SERIES
(Listed Alphabetically)  O - Z  below           

MAD MEN (The complete first Season)  **** At a time when most programs seek to dazzle viewers with big, bold concepts, the pleasures of "Mad Men" refreshingly arise almost wholly from small, impeccably detailed touches. Set in 1960, this breezy serial about Madison Avenue ad men (hence the title) circa 1960 revels in dated images of white-collar workers boozing in the boss' office, harassing female employees, smoking incessantly and openly pondering if there's a Jew anywhere in the building. Created by "The Sopranos" alum Matthew Weiner, it's a rare period drama that niftily injects shades of gray into the black-and-white TV era, warts and all. With his slicked back hair and neatly pressed suits, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is the creative mastermind at Sterling Cooper, a big time Manhattan ad agency grappling with a variety of challenges among them how to market cigarettes in light of newfangled health concerns about the product. His surroundings include a suave boss (guest star John Slattery); wide-eyed new secretary Peggy ("The West Wing" Elisabeth Moss); and an ambitious protégé (Vincent Kartheiser) eager to slice into Don's power base. In the premiere, Don not only wrestles with the Lucky strikes account but with a Jewish department store that has the temerity to desire crossing over and is run by -----gasp-----a woman (Maggie Siff). Peggy meanwhile, is viewed by various associates as fresh meat, and receives tips on how to survive as a single gal ------mostly by cozying up to the boys------from a predatory, curvy co-worker, Joan (Christina Hendricks). For those who have transformed the 50s into a nostalgic Wonderland, "Mad Men" captures just how much things have changed since the morality that governed those days. Beyond blatant anti-Semitism, sexual harassment and the assumption that a woman's place is in the home or sprawled out upon the couch, one staffer clearly appears to be gay and overcompensates by talking about nailing broads more than any of his peers. As a serialized drama, the program's situations aren't especially stirring, even with its soli, perfectly outfitted cast. The sheer atmosphere, however, proves intoxicating----from a doctor puffing away during a gynecological exam to snippets of Bob Newhart's comedy to the backdrop of the pending Nixon-Kennedy race for the White House (Sterling Cooper is weighing whether to represent Nixon) adding a pre-Camelot significance to the proceedings. Despite its understated approach, however, "Mad Men" actually strikes a profound chord, inasmuch as part of today's so-called culture war involves sifting through the tumult of the 1960s, heralded by progressives for the freedoms won but now being decried by conservatives for the standards that were eroded. In that context, the show illustrates that period's own form of excess without wagging fingers, while reminding us that before sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, there was sexual harassment, free-flowing cocktails and bluesy ballads, invariably sung by white guys.
MODERN FAMILY (First Season)  *****  Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, this first rate series focuses on Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill), his daughter Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen), and his son Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) who live in Los Angeles. Claire is a homemaker mom married to Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell); they have three children. Jay is married to a much younger Colombian woman, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), and is helping her raise her pre-teen son, Manny. Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) have adopted a Vietnamese baby, Lily. Read more
NIP/TUCK Season 1/2/ 3/ 4 ***** This first-season episodes exposes the complexities and fragile natures often found in patients seeking cosmetic surgery. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon are the elite plastic surgery team, whose is skilled at giving others perfect bodies contrasts with the doctors' imperfect personal lives. From love to lust, from painful revelations to powerful moments, to astonishing truths both seasons deserve its Golden Globe Award. The features on the first season includes three making-of documentaries showing how the cast and creators operate: Giving Drama a Face Lift; Realistic Expectations: The Practise of Plastic Surgery and Are They Real or Fake?: The Miraculous make-up effects; a 'severed parts' gag reel and deleted scenes. The second season received a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series. The second season will keep you watching from start to the shocking finale; the extras include Recurring Pain: Three Women and Their Men, an inside scoop on Dr. Troy and the women who love him; and deleted scenes. The complete third season ***** Wow! This is riveting viewing that will challenge you on all  levels. Expect the unexpected, and unmask the  world behind plastic surgery,  filled with eroticism, suspense and medical challenges ranging from a daring facial transplant to a 650-pound woman whose skin has fused with her sofa. If you have not seen season one or two, ensure to do so before watching the third season as there's essential information that you will miss out on.  A major plot in the series is uncovering the  identity of the serial slasher called the Carver.  This will keep you guessing until the last moments of the final episode, and is only a bonus to the other fascination plot development s surrounding the relationships between the characters.         
THE O.C - The complete first season **** Josh Schwartz's witty tale of life among teens and parents in Orange County's posh Newport Beach. The first season features 27 episodes on 7 discs, with features and documentaries taking you through the casting and the real teenagers of Newport. A perfect buy if you are want to indulge in romance and drama.
PRIMEVAL (Seasons 1 > 4) *****  Primeval follows a band of scientists as they investigate passageways in time that seem to be developing between prehistoric Earth and the present day, allowing all sorts of monstrous creatures to wander into the world. Nick Cutter leads a government-sponsored team that secretly investigates the anomalies -- but the beasts that pass through them aren't the only dangers they face.Primeval was created for ITV by Adrian Hodges, who wrote the majority of the scripts, and Tim Haines of Impossible Pictures. The show grew out of Haines's Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts, and Walking with Monsters, which demonstrated the technology for creating realistic CGI creatures. The key characters are Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall), an evolutionary scientist who's attracted by the possibility of explaining gaps in evolutionary theory; Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt), a perky zoologist and zookeeper; the reliable hunter and technician Stephen Hart (James Murray), who appears in the first 13 episodes; and Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts), Cutter's student and a dinosaur geek, whom the sci-fi nerds and dinosaur-lovers in the audience especially relate to. Primeval has some similarity to Torchwood -- a team of experts moving through Britain, dealing with the sudden effects of rifts in time. But the tone is very different: there's a quest here for science and understanding that adds depth to the weekly monster encounters, reflected by Cutter's relentlessness on the one hand and Connor's exuberance on the other.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (The Complete First Season) **** From the Golden-Globe-winning creator of Grey's Anatomy comes this new hit series. Seattle fades into grey as renowned surgeon Dr. Allison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) aims to reinvent herself. The promise of a simpler golden state of mind has her working alongside medical school friend's of California's Oceanside Wellness Group.  Fans will delight the new characters: a newly-divorced-but-professionally-bound Naomi and Sam Bennett, the kissable Pete Wilder, the by-the-book Dr. Charlotte King, Cooper the Internet surfer, Dell the wave surfer and Violet Turner - a psychiatrist with her own issues. It's filled with romance, humour drama and intrigue with a dream cast that features Taye Diggs, Amy Breneeman, Audra McDonald and Tim Daly. The Bonus features includes extended episodes, audio commentary, a doccie with Kate Walsh on 'Practise Makes Perfect', a behind the scenes peek into the series and bloopers.  If you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy, this is a welcome edition, if you're not a fan, you'll be certain to start the first season of Grey.
QUEER AS FOLK  (Seasons 1 - 5) ***** Based on the British series created by Russell T.Davies, this superb series was developed for American TV by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman. Focusing on the loves, careers, ambitions and relationships of a group of gay men and women, it has great characters that will become a part of you. It is a series that anyone can relate to and offers a brilliant dissection of the frailty of the human condition. The first series has 6 discs with 22 episodes and some great features that will keep you watching non-stop. Equally brilliant and captivating, the second season's collector's editions features 6 discs. Disc six is a bonus disc which stunning features that looks at a day in the life of Queer as Folk, the Queer as Folk 2002 summer pride tour, interviews, outtakes and much more. Make sure to add this to your collection
RESCUE ME (The complete first and second seasons) ***** Following the aftermath and tragic consequences on 9/11, it is refreshing to find a series focused on a group of firefighters that is not mushy and filled with hero worship, but challenges on every level.  Flawed and sometimes immoral characters populate this exciting inside view into the lives and loves of men at a New York Firehouse.  Created and written by Denis Leary and Emmy award-winner Peter Tolan (Murphy Brown) , each episode is filled with drama, pathos, comedy, and tragedy that captivates. Denis Leary delivers a great performance the leader of the fire-fighters; here's a character  you will most definitely despise but ultimately get to know and empathise with at the end of season two. This is challenging viewing that definitely provokes the imagination and stimulates intelligent thought. The fist season comprises of 13 Episodes with audio commentary on the first and last episodes, a blooper reel, deleted scenes and 4 behind the scenes featurettes.  The Second season includes all 13 Episodes  with 6 exclusive behind the scenes featurettes, a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and an exclusive sneak peek at season three.
ROBIN HOOD (Volume One: Episodes one to five)  ***** This fantastic BBC series is an action-packed retelling of the story of robin Hood, featuring a charming Jonas Armstrong in the title role. It was created by Dominic Minghella and features British filmmaking at its best. The first episodes focuses on Robin of Locksley who arrives home from the Crusades to fins his people starving and brutalised under the oppressive rule of the new Sheriff of Nottingham. He quickly discovers that the only way to reason with this ruthless tyrant is with his bow and arrow - even if it means sacrificing his title and his lands and consigning himself to life in the forest.  Soon the defiant Robin and his faithful, if slightly unenthusiastic, manservant Much gather a band of talented  outlaws including ingenious engineer Will Scarlet, man-mountain Little John and Allan A dale, a fantastic lair: But can they match the cunning and brute force of the Sheriff and his bullying sidekick Sir Guy of Gisborne?
ROBIN HOOD (Volume Two: Episodes six to nine) ***** Robin and his gang are now established enemies of the state. A constant thorn in the side of the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchman Sir Guy of Gisborne, they need to be quick-witted and handy with a sword just to stay alive. And, with Marian now under deep suspicion at the castle, their skills might just be needed in a rescue attempt or two.  Meanwhile there's no let up in the fighting injustice business …
ROBIN HOOD (Volume Three: Episodes ten to thirteen)***** As the tyrannical grip of the Sheriff tightens around Nottingham, it's going to take some pretty amazing tricks, disguises, and even ninja-style fighting to stave off his evil brutality. Robin and his trusted gang step forward to fight oppression. As the imminent return of King Richard from the Crusades brings the wedding of Marian and Gisborne even closer. Just as the gang's dreams are coming true, all is lost for Robin.
ROME - The Complete First Season ***** An exquisitely packaged series. This magnificent HBO series features all 12 episodes on 6 discs, featuring an hour of previously unseen footage and great exclusive bonus features.  The story is set four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, when Rome was the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. The serialised drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, husbands and wives, it chronicles a turbulent era that saw the death of a republic and the birth of an empire.  Bonus Features: Eight revealing audio commentaries with the cast and crew; an interactive on screen guide prepared by the series' historical consultant, Jonathan Stamp; a closer look at the thrilling fight sequences; behind the scenes featurettes on the sets, wardrobe and actors' boot camp; a featurette on the culture of ancient Rome; a photo gallery with over 50 rare images; and a guide booklet featuring names, profiles, relationships and other key historical information.
SIX FEET UNDER (Season 5) *****  Without a doubt one of the best series of the year. The complete firth season of Alan Ball's will leave you emotionally drained after compelling, non-stop viewing. For the Foster family, death is living. In this final season, birth, death, rebirth are a way of life as everything, everyone, everywhere …. ends. Features: It includes the critically acclaimed 75-minute version of the final episode, 'Everyone's Waiting', written and directed by Alan Ball; there are six audio commentaries with the cast, crew and creator; two 30-minute retrospectives and a featurette 'The Impact of Six Feet Under'.
SMALLVILLE (SEASONS 1 - 5) *****  This offers non-stop viewing from the explosive beginning to the riveting finale. The first season includes super heroic special features: Pilot commentary by Executive Producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and director David Nutter. There's also an interactive tour of Smallville, pilot storyboard to screen, a DVD-ROM link with exclusive bonus materials. The complete second series is entertaining but somehow fails to beat the first. The features on season four includes inside the writer's room; Being Louis Lane; commentary on 3 episodes by key cast and crew; unaired scenes; DVD-ROM links to the Smallville site featuring added bonus material.

SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND ***** An extremely violent and sexually explicit masterwork that showcases the art of television. Fist rate performances from the entire cast (particularly Andy Whitfield in the title role), visual splendour and spectacle like you have never seen before, exquisite production and costune design and excellent writing, this is a must for serious collectors. Created by Steven S. Deknight (who assembled a great team of writers to co-write the gripping 13 episodes), this is undoubtedly one of the best TV series in years! Filled with drama, action, intrigue, romance and adventure, it tells the ultimate battle between master and slave, the plights of freedom and how ordinary men become heroes by sacrificing their lives for true love. The story: Betrayed by the Romans. Forced into slavery. Reborn as a Gladiator. The classic tale of the Republic's most infamous rebel comes alive in the graphic and visceral new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become
a legend. The excellent bonus features includes first-rate behind the scenes documentaries, an intimate glimpse into Gladiator bootcamp, how the legend was re-imagined, and audio commentaries on selected episodes.
The series was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus' obscure early life leading up to the beginning of historical records and followed by a prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, followed by a second season, Spartacus: Vengeance. NOTE: Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma during production and was replaced by  Liam McIntyre, when Whitfield died on September 11, 2011.

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP (The complete Series) ***** This captivating and intriguing new series from Aaron Sorkin (creator of The West Wing) takes you behind the scenes of a fictional late-night comedy sketch show. Filled with engaging characters, quick-fire dialogue and a Hollywood hive of insider buzz, it stars Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford as two likeable hotshots brought in to revive NBC-TVs sagging flagship comedy series, with Amanda Peet as their savvy boss and Steven Weber as the studio boss. Each episode explores the lives and loves of the show's staff and the make-or-break pressures. The bonus features include audio commentary on the Pilot episode by writer Aaron Sorking and director Thomas Schlamme.
SUPERNATURAL The Complete First Season ***** Wow! If you enjoy the mystery and intrigue of the unexplained, make sure to add this captivating exploration of fear to your collection. It tells the story of two brothers (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) who lose their mother in a terrifying ordeal and grow up hunting the demon that destroyed their lives. When their father, who has been hunting evil for 22 years, disappears, the brothers embark on a journey to find him. Created by Eric Kripke, with McG as Executive Producer, this tense and exciting series will keep you on the edge of your seat as each of the 22 episodes probes the fascinating and bizarre world of supernatural phenomenon. The Bonus features include unaired and extended scenes, selected commentary, featurettes on a 'Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen'' a gag reel, and DVD Rom and weblink features.
THIRD WATCH - (The Complete First Season) ***** The 22-episode Emmy-award-winning series captures all the intense, and dramatic human drama of the first season. The Third Watch shift is between 3 and 11pm and was created by the award-winning team behind 'E.R' and 'The West Wing'. The action packed drama focuses on the brave and dedicated people who serve as police, paramedics and firefighters. For them, keeping the streets safe and answering cries for help is all in a day's work. Created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero.
TRUE BLOOD SEASON 2 ***** In the second-season, the discovery of a body at Merlotte's has the citizens of Bon Temps worried about another murderer on the loose. Meanwhile, Sookie is irked by the presence of Bill's teen daughter Jessica, and his role in a death in the Stackhouse family, and Jason prays for a way to pay for a retreat with an antivampire group. When we last checked in with Sookie Stackhouse, the mystery surrounding a Bon Temps serial killer had finally been solved, to the town's infinite relief. Sookie is thrilled that her vampire soulmate, Bill Compton, has escaped with his life (or is it death?) after coming to her daylight defense. On other fronts, Sookie's pal Tara Thornton sets down new roots with an affluent benefactor, Maryann Forrester; Sam Merlotte resolves to get in shape-shift shape after a forest foray; roguish brother Jason finds new purpose with an anti-vampire sect; and detective Andy Bellefleur licks his wounds after being proven wrong about Jason's guilt. But just as things are settling down, some deadly new twists threaten to ratchet up the saga of Sookie Stackhouse to bloody new heights! Season 2 of True Blood -- adapted into an HBO series by executive producer Alan Ball from Charlaine Harris' bestelling books -- includes 12 episodes originally telecast between June and September of 2009. Closed Caption; The vampire root: special edition check out the past year's biggest stories in vampire news, politics and popular culture in the special edition of the perspective with victoria davis; Fellowship of the sun: reflections of light rules to live by with fellowship of the sun leaders Steve and Sarah Newlin; Seven audio commentaries with the cast and crew including Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Michelle Forbes, Alexander Skarsgård, Rutina Kwanten, Sam Trammell and many more   
UGLY BETTY (Complete First Season)  *****  If there's one series that will infuse your new year's wishes with hope and happiness, it's the absolutely delightful series developed for American television by Silvio Horta, with Selma Hayek as one of the Executive Producers.  This well crafted social satire explores the world of male chauvinism, feminism, the fashion industry, relationships, and particularly issues relating to family and identity. It is funny, intelligent , entertaining and highly contagious. Be warned.  Starring the sassy America Ferrera in the title role, it's understandable why she won a Golden Globe for her performance, and the series was crowned Best TV Series.  This six disc set,  with tons of insightful bonus features, includes all 23 episodes in what is called the "Bettyfied Edition'.  It tells of a vibrant overachiever with the spirit and the smarts to live her dream, and takes on the skin-deep world of high fashion; two very different cultures collided in this sexy and stylish series about believing in yourself regardless of the odds. The features include 'Becoming Ugly: America Ferrera and the cast explore what it means to get Bettyfied'; there's a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion; deleted scenes and audio commentaries on selected episodes.  Don't miss.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (The Complete First Season)  **** In this age of vampires, fanged heroes have become iconic figures that have evolved from the underworld of Transylvania to contemporary suburbia. Sexy, sultry and super hot, they have turned monsters into likable and empathetic everyday people.  Based on the series of novels by L.J.Smith, the 22-episode season is set in a small town called Mystic Falls, where two vapire brothers have settled down to live a normal life.  Stefan (Paul Wesley)is a dark and brooding vampire who tries to discard his heritage and what he is, while Danon (Ian Somerhalder) is a nasty full blooded vampire who lives a life of violence and will stop at nothing to take the next bite. The brothers are united emotionally through an affair they had with the same woman 150 years earlier. When they meet Elena (Nina Dobrev), a dead ringer for their former girlfriend, the action is set for a web of spellbinding secrets, passion and terror.  When bodies start heaping up in Mystic falls, the brothers are forced to do whatever they can to prevent their secret life to surface and reveal their true identities. As with other series like Moonlighting, True Blood, and the Twilight Saga, The Vampire diaries has its own unique youthful identity, exploring the search of identity in a youth culture robbed of its moral values. The bonus features include selected audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel and exciting making-of featurettes.   
THE X-FILES 7TH SEASON **** This season was a time of reinvention for The X-Files; many long-running story arcs and well-known characters made their exit. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny also wrote and directed episodes which uncovered most of Scully's and Mulder's past histories and, in the process, revealed new depths of characterisation. The six disc collection includes all 22 episodes, with deleted scenes and special features. There's also a bonus disc featuring an all new documentary: The Truth About Season Seven. Other features include special effects sequences, character profiles, 43 promotional TV spots and Requiem offers optional audio commentary from creator Chris Carter

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