Da Ali G Show: Da Compleet Seereez [$49.98]

While he’s currently collecting residuals — and the occasional lawsuit — for his intensely popular turn as the bumbling Borat, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen first came to the notice of many Americans through this short-lived cable series. A long-standing star in his native UK, Cohen created three memorably misguided characters — hip-hop poseur Ali G, gay fashionista Bruno, and the aforementioned Kazakhstan reporter — to ambush the celebrated into exposing their foibles. For many, this is the format where the talented trickster truly succeeds. Stripped of cinema’s necessary narrative, Cohen is liberated, able to freely satirize any and every thing. While HBO must be unhappy for ending this series before his recent box office bonanza, this DVD set proves they were on the frontlines of Cohen’s conquering of comedy.