The latest season of Blue Bloods is on DVD this week, along with a collection of episodes from the country comedy-musical series Hee Haw.
Blue Bloods: The Fifth Season (CBS/Paramount/DVD, 2014-15, six discs, 22 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, excerpts from The Talk, bloopers). Tom Selleck heads the cast in this excellent police procedural about a family of New York law enforcers.
Selleck is police commissioner Frank Reagan; Donnie Wahlberg is his son Danny, a detective; Will Estes is his younger son Jamie, a street cop; and Bridget Moynahan is his daughter Erin, an assistant district attorney. Typically there are three storylines per episode, including cases to crack, political machinations and soap-opera stories with family members, and in this fifth season the writing remains smart and witty.
The cast is first-rate, the tenor is remarkably warm for a police show and the family is comprised of faithful Catholics who attend church, invoke scripture and pray together over their weekly gathering for Sunday dinner, which makes this show unique all by itself. (Season 6 begins on CBS Sept. 25.)
The Hee Haw Collection (Time Life/DVD, 1969-73, three discs, five episodes, bonus skits, featurettes; four-page booklet). For the uninitiated, Hee Haw was a country response to Laugh-in, with blackout skits, musical numbers and the kind of politically incorrect jokes that wouldnt fly today, all with a rural slant. The show ran from 1969-92 on CBS and then in syndication, an amazing 25 seasons in all. And it has an undeniable sense of just kidding joy to it, which remains infectious.
True, it wont be mistaken for intellectual satire. In fact, Benny Hill would find it too broad. But some of the skits will make you chuckle, and Rowan & Martin, Buck Owens and Roy Clark are amiable, cheerful hosts, with seasoned regulars on hand like Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Junior Samples. And country-western fans will love seeing vintage performances by Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Donna Fargo, Charlie Rich, Dottie West and Hank Williams Jr., etc.
Haven: Season 5, Vol. 1 (eOne/Blu-ray/DVD, 2014, four discs, 13 episodes, audio commentary, featurettes). This crazy sci-fi series (loosely based on Stephen Kings novella The Colorado Kid) is about a coastal New England town where supernatural troubles are the order of the day. This season begins with Audrey (Emily Rose) seemingly out of the game after last seasons cliffhanger, while Nathan and Luke (Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour) must confront the malevolent Mara (Rose again), who claims responsibility for beginning the troubles centuries earlier. (The second half of Season 5 begins Oct. 8 on the Syfy Channel, closing out the now-canceled series.)
Supernatural: The Complete Tenth Season (Warner/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014-15, four discs/six discs, 23 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers). This spooky series has lasted longer than anyone dreamed it would (including those involved in the show). This season chugs along with Dean (Jensen Ackles) turned into a demon, prompting his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) to step into the dark side to save him. (Season 11 begins on the CW Oct. 7.)
Brooklyn Nine Nine: Season Two (Universal/DVD/Digital, 2014-15, three discs, 23 episodes, deleted scenes). This is the second season of the filmed sitcom chronicling more off-the-wall antics with the eccentric cops at the title New York precinct, with former Saturday Night Live comic Andy Samberg leading the insanity. Co-stars include Andre Braugher and Terry Crews. (Season 3 begins on Fox Sept. 27.)
The Goldbergs: The Complete Second Season (Sony/DVD, 2014-15, three discs, 24 episodes, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers). This series is set in 1980s Pennsylvania, a boisterous blue-collar domestic sitcom about a family of five (with Jeff Garlin and Wendi McLendon-Covey as the parents), and her meddling father (George Segal). Patton Oswalt narrates as an adult version of the youngest child, who videotapes the familys interactions.
When Calls the Heart: Heart and Home (Shout!/DVD, 2015). This 84-minute extended episode is from Season 2 of the Hallmark Channel nostalgic series set in the early 20th-century Canadian frontier about a romance between a schoolteacher (Erin Krakow) and a Mountie (Daniel Lissing). Here, they rush into the city upon learning that her sister and his brother have been in an automobile accident.
Blackout (PBS/DVD, 2015). Hourlong PBS documentary about the 1977 New York power outage that left 7 million residents in the dark and led to looting and crime on a crisis level as it followed cutbacks in the police and fire departments. Adding to the citys anxiety were the recent murders by serial killer Son of Sam.
Families of Puerto Rico (Arden/DVD, 2009, two episodes). Two 15-minute profiles of children in Puerto Rico are a window for children ages 5-11 to another culture, with differences but also with universal challenges. Part of a large library of such films under the Families of the World label.
Thomas & Friends: Sodors Legend of the Lost Treasure (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, music videos, interactive puzzle). Legend of the Lost Treasure is a 63-minute feature with Thomas the Tank Engine and pals finding an old pirate ship that leads to the title treasure. Voice cast includes Eddie Redmayne and John Hurt.
LeapFrog Letter Factory Adventures: The Great Shape Mystery (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, three episodes, curriculum commentary, sing-alongs). More animated stories of the LeapFrog friends Leap, Lily and Tad designed to teach children ages 3-6 about shapes, fractions and measurements.
Blue Bloods: The Fifth Season (CBS/Paramount/DVD, 2014-15, six discs, 22 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, excerpts from The Talk, bloopers). Tom Selleck heads the cast in this excellent police procedural about a family of New York law enforcers.
Selleck is police commissioner Frank Reagan; Donnie Wahlberg is his son Danny, a detective; Will Estes is his younger son Jamie, a street cop; and Bridget Moynahan is his daughter Erin, an assistant district attorney. Typically there are three storylines per episode, including cases to crack, political machinations and soap-opera stories with family members, and in this fifth season the writing remains smart and witty.
The cast is first-rate, the tenor is remarkably warm for a police show and the family is comprised of faithful Catholics who attend church, invoke scripture and pray together over their weekly gathering for Sunday dinner, which makes this show unique all by itself. (Season 6 begins on CBS Sept. 25.)
The Hee Haw Collection (Time Life/DVD, 1969-73, three discs, five episodes, bonus skits, featurettes; four-page booklet). For the uninitiated, Hee Haw was a country response to Laugh-in, with blackout skits, musical numbers and the kind of politically incorrect jokes that wouldnt fly today, all with a rural slant. The show ran from 1969-92 on CBS and then in syndication, an amazing 25 seasons in all. And it has an undeniable sense of just kidding joy to it, which remains infectious.
True, it wont be mistaken for intellectual satire. In fact, Benny Hill would find it too broad. But some of the skits will make you chuckle, and Rowan & Martin, Buck Owens and Roy Clark are amiable, cheerful hosts, with seasoned regulars on hand like Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Junior Samples. And country-western fans will love seeing vintage performances by Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Donna Fargo, Charlie Rich, Dottie West and Hank Williams Jr., etc.
Haven: Season 5, Vol. 1 (eOne/Blu-ray/DVD, 2014, four discs, 13 episodes, audio commentary, featurettes). This crazy sci-fi series (loosely based on Stephen Kings novella The Colorado Kid) is about a coastal New England town where supernatural troubles are the order of the day. This season begins with Audrey (Emily Rose) seemingly out of the game after last seasons cliffhanger, while Nathan and Luke (Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour) must confront the malevolent Mara (Rose again), who claims responsibility for beginning the troubles centuries earlier. (The second half of Season 5 begins Oct. 8 on the Syfy Channel, closing out the now-canceled series.)
Supernatural: The Complete Tenth Season (Warner/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014-15, four discs/six discs, 23 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers). This spooky series has lasted longer than anyone dreamed it would (including those involved in the show). This season chugs along with Dean (Jensen Ackles) turned into a demon, prompting his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) to step into the dark side to save him. (Season 11 begins on the CW Oct. 7.)
Brooklyn Nine Nine: Season Two (Universal/DVD/Digital, 2014-15, three discs, 23 episodes, deleted scenes). This is the second season of the filmed sitcom chronicling more off-the-wall antics with the eccentric cops at the title New York precinct, with former Saturday Night Live comic Andy Samberg leading the insanity. Co-stars include Andre Braugher and Terry Crews. (Season 3 begins on Fox Sept. 27.)
The Goldbergs: The Complete Second Season (Sony/DVD, 2014-15, three discs, 24 episodes, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers). This series is set in 1980s Pennsylvania, a boisterous blue-collar domestic sitcom about a family of five (with Jeff Garlin and Wendi McLendon-Covey as the parents), and her meddling father (George Segal). Patton Oswalt narrates as an adult version of the youngest child, who videotapes the familys interactions.
When Calls the Heart: Heart and Home (Shout!/DVD, 2015). This 84-minute extended episode is from Season 2 of the Hallmark Channel nostalgic series set in the early 20th-century Canadian frontier about a romance between a schoolteacher (Erin Krakow) and a Mountie (Daniel Lissing). Here, they rush into the city upon learning that her sister and his brother have been in an automobile accident.
Blackout (PBS/DVD, 2015). Hourlong PBS documentary about the 1977 New York power outage that left 7 million residents in the dark and led to looting and crime on a crisis level as it followed cutbacks in the police and fire departments. Adding to the citys anxiety were the recent murders by serial killer Son of Sam.
Families of Puerto Rico (Arden/DVD, 2009, two episodes). Two 15-minute profiles of children in Puerto Rico are a window for children ages 5-11 to another culture, with differences but also with universal challenges. Part of a large library of such films under the Families of the World label.
Thomas & Friends: Sodors Legend of the Lost Treasure (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, music videos, interactive puzzle). Legend of the Lost Treasure is a 63-minute feature with Thomas the Tank Engine and pals finding an old pirate ship that leads to the title treasure. Voice cast includes Eddie Redmayne and John Hurt.
LeapFrog Letter Factory Adventures: The Great Shape Mystery (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, three episodes, curriculum commentary, sing-alongs). More animated stories of the LeapFrog friends Leap, Lily and Tad designed to teach children ages 3-6 about shapes, fractions and measurements.