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Get Smart - The Complete Series Gift Set

Actors: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt, Robert Karvelas
ASIN : B001E0O8DA
Sales Rank : 732
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929028504
UPC : 883929028504
Release Date : December 04, 2008
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video

Studio description

Maxwell Smart is back... And loving it! And so is Agent 99, The Chief, Fang and the rest of the fearless Get Smart gang. Here is the legendary, Emmy Award-winning spy-spoof series inspired by the comic genius of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, digitally resored, remastered and brought to you for the first time on DVD. Now it's easier than ever to out-smart the world's least secret...secret agent, in this cunningly funny 25-DVD collection, featuring all 138 original episodes of Get Smart! This Get Smart Giftset is a must-have collector's item!

The Universe - The Complete Season One (History Channel)

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Product Description

From the mysteries of our own solar system those that surround unexplored galaxies, history and science collide in this ambitious investigation of the Universe.

Questions about the Universe have consumed man since the dawn of time. In the 50 years since humans made their first tentative explorations of space, we have increased our knowledge of the cosmos dramatically, using powerful telescopes, robotic probes, and manned missions. But only recently has computer technology allowed scientists to illustrate in stunning detail their awe-inspiring conclusions. THE UNIVERSE, a groundbreaking series from THE HISTORY CHANNEL®, employs cutting-edge computer-generated imagery to bring distant planets and faraway stars up close, allowing viewers to gaze at black holes and comets, and witness the births and deaths of galaxies and solar systems.

This epic miniseries takes viewers on an exhilarating voyage through the cosmos. From the farthest reaches of distant galaxies back to the familiar face of our moon, THE UNIVERSE brings the mysteries of the heavens down to earth.

Amazon.com

The sky and outer space have fascinated man for centuries and the History Channel's series The Universe is the story of man's study of the cosmos from his earliest attempts to map and understand the heavens through modern day scientific studies, advances, and theories. A mix of historical footage, modern space imaging, and conceptual computer graphics presented in high-definition, the visual component of this production is absolutely breathtaking. Each of the 13 44-minute episodes begins with a general introduction of subjects ranging from the sun to individual planets, alien galaxies, the search for extra-terrestrial life, and scientific theories like the Big Bang. Each topic is then broken down into a series of segments that detail specific ideas, theories, or components integral to the understanding of the main topic as well as historical material, current studies and theories, and projections of potential future events and scientific advances. The 90-minute "Beyond the Big Bang" feature relates "the story of everything"--from the universe's formation following the "Big Bang" to its eventual projected demise from unchecked expansion dubbed the "Big Rip." Leading experts from universities and scientific institutions around the world do a great job of taking very complex subjects like galaxies with spiral density arms and relating them to easily graspable concepts like a city with a downtown core surrounded by suburbs and plagued by freeway traffic jams. Amazing photographs from the Hubble space telescope, infrared views from the Spitzer space telescope, and x-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory augment understanding as do demonstrations of modern science's ability to simulate historical events like the formation of earth and to project future cosmic events. The Universe is a fascinating and understandable study of space that speaks to viewers ranging from the generally curious to the serious student of cosmology. --Tami Horiuchi

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Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season

Actors: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria Parker, Ricardo Chavira
ASIN : B0018CWEYO
Sales Rank : 476
Brand : Buena Vista Home Video
Studio : Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0786936754155
UPC : 786936754155
Release Date : December 02, 2008
Publisher : Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Running Time : 721

Product Description

UPC786936754155
DESCRIPTION: A truly contemporary take on happily ever after, Desperate Housewives takes a darkly comedic look at suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren t always what they seem. END

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In the fourth season of Desperate Housewives, the ladies of Wisteria Lane are back--all the ladies, as the previous season's cliffhanger turned out to be a red herring. Both Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Gabriella (Eva Longoria Parker) are facing difficulties in their new marriages: Mike (James Denton) turns to drugs to keep up with his work schedule, and politician Victor (John Slattery) seems less exciting than former husband Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), who is still attached to Edie (Nicollette Sheridan). Bree (Marcia Cross) and Orson (Kyle McLachlan) are still faking a pregnancy to cover for Danielle (Joy Lauren), and Lynnette (Felicity Huffman) is fighting both cancer and Tom's (Doug Savant) devilspawn daughter (Rachel G. Fox) while their pizzeria gets a new rival. Adding the new wrinkle to the season were two veteran TV actors, Dana Delany (China Beach) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Katherine Mayfair and her new husband Adam. Katherine lived on Wisteria Lane years ago, but daughter Dylan (Lyndsy Fonseca) seems to have no memory of that past, or of her then-best friend, Julie (Andrea Bowen). And what roles will be played by shadows from Katherine's and Adam's past (Gary Cole and Melora Walters)? Delany and Fillion were great additions--Katherine begins a homemaking rivalry with Bree, and Adam's deadpan gynecologist is a gem. But the centerpiece of the season (and which coincided almost exactly with the series' hiatus due to the 2007-2008 writers' strike, which trimmed the season to 17 episodes) is a cataclysmic tornado that wreaks havoc on both the houses and the people of the neighborhood. The season concludes in a number of showdowns, then a surprising conclusion that promised an intriguing new angle for season 5. With Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McCluskey, Kevin Rahm and Tuc Watkins as Wisteria Lane's first same-sex couple, and Justine Bateman as the Solizs' roomer with a secret. DVD features include deleted scenes, creator Marc Cherry's favorite moments, and a 26-minute look at the making of the tornado episode. Bonus points for a DVD insert that presents Wisteria Lane as one of Edie's real-estate brochures. --David Horiuchi

Stills from Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season (Click for larger image)

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The West Wing - The Complete Sixth Season

Actors: Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford
ASIN : B000EGEJI4
Sales Rank : 1214
Director : Tommy Schlamme, Chris Misiano
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0012569704176
UPC : 012569704176
Release Date : December 09, 2006
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 949

Description

During Season Six, the presidential race is on, with Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) as the Republican frontrunner and a Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) vying for the hotly contested Democratic presidential nomination.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Documentary
Featurette
Interviews

Amazon.com

With the ghost of creator Aaron Sorkin fully expunged from the spotlit soundstage maze representing that most busy portion of the White House, the sixth season of The West Wing is less a return to form than it is a remaking of the things that were best about the show in the first place. There's C.J. and Josh throwing high-speed dialogue at each other; there's the tension and personality arc as characters are back in step with their original realization; there's the overarching story that runs throughout the 22 episodes along with the self-contained mini-dramas within each one; there are the new people who bind themselves to plots that are alternately tidy and messy, just like real life. The taking-stock the show's creative minds clearly did after a roundly drubbed season five had a lot of help from the necessity of thinking ahead to a new crop of faces and places as the Bartlett administration starts winding down its second term. Some of the plot points may be a little hard to swallow: Would C.J. really deserve to take over the Chief of Staff position? Would Josh really walk away from his dream job to pursue the seeming nightmare of running a presidential campaign for not-a-chance-in-hell Rep. Santos (Jimmy Smits)? Thankfully the answer turns out to be yes in these fully crafted episodes, even as they still sometimes ring with the people-don't-really-talk-that-way banter that makes up most of the conversation in the Oval Office or hallways of the elaborate set.

Jimmy Smits isn't the only welcome new regular face in season six. Alan Alda grandly returns to the medium that made him with effortless authority playing Republican senator and front-running aspirant to the West Wing's throne, Arnold Vinick. From his modest introduction, to the nuances of personality that slip through over the course of the season, Vinick is definitely one of the people we want to see more of. Adding her own personal flair and tweaking the subtleties of the scripts is Lily Tomlin as President Jed's protective secretary. Gary Cole plays smarmy and vapid with elan as the Vice President who believes he's heir apparent, and disgraced ex-VP Tim Matheson returns from the political graveyard, unbelievably believing he has a chance to win his party's nomination. The politics are still integral to the drama, with fiery President Martin Sheen refusing to go gentle into that good night of professional or personal shadows. The late, great John Spencer also brings poignancy to his last days as ex-Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, scenes made all the more touching by the actor's death in 2005. As with its best early seasons, The West Wing again proves that strong writing, top-flite production design, and authoritative acting always covers flashes of skepticism and makes great TV.--Ted Fry

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The Muppet Show - Season One (Special Edition)

Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Eren Ozker
ASIN : B0009ULBGS
Sales Rank : 1085
Director : Philip Casson, Peter Harris
Studio : Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Restored, Special Edition, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780788859496
ISBN : 0788859498
UPC : 786936285833
Release Date : December 09, 2005
Publisher : Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
Manufacturer : Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
Running Time : 604

Description

It's time to raise the curtain on THE MUPPET SHOW! Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef and more, in the complete first season of this groundbreaking twist on the classic Variety Show. Included are all 24 episodes, completely restored and remastered, plus two never-before-seen episodes, bonus features, and something you were never meant to see: Jim Henson's original "pitch reel" that propelled the Muppets' blend of original songs, sketch comedy and guest stars into a primetime hit for all ages! Come discover for yourself the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational pleasures of THE MUPPET SHOW: SEASON ONE!

Amazon.com

The charm, the zaniness, the corny jokes, the showbiz cliches--every element of The Muppet Show holds up 30 years after Jim Henson's legendary variety series' debut season. Well, perhaps not everything: Today's younger viewers might have a hard time placing some of The Muppet Show's then-guest stars, such as Florence Henderson or Ruth Buzzi. But then, the Show's real celebrities are perennial icons Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the... whatever, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and the rest of the Muppets' harried, well-meaning family of entertainers. Season One finds the show pretty much in the basic shape longtime fans will remember: A musical introduction followed by backstage chaos, another musical number, a sketch, a scene with the guest star, and so on. A half-hour episode can fly by pretty quickly, but it's interesting to note that the series hadn't quite found its familiar tone through much of the first year. A reliance on too many disposable verbal jokes and redundant, so-so material for sketch fodder ultimately gives way to more creative premises and the development of key relationships between characters. By the final half-dozen episodes in the first season, The Muppet Show is truly cooking. Season highlights include Kermit's confession to guest Juliet Prowse that he always wanted to be a dancer, and Prowse's comparison of the little green superstar to Robert Redford. Joel Grey does a cabaret-style act for a roomful of Muppets and is later outraged when Kermit's introduction of the actor proves so thorough there is nothing left for the latter to say. Rita Moreno proves quite game in a funny piece, set in a French cafe, in which her dance with a man-size Muppet turns from romantic to table-smashing violent. Harvey Korman plays bumbling ringmaster Maurice the Magnificent, easily the worst animal trainer in history. Phyllis Diller bats out shameless one-liners ("I sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' and it fell on me"), and Vincent Price toys with his own horror film image by playing a ghoul who turns into a maudlin orchestra conductor at midnight. --Tom Keogh

Stills from The Muppet Show (click for larger image)

The divine Miss Piggy
Kermit and Miss Piggy
Fozzie Bear and Kermit

Sing along!
Everyone's a critic

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The Muppet Show - The Complete Third Season

Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire
ASIN : B0013527I4
Sales Rank : 1205
Director : Philip Casson
Brand : Buena Vista Home Video
Studio : WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0786936755831
UPC : 786936755831
Release Date : December 20, 2008
Publisher : WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Manufacturer : WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Running Time : 612

Product Description

Wocka! Wocka! Wocka! The innovative variety show s sensational third season earned television s prestigious Peabody Award as well as an Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program. Featuring a sensational lineup of hilarious guest stars including Sylvester Stallone, Gilda Radner, Raquel Welch and Liberace Season Three is loaded with more Muppetational moments than any show in primetime history. Experience all 24 episodes from Season Three digitally re-mastered and restored in this special 4-disc DVD set. With hours of bonus features, including an all-new behind the scenes documentary, original Muppet commercials and much more, The Muppet Show: The Complete Third Season is unbeatable entertainment for the whole family.

Amazon.com

An iconic variety show that ran from 1976 to 1981, The Muppet Show was a masterpiece of puppetry and slapstick humor as well as a showcase for the best musical and comic talent of its day. Season three ran 1978-1979 and featured 26 famous guest stars, including Roy Clark, Pearl Bailey, Jean Stapleton, Harry Belefonte, Danny Kaye, Cheryl Ladd, Raquel Welch, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Sylvester Stallone. Some of the most unique episodes of the season were the Lynn Redgrave show, in which she and all the Muppets used the entire show to re-enact the story of Robin Hood; the Loretta Lynn episode, which was ostensibly filmed at the railroad station when the theater was being fumigated; and the visual effects-laden Alice Cooper episode. Other notable moments include Liberace's performances of everything from a Chopin Nocturne to a Boogie Woogie piece, Gilda Radner's amusing musical rendition from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Carrots of Penzance" (or was that "Parrots of Penzance," or "Pirates of Penzance?"), and Danny Kaye's appearance as the Swedish Chef's uncle. Naturally, the season features all your favorite Muppet characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Rowlf, Crazy Harry, Beaker, and Animal as well as the beloved skits Muppet Labs, Pigs in Space, Swedish Chef, Veterinarian's Hospital, and Muppet Newsflash. Truly timeless entertainment for all ages, this third season of The Muppet Show is just as adept at bringing back memories as it is making new ones. --Tami Horiuchi

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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season

Actors: Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox
ASIN : B001CQONKY
Sales Rank : 439
Brand : CSI:CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION:8TH SEASON (DVD
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097368924345
UPC : 097368924345
Release Date : December 14, 2008
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount
Running Time : 720

Product Description

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a fast-paced drama about a passionate team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes the old-fashioned way by examining the evidence. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is on the case 24-7 scouring the scene collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery.System Requirements:Running Time: 733 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097368924345 Manufacturer No: 892434

Amazon.com

The eighth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation begins with the answer to the previous season's cliffhanger: Yes, CSI Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) survives. But fans of this top-rated crime procedural won't be able to breathe a sigh of relief. By the end of the 17 episodes--which originally aired during the 2007-2008 television season--two fan favorites will be gone. This year, CSI explores the complicated romance between Sara and head CSI Gil Grissom (William Petersen). But the storyline is weaved in so well with the gruesome cases that their relationship is never overpowering to the viewer. Though the show was truncated due to the Writers Guild strike, the flow of the series doesn't lose any momentum--not even with the loss of cast members or even episodes that center on peripheral supporting characters. Fellow CSIs Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nick Stokes (George Eads), and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) return to help solve seemingly unsolvable cases. But not all of the best moments involve whodunits. Some of the most compelling vignettes revolve around Warrick, who is battling a nasty prescription drug addiction as he tries to navigate his way through a messy divorce. Longtime fans of the series may remember child genius Hannah West (portrayed chillingly by Juliette Goglia), who helped get her brother acquitted of a murder charge in season six. She is back after her brother is once again charged with homicide. Sara--who had wrongfully believed that Hannah was just an innocent little girl--finds herself unable to distance herself from this case. There is a crossover ratings stunt episode with Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) visiting from CBS' other drama Without a Trace. While both LaPaglia and Petersen are formidable, there really isn't room for both of them on one show. And let's face it, Petersen's our guy. --Jae-Ha Kim

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Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete First and Second Seasons

Actors: Don Messick, Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Frank Welker, Stefanianna Christopherson
ASIN : B0001CNQVM
Sales Rank : 1374
Director : Howard Swift, Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Turner Home Ent
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781560398479
ISBN : 1560398477
UPC : 014764233321
Release Date : December 16, 2004
Publisher : Turner Home Ent
Manufacturer : Turner Home Ent
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Turner Home Ent
Running Time : 549

Description

The whodunit format was a daring new frontier for an animated series, but the members of the Mystery Inc. team have grown to become authentic popular-culture icons. To solve their newest mystery - finding the most awesome Scooby-Doo DVD ever, with 25 vintage episodes and snackin? good extras on 4 discs - you need only follow this simple clue: you?re holding it!

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Chuck Jones and other great studio animators sneered at the cheap look and lazy craftsmanship of Hanna Barbera's television cartoons in the 1960s, but there's no question HB's original, 35-year-old Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is enduringly beloved. The Complete First and Second Seasons includes all 25 stories first broadcast from September '69 to October '71, a growth period in which canine hero Scooby's voice (by Don Messick, who also voiced The Jetsons's pup, Astro) was gradually refined from murky garble to Scoob's more familiar, "Rrroowwrr"-inflected, human-like speech. This set also represents the pre-frills Scooby-Doo: no guest appearances by Don Knotts or Batman, no Scrappy-Doo--just adventure and occasional bubblegum pop tunes by Danny Janssen and sundry co-writers (e.g., "Pretty Mary Sunlite" in the episode "Don't Fool with a Phantom").

Watching all the shows back-to-back reveals evolving complexity in the scripts. Over time, Scooby-Doo's creators added multiple bad guys in cahoots with major villains, and developed sub-plots, backstories, and even appealing allies and friends of Mystery, Inc., a traveling band of young debunkers of supernatural phenomena. Riding around in their psychedelic Mystery Van, preppie leader Fred and his friends--haughty Daphne, brainy Velma, quasi-hippie Shaggy, and Shaggy's best pal, Scooby, an excitable Great Dane--chase down and are chased by alleged ghouls who generally turn out to be venal humans running various scams.

Included here is Scooby-Doo's premiere, "What a Night for a Knight," in which the gang looks into the disappearance of a noted archaeologist and end up in a "haunted" museum. The fun "Go Away Ghost Ship" finds our heroes helping a shipping company daunted by the apparent ghost of pirate Red Beard, while the silly classic "A Tiki Scare Is No Fair" concerns a Hawaiian vacation for Mystery, Inc. disrupted by a witch doctor. --Tom Keogh

Price: $49.98

Boston Legal - Season One

Actors: William Shatner, James Spader, Candice Bergen, Mark Valley, Rene Auberjonois
ASIN : B000EHSVBE
Sales Rank : 1736
Director : Allison Liddi, Arlene Sanford, Bill D'Elia, Charles Haid, Daniel Attias
Brand : Twentieth Century Fox
Studio : 20th Century Fox
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0024543241133
UPC : 024543241133
Release Date : December 23, 2006
Publisher : 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer : 20th Century Fox
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : 20th Century Fox
Running Time : 739

Description

Led by an Emmy Award-winning cast (James Spader, Denny Crane and Candice Bergen), "Boston Legal" tells the professional and personal stories of a group of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys. Fast-paced and darkly comedic, the series confronts social and moral issues, while its characters continually stretch the boundaries of the law.

Amazon.com

The classic combination of James Spader and William Shatner is just one of many reasons to savor the inaugural 17-episode season of Boston Legal. Making its highly rated ABC debut on October 3, 2004, this darkly comedic spinoff from The Practice looked like a formulaic reworking of creator David E. Kelley's previously successful series Ally McBeal, with similar plots and quirky characters enmeshed in personal and professional affairs of the heart at the prestigious Boston law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. It quickly became apparent that Kelley, co-executive producer Bill D'Elia, and the show's magnificent ensemble cast were onto something equally fresh, funny, and infectiously entertaining.

Red Carpet Video: The Boston Legal
cast gives Amazon.com some behind-the-scenes scoop
and recommends their favorite DVDs and music.
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Both Shatner and Spader won Emmys for their original roles on The Practice, and the priceless pairing of the erratic, egomaniacal senior partner Denny Crane (Shatner, doing the best work of his career) and ethically challenged attorney Alan Shore (Spader, likewise) signaled the arrival of one of the finest comedic duos in TV history. Waging a two-man war on political correctness, the boisterous has-been Denny loves the sound of his own name (the mere mention of "Denny Crane" qualifies as ego-stroking foreplay), unabashedly subjects female associates to his lascivious advances, and (in creator Kelley's words) "trades on the currency of his reputation" as an undefeated trial attorney. As the show's fascinating heart and soul, Alan Shore is a walking contradiction, and Spader plays him perfectly as a charismatic, self-loathing lothario who'll bend the law to suit his higher purposes. Deeply cynical yet fiercely committed to his own complex and compassionate moral code, he's brazenly open about his sexual appetites as he savors the affections of smart, sexy associates Sally Heep (Lake Bell), and Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra), whose relationship with Shore grows strained as the season progresses.

While senior partner Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois), senior associate and ex-Marine Brad Chase (Mark Valley), and junior associate Lori Colson (Monica Potter) struggle to maintain the firm's lofty reputation, the appearance of founding partner Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) elevates Boston Legal to an even higher plane of serio-comic perfection. A former flame of Denny Crane's, Schmidt arrives in episode 11 (appropriately titled "Schmidt Happens") as common-sense negotiator with a rapier wit and a clanking pair of big brass cojones, fully capable of holding her own against the Crane/Shore juggernaut. And while "An Eye for an Eye" (episode 5) is a sublime example of Boston Legal's deft combination of lunacy and courtroom complexity, it's the deeper implications of episodes like "Tortured Souls" (15) and season finale "Death Be Not Proud" (tackling a dubious death sentence in Texas) that cast these rich and wonderful characters into sharper relief, baring their souls and the courage of their convictions.

With surprising departures (Lake Bell, in episode 13), new arrivals (Kerry Washington, as new associate Chelina Hall, in episode 15) and stellar guest stars including Larry Miller (as the eccentrically unstable founding partner Edwin Poole), Philip Baker Hall, Frances Fisher, Carl Reiner, Freddie Prinze Jr., Shelley Long, and late-season regular Betty White, Boston Legal gained a large and loyal following with exceptional writing, timely social relevance, and that rare quality of chemistry that guarantees long-term appeal. Nowhere is this more apparent than the now-famous Spader/Shatner "balcony scenes" that quickly became an episode-closing tradition, with staunch Republican Denny Crane and passionate Democrat Alan Shore reflecting upon their careers, current issues, and their own devoted friendship over brandy and cigars. With these two actors together, virtually every episode ends on a high note of pensive introspection, and Boston Legal becomes even greater than the sum of its parts. DVD extras are minimal (two featurettes with cast and producers, plus deleted scenes from episode 1) but enjoyably worthwhile. --Jeff Shannon

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Get Smart - The Complete Series Gift Set

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The Universe - The Complete Season One (History Channel)

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Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season

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The West Wing - The Complete Sixth Season

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The Muppet Show - Season One (Special Edition)

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The Muppet Show - The Complete Third Season

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Vol. 6

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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season

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Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete First and Second Seasons

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Boston Legal - Season One

Description

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