present, the mundane and the miraculous, the natural world and what lies beyond it, John From Cincinnati follows the story of three generations of surfers whose lives are upended by the appearance of a mysterious stranger. The 10-episode, 3 DVD set includes a bonus behind-the-scenes featurette on Episode 6, “Making a Dream Sequence,” and two insightful audio commentaries from creator David Milch. John From Cincinnati arrives in stores on April 1, 2008.

Set in the tired coastal town of Imperial Beach, CA, John From Cincinnati tells the story of the Yosts, a family of surfers whose awesome talents for generations have seemed to come with a curse attached. Once, the Yosts’ reign and reputation was defined in the curl of the perfect wave, but now years of bad luck, addiction and pride have turned this surfing royal family into social misfits. Into the lives of this gifted but damaged family comes a young man, John, who appears to have materialized out of the mist – and who, from the moment of his arrival, begins to bring change and random miracles to the town and the Yosts. John From Cincinnati features an all-star cast including Bruce Greenwood, Rebecca De Mornay, Brian Van Holt, Ed O’Neill, Luke Perry, Garret Dillahunt, Willie Garson, Luis Guzman, Austin Nichols, as well as world renowned surfer Keala Kennelly and skateboarding phenomenon Greyson Fletcher.

The epic miniseries — which ran longer than a lot of regular TV series — has been one of the most-asked-about DVD titles from readers, but still one only available on bootlegs. Now TV Shows on DVD has reported that it may at last be making a move to disc in July. Detailed report here.

The fake music-biopic starring John C. Reilly was a box-office dud, but maybe people will rediscover it on DVD on April 8. And I had a good time when the promotional tour came to the Rock Hall in Cleveland. (Photo above from that gig.) Full announcement of the DVD after the jump …

The Golden Globe® nominated[1] fictional biopic Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story arrives on DVD and Blu-ray Disc™ April 8, 2008 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Created by Jake Kasdan (Zero Effect, TV’s “Freaks and Geeks”) and Judd Apatow (Superbad, Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), this parody tells the story of the trials and tribulations of the greatest non-existent rock star of all time, Dewey Cox, played by Oscar®-nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago). Riley is supported by an incomparable ensemble cast including Jenna Fisher (TV’s “The Office,” Blades of Glory), “Saturday Night Live” alums Tim Meadows and Chris Parnel, and includes cameos by Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and a host of musical talents from The Temptations to Ghostface Killaha. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story will be available on Two-disc Unrated DVD and Blu-Ray™ High-Def with over two hours of hilarious bonus material, including 30 minutes of all-new footage, deleted and extended scenes and musical sequences, and much more for an SRP of $29.96 (DVD) and $43.95 (Blu-ray). The film will also be available as a single-disc R-rated DVD for $28.95 and on PSP for $24.94.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Synopsis:

One of the most iconic figures in rock history, Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) had it all: the women (over 411 served), the friends (Elvis, The Beatles) and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle (a close and personal relationship with every pill and powder known to man). But most of all, he had the music that transformed a dimwitted country boy into the greatest American rock star who never lived. A wild and wicked send-up of every musical biopic ever made, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is gut-busting proof that when it comes to hard rocking, living and laughing, a hard man is good to find.

Unrated 2-Disc DVD & Blu-ray™ High Def Features:

Deleted & Extended Scenes
Line-O-Rama
Song Performances
The Music of Walk Hard
The Real Dewey Cox
Commentary with Jake Kasdan, Judd Apatow, John C. Reilly & Lew Morton
Extended Footage Not Seen In Theaters
More Deleted & Extended Scenes
Additional Full Song Performances
A Christmas Song from Dewey Cox
Cox Sausage Commercials with Outtakes
Song Demos
The Making of Walk Hard
The Last Word With John Hodgman
Tyler Nilson: A Cockumentary:
Bull On the Loose
The Music of Walk Hard
The Real Dewey Cox
The Last Word with John Hodgman:
Dewey Cox’s Last Interview
Commentary with Jake Kasdan, Judd Apatow, John C. Reilly and Lew Morton

The Theatrical Version has a run time of 96 minutes and is Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language. The Unrated Version has a run time of 120 minutes.

(Picture from TVGuide.com)

People have been asking for it, and it arrives on Feb. 5. Details after the jump …

Culture clash has never been funnier than on the classic, hit comedy Perfect Strangers, which makes its highly-anticipated debut on DVD, February 5, 2008 from Warner Home Video (WHV). Titled Perfect Strangers: The Complete First & Second Seasons, the DVD release will offer consumers the first two seasons of the three-time Emmy-nominated series. Retailing at $29.98 SRP, the set is comprised of four discs, which feature 28 fantastic episodes as well as hilarious bonus material.

Set in Chicago, Perfect Strangers focuses on the relationship of two distant cousins, whose personalities and life experiences could not be anymore different. The series begins when high-strung Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) opens his apartment to cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot, Step-by-Step), an idealistic, naïve shepherd from the fictitious island-nation of Mypos. New to America, Balki often misunderstands the culture, which leads to some delightfully hilarious situations. Color TV, game shows, singles bars, soda pop cans and even pink lemonade are some of the modern day oddities that amaze the innocent and lovable Balki, whose signature catchphrase, “Of course not, don’t be ridiculous!” kept television audiences laughing throughout the show’s lengthy and successful run. The series also stars Melanie Wilson (Family Matters) as Jennifer Lyons, Rebecca Arthur (Grace Under Fire) as Mary Anne Spencer, Ernie Sabella (Saved by the Bell, The Lion King) as Donald Twinkacetti, and Belita Moreno (George Lopez) as Edwina Twinkacetti.

Perfect Strangers originally premiered on ABC in 1986 and became an instant hit with viewers. The show aired for eight seasons and was nominated for three Emmy Awards. Currently, it is listed as the eighth most requested unreleased show on TVshowsonDVD.com.

Aside from featuring 28 episodes, the DVD set will also include a clip montage featuring the “Dance of Joy,” a very popular recurring element of the series.

"Sopranos" Folks at the Emmys (AP Photo)

Here's the word from HBO Video:

HBO's Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody-winning series The Sopranos returns with the final nine episodes on all three DVD formats from HBO Video on October 23, 2007. In The Sopranos: Season 6, Part II, the show comes to its conclusion with Tony Soprano facing new stresses, including life-altering decisions at home, pressure from the law, and doubts about allegiances on the job that leave not even his oldest and most trusted crew members above suspicion. The Sopranos: Season 6, Part II, available on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray disc formats, is being released in time for the holiday season, making it the perfect gift for die-hard fans. …

"Making Cleaver," an exclusive sneak-peek at the behind-the-scenes making of the film that Christopher pitched in Hollywood
"Music of The Sopranos," a retrospective look at the final season and the music that helped shape it
Four audio commentaries from cast members – Episode 1: Steven Schirripa, Episode 3: Dominic Chianese, Episode 7: Robert Iler, Episode 8: Steven Van Zandt

Pricing: $99.98 DVD, $129.95 HD DVD/Blu-Ray

I'm still holding onto my old "MSCL" DVD's, OK? But if you missed out, it's coming back, and with new extras. Announcement after the jump …

My So-Called Life: The Complete Series

On October 30, 2007, Shout! Factory will release My So-Called Life: The Complete Series DVD, featuring all nineteen episodes and a full disc of hours of bonus features that illuminate the origin, life and afterlife of this Emmy-nominated benchmark series with all-new interviews, episode commentaries and archival footage featuring the original cast and creators. Moreover, Shout! Factory invites viewers and fans to further immerse themselves in a 40-page color book, highlighted by a special introduction by show creator Winnie Holzman, special tributes by Janeane Garofalo and Joss Whedon, and much more! Poised to satisfy the appetite of My So-Called Life and Claire Danes fans for ritual viewing and priced to own at $69.99, this uncompromising six-disc DVD box set with a commemorative book are collected in a specially designed collector’s box with a embossed, case-bound cover.

If you also have that old, no-extras DVD, then this new set is a clear improvement. And I hear that Shout! managed to get time with everyone from the original cast except Jared "Mr. Big Deal Musician Now" Leto, even Claire "I Killed This Show Because I Wanted To Go Make Movies" Danes.

But the high point of Danes's acting career is still most likely
"My So-Called Life." Here, for example, is what the New York Times' Stephen Holden said about her performance in "Stardust"":

The most glaring of several mistakes in casting is Ms. Danes's charm-free Yvaine, a cranky older version of her teenage character on the television series "My So-Called Life." Even after Yvaine mellows and warms to Tristan, who discovers her in a crater and becomes her protector, Ms. Danes has a distracting habit of scrunching her features into a scowl unbefitting a supernatural heroine who aspires to live happily ever after. At a certain point you may find yourself imagining how much better "Stardust" might have been with Gwyneth Paltrow in the role.

Looks like oodles of extras on the set, arriving Sept. 4. Announcement after the jump …

Universal's announcement:

Clock in to The Office for even more inappropriate remarks, uncomfortable silences and petty behavior in the complete third season, recently nominated for nine 2007 Primetime Emmy® Awards including Best Comedy, Best Actor (Steve Carell), Best Supporting Actor (Rainn Wilson) and Best Supporting Actress (Jenna Fischer). Carell (40 Yr. Old Virgin, Evan Almighty) is back in his Golden Globe®-winning role as ignorant but harmless boss Michael Scott. And now there is even more of him to love — the Season 3 four-disc collection contains all 22 hilarious episodes and tons of exclusive bonus features! You’ll want to stay late at The Office to relive every entertaining episode of this must-see, must-own TV show that demands to be watched again and again.

DVD Bonus Features:

Fans of The Office will rush home from work to watch the DVD’s outrageously funny bonus features, including:

· Over 3 hours of never-before-seen, hilarious deleted scenes.

· Over 16 minutes of laugh-out-loud bloopers.

· Eight cast commentaries on some of the most comical episodes.

· “Lazy Scranton” video.

· The Dwight Schrute music video.

· The creative videos from NBC’s “Make your own promo” contest.

· And so much more!

Show Synopsis:

With unshaken enthusiasm, Michael (Steve Carell) believes he is the office funnyman, a fountain of business wisdom and his employees' cool friend. Painstakingly trying to be liked and look cool, Michael comes off alternately absurd and pathetic. His prize possession is his "World's Greatest Boss" mug — which he had to buy for himself.

Joining Michael are fellow Dunder Mifflin employees Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer, "Blades of Glory"), the friendly office receptionist who bears the brunt of Michael's routines; Jim Halpert (John Krasinski” "License to Wed"), a likable sales rep with a good sense of humor who should have found a better job years ago, but is too comfortable with his office mates and routine to leave; Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson, "The Last Mimzy,” “Six Feet Under"), the arrogant assistant to the regional manager and Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak, "Punk'd") the young, smart, former temp, who quickly figured out the real office politics despite Michael's attempts to instill the official point-of-view.

Season 4 Debut: Season 4 of The Office premieres Thursday, September 27 (9 p.m. ET) on NBC.

Additional Information:
Website: www.TheOfficeDVD.com

Details of the DVD, coming Aug. 28 and bargain-priced, after the jump …

Here's the announcement:

Inspired by the New York Times best-selling book and acclaimed theatrical feature, the Emmy® nominated Friday Night Lights: The First Season debuts on DVD on August 28, 2007 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Executive produced by Peter Berg (who directed and wrote the feature film) and Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind), Friday Night Lights has won viewer devotion and critical praise for its look at the emotional dynamics of small-town life. Featuring outstanding production values, insightful writing and compelling characters, the series has received several prestigious honors including two 2007 Primetime Emmy® nominations including Best Directing, the 2007 Television Critics Association award for Outstanding New Program, The George Foster Peabody Award and the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 2006 Television Program of the Year. All 22 episodes of the initial season, available for the first time on DVD, come with outstanding bonus features including a “Making of the Final Episode” featurette, special commentary by the show’s producers and deleted scenes from some of the season’s most memorable episodes. Friday Night Lights: The First Season comes in a five-disc set and is priced to own at $29.98 SRP.

· Deleted Scenes from Favorite Episodes

Several different packages, described after the jump …

The word from Universal:

The workplace happenings of a popular live comedy show reach new levels of hilarity when 30 Rock: Season 1 comes to DVD on September 4, 2007 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Nominated for ten 2007 Primetime Emmy® Awards including best actor, best actress, best comedy writing and best comedy series, 30 Rock is created and executive produced by Tina Fey, who previously won an Emmy® for her writing on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Fey headlines an irreverent cast that includes Alec Baldwin (The Good Shepherd, The Departed) in a role that earned him a lead actor Emmy® nomination as well as Golden Globe® and SAG® awards, and Tracy Morgan (Little Man, “Saturday Night Live”). Notable guest stars contributing to the show’s comedic success include Isabella Rossellini, Paul Reubens, Emily Mortimer, Rip Torn, Will Arnett and Elaine Stritch, who received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Colleen Donaghy. 30 Rock is from Broadway Video and Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios. The three-disc set includes all 21 episodes of 30 Rock: Season 1, plus exclusive bonus features including commentary by Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer, hilarious deleted scenes, bloopers, behind-the-scenes featurettes and more! 30 Rock Season 1 will also be made available as two individual volumes with Volume 1 including the first 16 episodes as a two-disc set and Volume 2 including the final 5 episodes plus the bonus materials as a single disc.

Fey brings humor and wry wit first showcased on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” to the high pressure environment of the writers’ room in a tongue-in-cheek send-up of the network TV business. 30 Rock: Season 1 comes just in time for viewers to catch up on the funniest insider comedy on television before the highly anticipated broadcast premiere of Season 2. The DVDs will be priced at $49.98 S.R.P. for the complete season or $26.98 S.R.P. for Volume 1 or Volume 2.

Strange way to split the show in the Volumes 1 and 2; looks as if they're just taking the three discs in the complete-season package and separating them for the other sets. Which is wildly off-balance, since you get 16 episodes in V.1 and five episodes in V.2, with the extras jammed into V.2. (Although you'd think the commentaries for episodes in V.1 would still be there, wouldn't they?) All in all, it sure looks as if Universal is nudging folks into buying the complete-season set …

From today's Beacon Journal, my thoughts about:
– John Wayne at 100.
– Tom Selleck's latest Jesse Stone movie.
– Today's DVD column, with some questions to consider before you buy.

If you want your children to love the same "Sesame Street" that you did, make note of the following DVD:

Beginning October 24, 2006, fans of all ages can relive their childhood by watching classic footage with the release of Sesame Street: Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974 (Sesame Workshop and Sony Wonder; suggested retail price $39.98). The three disc box set features the premiere episodes from the first five “experimental” seasons plus bonus footage never before offered to consumers…The over seven hours of vintage content includes the pilot episode of the series which has never been seen on DVD!   In addition, packaged with the disc set will be an exclusive 16-page liner notes booklet filled with fun facts and photos from each season, as well as an 8-page activity pullout that parents can share with their kids.  …

Sesame Street: Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974 features celebrity appearances, songs and animation which are sure to bring people down memory lane. Footage includes:

Ø      Bill Cosby doing his ABCs                            

Ø      Big Bird meeting Snuffy for the first time  

Ø      

Lena

Horne singing “How do you do?” with Grover          

Ø      Bert doing “The Pigeon” dance        

Ø      James Earl Jones counting to 10      

Ø      Oscar singing “I Love Trash” 

Ø      Ernie singing “Rubber Duckie”

Ø      Kermit singing “It’s Not Easy Being Green”                

Ø      King of Eight

Ø      “Sing” with Bob                                      

Ø      Alligator King

Ø      Ladybug Picnic                                        

Ø      Johnny Cash singing with “Nasty Dan” with Oscar

Ø      Grover singing “Around, Through, Over, Under” …and much, much more! (end announcement)

I'm hoping for Smokey Robinson singing with the letter U. And my kids are WAY past "Sesame" age.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been catching up on DVDs, including some packages that would make apt double features.

– In stores today is "The Girls Next Door: Season One," the E! series starring three of Hugh Hefner's current girlfriends — Holly, Bridget and Kendra. You can tandem it with the already-released "Playboy After Dark," a DVD sampler of episodes from syndicated shows Hefner hosted in the late '50s and '60s.

I happened to see the Girls Next Door during my recent trip to Hollywood, and I find them much more appealing on TV; their real-life looks seemed artificial and overly elaborate. In the TV series, their personalities are intermittently pleasant, although the show itself is slight. For people who don't care about personalities, the DVD extras include uncensored video and audio of the Girls.

"Girls" also included appearances by Barbi Benton, Hefner's former flame, who is also at his side in the '60s selections on "Playboy After Dark." And one of the interesting cultural comparisons between the two DVD sets is to see how Hefner's preferences in women haven't really changed; Benton's slightly ditzy persona on "PAD" is a close companion to the Girls. (And, in spite of the passage of decades, the "Girls Next Door" fit linguistically with the references to "girls" on "PAD.")

But I was far more fascinated by the '60s "PAD" than I expected. I remember watching bits of the show when it first aired, and it seemed boring — Hefner a sometimes awkward host in formal wear, seemingly more comfortable with jazzy crooners than the rock acts I might wait up to see. (He seems far more at ease in the '50s show, where the counterculture consists of a clean-shaven, necktie-wearing Lenny Bruce.)

The episodes included here can still be dull, even bizarre. (Hef and the crowd play "Simon Says" in one segment. Really.) But they're still of interest for the way they reflect the clash of the Playboy Philosophy with a younger generation — Billy Eckstine singing with Linda Ronstadt, for example, or the ultra-tidy Hef introducing Joe Cocker at his most slovenly.

Then there are the little things: Bill Cosby messing with an upright bass behind Cher (with Sonny on cowbell), or a chatting crowd including Vic Damone, Sonny, a bored Cher, Dick Shawn, Bob Hite of Canned Heat and — next to Hite — a little-known Lindsay Wagner. As artifacts go, it's pretty good.

– I've long been a fan of Bruce "If Chins Could Kill" Campbell, for his screen work and his clear-eyed attitude toward his career. Also for his doing a stunt back-flip during a press conference in 1993 to promote "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.," his single-season Fox series. A "Complete Series" package is now on DVD, along with "Jack of All Trades: The Complete Series," the syndicated adventure comedy that starred Campbell.

The "Brisco" set is loaded with extras, but I haven't gotten around them because I have a hard time just sitting through the show. Even though I like Campbell, the show tried to do too many things at once — western, scifi fantasy, comedy — and ended up not doing any one thing very well. (That said, I should note that others, including my stepdaughter Target Demo, have a great fondness for the show, to the point of her naming a dog after Campbell's character.) "Lost" fans, though, may want to take note because of the involvement of producer Carlton Cuse, now on the ABC series; you can even spot him in a small role in the "Brisco" premiere.

"Jack of All Trades" — with Campbell as an anachronism-laden spy working for Thomas Jefferson on a tiny, French-run island during the Napoleonic era — did not delight me either when it premiered in 2000; I think the word ''stupid" appears more than once in my review of its premiere. But in his autobiography Campbell says he will "defend (the show) to the end." And I might have said that it's endearingly stupid. I still grin at lines like "I would have knocked but my fist had other plans" and this dialogue:

Jefferson: "You wouldn't want to be speaking French for the rest of your life, now would you, Jack?"

Jack: "Oh, all those silent X's. … My throat hurts just thinking about it, sir."

– Then there's "JAG: The Complete First Season," a collection of an odd chapter in the show's history.

Fans of the show will recall that it began on NBC in 1995; the network dropped the show after a single season, but CBS promptly picked it up and it enjoyed a long run on that network. In the DVD extras, Bellisario is more mellow about this season than he was when I interviewed him late in 1996, as the CBS run was about to begin. But it was a challenging year, as this DVD of the NBC episodes shows.

The NBC season had some building blocks in place, including David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb, but in so many other ways it's a work in progress. These are episodes before the arrival of Catherine Bell as Mac, for starters. Andrea Parker was Harm's partner in the feature-length pilot, but NBC insisted she be replaced for the series, so Tracey Needham came aboard. NBC wanted more of an action show than Bellisario had envisioned. Kevin Dunn plays the JAG boss in the pilot, as well.

Then there's "Skeleton Crew," rightly referred to as a "rarely seen" episode of the series. It was meant to be the first-season finale, with a cliffhanger involving Harm charged with murder — and the victim was played by Catherine Bell. According to several "JAG" references, NBC decided not to air the episode because it had canceled the series before its scheduled telecast; footage from it was later edited into a CBS episode.' Here you can see the telecast in its original form, as well as some decent DVD extras.

Believe it or not, people have asked about this. So here's the announcement:

Good Lord!  Warner Home Video is bringing one of television’s most beloved dysfunctional families to DVD this fall with the release of Mama’s Family: The Complete First Season on September 26, 2006.  The two-disc set will include 13 episodes of the show’s first season and will retail for $26.97. 

Mama’s Family, the delightfully offbeat comedy whose successful run spanned from January 22, 1983 to March 12, 1990, originally began as a skit on the legendary Carol Burnett Show.  Entitled The Family, the sketch was roughly based on Carol Burnett’s childhood and was such a hit that it generated its own spin-off series which premiered on NBC.

Mama’s Family mined humor from a squabbling family in the Midwestern blue collar suburb of Raytown.  The noisy clan was headed by Thelma Harper “Mama” (Vicki Lawrence, The Carol Burnett Show, The Vicky Lawrence Show) a buxom, gray-haired widow with sharp opinions and a sharper tongue who shared her small house with her high-strung sister Fran (Rue McClanahan, The Golden Girls), a journalist for a local paper.  Mama’s lazy, dimwitted son, Vint (Ken Berry, F-Troop), a locksmith by trade, moved in at the start of the series with his troublesome teenage children, Buzz (Eric Brown) and Sonja (Karin Argoud), after his wife ran off to become a Las Vegas show girl.  Much to Mama’s disgust, Vint soon took up with the flirtatious neighbor Naomi (Dorothy Lyman, All My Children), who works as a checker at the local grocery store, Food Circus. 

Mama’s Family also starred Betty White (Golden Girls) as Ellen Jackson, Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show) as Ed Higgins/Carl Harper/Alistair Quince and Carol Burnett (The Carol Burnett Show, Carol & Company) as Eunice Higgins.

The first time on DVD, Mama’s Family: The Complete First Season will include all 13 episodes from the show’s premiere season, which aired from January 1983 to May 1983. 

Here's the official announcement:

Showtime’s award-winning TV series, “Weeds,” starring Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins and Kevin Nealon, is now being made available for the first time on DVD.  Lionsgate will release Weeds: Season One on July 11, and the second season begins airing on Showtime in August.  The DVD set is loaded with special features including “Smoke & Mirrors” – an original marijuana mockumentary, Agrestic “herbal” recipes, audio commentaries from the cast and show creator plus much more.  …

One down note: Full-screen format.  But 5.1 Dolby Digital (as well as 2.0). List price will be $39.98.

The big-screen, live-action version of "Aeon Flux" hits theaters in December, so of course the original MTV version has been packaged in a new DVD for release on Nov. 22, in a box declared the "director's cut," no less. A review copy landed on my desk, and here is part of the enclosed note from series creator Peter Chung.

"The original camera negatives were retrieved from the vaults, and in some cases, from my personal archive of materials. The negatives were cleaned and digitally remastered. The original 4X3 standard aspect ratio was carefully preserved, improving the cropping of the earlier transfer to minimize loss of visual information at the edges of the frame. Viewers will notice a marked improvement in line detail and color fidelity over the previous video release. Each scene was then color-corrected with my supervision. In every episode, enhancements such as highlights, shadows, blurs or glows were added to achieve a range of moods and atmospheres not seen in the earlier editions."

There's more, but you get the idea. And all that is being said about a show whose major appeal is a barely-dressed, animated woman toting a gun.

When writer-producer Shaun Cassidy was at a press conference to talk about his new series, "Invasion," he noted that the success of "Lost" had made it easier to get networks to look at serialized shows where the readers are kept guessing. So, later on, I asked him if his 1995-96 series "American Gothic" would have had a better chance today.

"Absolutely," he said. "On the right network. I mean, the network is everything, and the understanding of the network is huge. When you're doing a show that is so dependent on the vision of the people behind the show … you kind of have to trust the guy or the woman who is creating the show. …

"With 'American Gothic' … there was nothing on TV like it," he said. " 'Twin Peaks' was gone. 'Twin Peaks' explored similar territory but was even, I think, art-school than 'American Gothic.' 'X-Files' was on (but) … 'X-Files' itself is a procedural. Those are FBI agents solving the crime of the week, and there's a bigger mythology — but (shows like "American Gothic" and "Lost") are open-ended, serialized mysteries. They're like Dickens stories, almost, very character-driven."

And will we ever see more of the show? '"There's been a lot of talk about making a movie," Cassidy said. And the series "is coming out on DVD, like in October, I think." That may suggest that the audience is now more interested in shows like "Gothic" but Cassidy thinks there's another explanation for the DVD: "Gothic" also involved Sam Raimi, now a very big name thanks to the "Spider-Man" movies.

A couple of days later, "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy was on hand to talk about that series, which begins its third season on Sept. 20. After the press conference, I asked him about "Popular," a serialized comedy-drama he oversaw, which ran for two seasons on The WB. (Both seasons are available on DVD, although fans have noted that the DVD versions have some different music from the original series.) Could the post-"Lost" appetite for shows with open-ended storylines mean that "Popular" would do better today?

"I think 'Popular' was way ahead of its time," Murphy said. "When I read a lot of reviews of that movie 'Mean Girls,' they mentioned 'Popular,' which I thought, oh, that's interesting, that we sort of helped give birth to that. …

"That show ("Popular") was on the wrong network," he said. "They never got it. They never knew what it was. They never knew how to market it. … At that point, everything on that network looked the same. And the notes that I'd get would be, 'Can you make it more '"Dawson's Creek"?' And I would say, 'No.' I would have been thrilled if we had three years and off. The fact that it was two years, I felt a little robbed."

And if he could do it today, how would it be different? "Darker," he said. "I think I would have done a 'Desperate Housewives' thing and there would have been a murder. … I would have had those cheerleaders be killing people. I would have made it really dark."