The brooding apocalyptic teenager, the flouncing, flower-tossing nature lover, the novice scientist with quizzically furrowed brow all have this in common: they will love, if they do not already love, the History Channel’s stellar series, The Universe, seasons one through three, and they will simply devour this box set which includes those shows plus feature-length Beyond the Big Bang. “We’re all gonna die, anyway” pessimists and “Isn’t life glorious?” optimists can share the couch and the popcorn bowl on this one. Simultaneously terrifying and inspiring, touching every nerve that inspires human storytelling past and present, and sparking our imaginations about the future, I’m thinking the only kind of person who would not find fascination in this series might be unconscious, and I wish them a speedy recovery.

AMAZON

—Karen Zarker

Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered

(BBC; US DVD: 20 Oct 2009; UK DVD: 19 Oct 2009)

 Amazon

After re-watching the entirety of the ‘70s BBC comedy Fawlty Towers on the new Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered DVD box set, it becomes clear that iconic characters like George Castanza, Leslie Knope and David Brent (or Michael Scott) would never have existed if it were not for another abrasive, hopelessly un-self-aware oddball: Basil Fawlty. Basil, as played by Monty Python’s Flying Circus alumni John Cleese, is one of the most awkward characters in the history of television. And one of the funniest.

Having all the episodes collected together may remind the buyer that it was probably a good idea to end the show when it did, (a marathon-viewing-session pretty quickly reveals that the show’s formula only allows it to go in so many directions before it starts repeating itself) but the ability to watch classic episodes like “The Germans” or “Basil the Rat” whenever one feels like it is a prize well-worth the cost of purchase. The DVD collection also comes with a long list of bonus features, ranging from interviews with the surviving cast and crew to a documentary about the Gleneagles Hotel and it’s manager, Donald Sinclair, who inspired the character of Basil. Even better, every single episode comes with newly recorded commentary tracks from both the directors and Cleese himself.

Cleese’s narration is especially interesting, as he is not afraid to point out the aspects he is particularly proud of, while relentlessly nit-picking the parts he wishes he could change. He also waxes rhapsodic about the cast and crew, praising Booth for what he feels are her unrecognized contributions to the show as a writer and vocally admiring the physical attributes of the many female guest stars. Overall, he’s pretty pleased with what he and Fawlty Towers accomplished, as well he should be.

AMAZON

—Alistair Dickinson

This is my pick for the finest DVD collection of the year. American Experience’s biographies of U.S. presidents are engrossing, definitive, illuminating and often surprising. You’ll learn more history in the shortest period of time by watching these shows than virtually anything else you can do. It’s the perfect gift for both the history buff and the political junkie, as well as for those who want to better understand the American present and how it has developed. That didn’t mean to sound stuffy either. These documentaries are seriously addicting, filled with stories that grab you more than the latest prime time soap, while being healthy brain food at the same time.

AMAZON

—Sarah Zupko

“How do you like your murder? Well done, served with proper silverware and linen? Or rather on the rare side, and you’ll use the tail of your shirt to wipe your mouth? Depends upon your mood, does it?  Well then, for the evening you’re inclined toward a sip of the sherry, partake of any of the 19 discs of polite, proper mysteries adapted from the novels of Caroline Graham, enjoy sips of “evil lurking beyond the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer”, but be careful, lest you get rattled and spill. We’re not that polite, here.  Rather perverse at times, in fact.

Fans of Law & Order will sink their teeth into the equally gritty Trial & Retribution: Set 1 (perhaps best washed down with a throat-searing scotch). They’ll already know Prime Suspect (same creator, similar gritty approach), and crave the depravity, moral ambiguity, and simply very bad, anti-social behavior on display from crime to conviction, here. It’s all rather lip-smacking, delicious stuff.”

Trial and Retribution Set 1

Midsomer Murders - The Early Cases Collection

—Karen Zarker

In a league of his own, the most popular of the blood hounds is inarguably the petit Belgian brainbox Hercule Poirot, master sleuth of Agatha Christie’s sophisticated and ingeniously plotted whodunit novels; and the only fictional character ever to have been granted an obituary on the front cover of The New York Times. He is generally pitted against a superior class of criminal which at least has the decency to provide a bit of a challenge.  So, to, will this box set provide a bit of a challenge—and a measure of satisfaction—for the one in your life who is obsessed with fictional renditions of murder most foul.

AMAZON

—Emma Simmonds

It would be easy to overpraise this show simply because of its readily-embraceable quality by the fanboy niche, but Spaced isn’t defined by its overstuffed pop-culture references: it’s ultimately defined by its lovable characters and its genuine, witty humor. Even at 14 episodes, it proves to be delightfully rewatchable, a cultural touchstone for a slacker generation that may or may not even know it exists. It knows no demographics: it only knows how to entertain, and, really, what more could you want out of a sitcom?

AMAZON

—Evan Sawdey