TV on DVD

Check out the week's new releases in our latest installment of... TV on DVD!

Show: “My Name Is Earl: Season Four” (Fox)
Format: DVD, Blu-ray.
What is it? With sitcoms not being as popular as they once were, and most of them not being all that good to begin with (save for two we're covering this week), it's sad, almost criminal, that one of the better ones would go bye bye. But such is the fate for this quirky comedy about a two-bit hood who decides to go straight and make amends after he learns about karma from Carson Daily. And it only got weirder, since the hood, the titular Earl, lived in the kind of town normally reserved for quirky dramas and David Lynch films. Which might've been why it couldn't last, it was just too quirky for mass consumption.
Number of discs/episodes: 4 discs/27 episodes
Extras:
DVD: Deleted scenes; gag reel; “2 the Max” movie trailer; “Earl's Fan Mail” featurette.
BD: All of the above extras plus “'Fringe' Pattern Analysis”; BD-Live functions.
Price:
DVD: $49.98.
BD: $59.98.
Buy, borrow or ignore: Buy.


Show: “The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season” (WHV)
Format: DVD
What is it? Speaking of quirky comedies, here's a sitcom that got funnier when it got quirkier and less cliché. Set around about a group of geeky nerds and the hot blonde who moves in next door, this sitcom was so beholden to stereotypes when it started that it was painfully unfunny. And not just about the geeks, but about the girl as well, who was originally just a dumb blonde. But as they fleshed out these characters—as they made the blonde not so Jessica Simpson, as they made the guys quirky but cool in a geeky way—the humor got more insightful, more quirky and more intelligent. Especially when their worlds collided, such as when Penny (the hot neighbor) got addicted to the online game “Age of Conan” (trés geeky). Let's just hope geeky guys and the hot girls who love them pick up on this show before it goes the way of “Earl.”
Number of discs/episodes: 4 discs/23 episodes
Extras: “Physicist to the Star” featurette; “Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis In Relation to 'The Big Bang Theory'” featurette; gag reel.
Price: $44.98
Buy, borrow or ignore: Borrow.


Show: “Astro Boy: The Anime Series, Volume 1,” “Astro Boy: The Anime Series, Volume 2,” “Astro Boy: The Anime Series, Volume 3,” “Astro Boy: The Anime Series, Volume 4,” “Astro Boy: The Anime Series, Volume 5” (Sony)
Format: DVD
What is it? Created by Osamu Tezuka in 1963, and based on his comic “Tetsuwan Atom,” “Astro Boy” was the first weekly animated series in Japan and the first Japanese cartoon shown on American television. Unfortunately for fans of this series and classic anime, this isn't that series. No, this is the upgraded version, which got its original black and white redone in color (albeit otherwise unchanged) in 2003. But while this might be a problem for purists, it won't be for all the kids out there about to discover this iconic Japanese hero courtesy of the new CGI movie. Sure, some of the plots might seem a bit quaint—there's no episode where Astro accidentally texts his mom or anything—but that probably won't matter. Especially not when moms, dads and kids realize they're enjoying these episodes together.
Number of discs/episodes: 1 disc/10 episodes each.
Extras:
Volumes 1-4: none.
Volume 5: “Remaking of Astro Boy” featurette.
Price: $14.94 each.
Buy, borrow or ignore: Borrow.


Other TV DVDs out this week:
“Animal Armageddon, Target: Earth” (Genius)
“Bleach: Volume 20” (Viz)
“Bonanza: The Official First Season: Volume 1” (CBS/Paramount)
“Bonanza: The Official First Season: Volume 2” (CBS/Paramount)
“Case Closed: Season Two Viridian Collection” (FUNimation)
“Crash: The Complete First Season” (Anchor Bay)
“CSI: Miami: The Seventh Season” (CBS/Paramount)
“Doctor Who: The Next Doctor” (BBC)
“Dragon Ball: Season One” (FUNimation)
“Fame: Seasons One and Two” (MGM)
“Fear Itself: The Complete First Season” (Lionsgate)
“Ghost Hunt: Complete Series Box Set” (FUNimation)
“Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season” (Disney)
“History Channel: Mysteries of the Freemasons” (A&E)
“It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Four” (Fox)
“Magikano: Complete Series Box Set” (FUNimation)
“Marvel X-Men: Volume 3” (Disney)
“Marvel X-Men: Volume 4” (Disney)
“Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 1 Part 2” (Bandai)
“One Step Beyond: The Official First Season” (CBS/Paramount)
“Primeval: Volume Two” (BBC)
“Private Practice: The Complete Second Season” (Disney)
“Sanctuary: The Complete First Season” (E1)
“Shakugan No Shana: Complete Series Viridian Collection” (FUNimation)
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Volume 2” (WHV)
“Stella: Live In Boston” (Shout! Factory)

(Actual releases may differ; Metromix is not responsible for injury, loss of life, or wasted time if you go to the store to buy one of them and the clerk says, “Uh, no, that’s not coming out until next week.”)