Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
“Ellery Queen Mysteries” $53.99 in 2010 and $53.98 in September, just plummeted to $26.99!!
New This Week
Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection ($62.44) offers the original 1978-79 “Battlestar Galactica” and “Galactica 1980” in HD, resized (with some top and bottom imagery excised) for modern widescreen sets.
Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection ($84.37) gives you the option of watching the original 1978-79 “Battlestar Galactica” and “Galactica 1980” in their boxey (pardon the pun) original aspect ratio or resized (with some top and bottom imagery excised) for modern widescreen sets. All in HD. This edition also contains three hours of deleted scenes and featurettes on “Galactica” mastermind Glen Larson, series composer Stu Phillips, and more.
“Murder In The First” means the same thing as “Murder One,” which was the name of Steven Bochco’s 1995 ABC series that also followed a single case over the course of a season. “Murder One,” inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder trial, put the emphasis on defense attorneys, while Bochco’s new 10-episode TNT series “Murder in the First” gives the investigating cops more screen time.
As with “Murder One,” the main murder suspect is a wealthy man, this time a tech genius who may have some dark secrets.
“First” stars Kathleen Robertson (“Boss”), Taye Diggs (“Private Practice”), James Cromwell (“Boardwalk Empire”), Steven Weber and Tom Felton (the unpleasant Draco Malfoy from the “Harry Potter” pictures).
Bochco is actually an “executive producer” on the series, which could mean anything. The series’ actual creator is a fellow named Eric Lodal, an opera singer/political staffer who does not seem to have a background writing for the screen.
“Murder One” is one of my favorite series of all time. The critics weigh in on the new series thusly:
... pretty good … The character beats with the heroes are as familiar as the show's ensemble, but the leads do some interesting things with them. Robertson in particular comes across as more genuinely damaged than the archetype requires, so the various scenes of her going on bad dates don't feel like filler, but like the build-up for an explosion.
... while this new show is not as innovative as its predecessor, it is, in its own way, similarly well paced and compelling. …
... a masterfully paced balance of tricky whodunit and character development…
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... The show is generally well written, expertly directed (Thomas Schlamme of "West Wing" directs the pilot) and most of the performances are solid. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... The premiere episode of “Murder in the First” is somewhat dull, particularly anytime the plot strays from the case to the home lives of the detectives. Viewers just haven’t spent enough time with either one this early in the show’s run to care about these characters. Their predicaments, while sometime sad, seem like the same trials and tribulations viewers have seen TV characters endure before. …
... has low ambitions and satisfies them easily. … There’s nothing wrong with whipping up some comfort food, of course, but “Murder” might leave you hungry for something more challenging an hour later.
... The characters may be shallow, but that doesn’t keep the show from giving the easy pleasures of reading a quickie mystery novel. And a few of the actors are entertaining despite the limitations of the script, notably Felton, who steals his scenes with the anarchic brattiness of King Joffrey from “Game of Thrones.” …
... Stripped of those contextual concerns, the previewed hours establish the series as crisp and watchable, while perhaps shrewdly shifting and expanding the earlier show’s lens from defense attorneys to the detectives assigned the case. …
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
Astro Boy: The Complete Series
Beetleborgs Metallix 2.x Vol. 2
Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets
Broadchurch 2.x
Bron/Broen 2.x
Cheers: The Complete Series ($75.18)
Dalziel & Pascoe 11.x
Dancing On The Edge (Blu-ray)
DCI Banks 3.x
Death In Paradise 3.x
Father Brown 2.x
Femme Fatales: The Complete Series
Foyle's War Vol. 8
The Fugitive: The Complete Series ($67.99)
Halt and Catch Fire 1.x
Halt and Catch Fire 1.x (Blu-ray)
Jamaica Inn: The Complete Miniseries
Johnny Test 5.x
Law & Order 18.x
Law & Order 19.x
Law & Order 20.x
Masters of Sex 2.x
Masters of Sex 2.x (Blu-ray)
Nickelodeon Games
Parenthood 6.x
Parenthood: The Complete Series
Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Surfs Up Scooby-Doo!
Scott and Bailey 3.x
Mr. Selfridge 3.x
Mr. Selfridge 3.x (Blu-ray)
White Collar 6.x
White Collar: The Complete Series
May 12
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (Blu-ray)
Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection (Blu-ray)
Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection (Blu-ray)
The Colbys: The Complete Series
Dallas: The Complete 2012-2014 Series
Midnight Special: 18 Performances
Revolution: The Complete Series
Science Fiction Theater: The Complete Series
Southland: The Complete Series
Walker Texas Ranger: The Complete Collection
The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series
Next Week
American Dad Vol. 10
Amish Mafia 3.x
Bar Rescue: Toughest Rescues
Beauty and the Beast 2.x
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Series
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Call The Midwife 4.x
Call The Midwife 4.x (Blu-ray)
Cops: Wildest Chases
CPO Sharkey 1.x
Doctor Who: The Cybermen
Duck Dynasty 7.x
Glee 6.x
Glee: The Complete Series
The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series
Married With Children 9.x/10.x ($14.98)
Midsomer Murders 14.x
Midsomer Murders 15.x
NewsRadio: The Complete Series
Orange Is The New Black 2.x
Orange Is The New Black 2.x (Blu-ray)
Rogue 2.x
Welcome To Sweden 1.x
May 26
Curious George 1.x
Gator Boys 4.x
Gold Rush 4.x
Hello Ladies: The Complete Series and Movie
Hill Street Blues 5.x
Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces
Major Crimes 3.x
Murdoch Mysteries: The Movies
The Nanny: The Complete Series
Ray Donovan 2.x
The Rockford Files: Movie Collection Vol. 2
The Rockford Files: The Complete Series
The Saint: The Complete Series
Sons of Liberty: The Complete Miniseries
Welcome Back, Kotter 3.x
When Calls The Heart: Trials Of The Heart
Wonder Years 3.x
June 2
Beetle Bailey: 65th Anniversary Collector's Edition
Bonanza 8.x
Falling Skies 4.x
Falling Skies 4.x (Blu-ray)
Justified 6.x
The Last Of The Summer Wine 2004
Miss Marple Vol. 3
Miss Marple Vol. 3 (Blu-ray)
Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series
A Place To Call Home 2.x
Pretty Little Liars 5.x
Rectify 2.x
Rizzoli & Isles 5.x
The Strain 1.x Premium (Blu-ray)
Soap: The Complete Series
Tom and Jerry Gene Deitch Collection
Top Gear 22.x
Turbo Fast 1.x
The Wire: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
June 9
The Abbott & Costello Show: The Ultimate Collection
The Forsyte Saga: The Complete Miniseries
Gunslingers 1.x
The Last Ship 1.x
Laverne & Shirley: The Complete Series
The Odd Couple: The Complete Series
Power Rangers Super Megaforce 2.x Vol. 4
Tatau: The Complete Miniseries
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: NYC Showdown
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Search for Splinter
Teen Wolf 4.x
Thunderbirds: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Transporter 2.x
June 16
The Adventures Of Robin Hood: 39 Episodes
The Bold Ones: The Senator: The Complete Series
The Cosby Show 7.x/8.x
Country Bucks 1.x
Littlest Pet Shop: Paws For Applause
Lovejoy 6.x
Lovejoy: The Complete Collection
The L Word: The Complete Series
Maison Close 2.x
Maison Close 2.x (Blu-ray)
The Newsroom 3.x
The Newsroom 3.x (Blu-ray)
Ozzie & Harriet: Favorite Memories
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series
Television Legends Johnny Carson, Jack Benny & Milton Berle
Two and a Half Men: The Complete Series NEW!!
June 23
The Campbells: The Complete Series
Graceland 2.x
Ripper Street 3.x
Ripper Street 3.x (Blu-ray)
Workaholics 5.x
Workaholics 5.x (Blu-ray)
Young Hercules: The Complete Series
June 30
The Donna Reed Show 3.x
Gangland Undercover 1.x
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Cutie Mark Quests
New Worlds: The Complete Miniseries
A Place To Call Home 2.x
Reading Rainbow: Animal Cafe
Strike Back Cinemax 3.x
July 7
Archie Bunker's Place 1.x
Barney Miller 8.x
Bitten 2.x NEW!!
House of Cards 3.x (Blu-ray) NEW!!
The Jinx: The Complete Series
The Jinx: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Married With Children 11.x NEW!!
Married With Children: The Complete Series NEW!!
Playing House 1.x
The Witches Of East End 2.x
July 14
Adventure Time 5.x
Adventure Time 5.x (Blu-ray)
The Crimsom Field: The Complete Miniseries
Doctor Who: The Daleks
I Love Lucy 2.x (Blu-ray)
Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell 1.x NEW!!
July 21
Looking 2.x
Robot Chicken 7.x
July 28
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXXIII
August 4
America's Test Kitchen 15.x
Last Tango In Halifax 3.x
Sgt. Bilko 3.x NEW!!
When Calls The Heart: Heart Of The Family NEW!!
August 11
The Jeffersons 8.x NEW!!
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
Maude 2.x NEW!!
August 18
Atlantis 2.x Vol. 2 (Blu-ray) NEW!!
Mike & Molly 5.x NEW!!
The Rebel: The Complete Series NEW!!
Welcome Back, Kotter 4.x NEW!!
August 25
The Walking Dead 5.x
The Walking Dead 5.x (Blu-ray)
September 8
Empire 1.x
September 15
The Knick 1.x (Blu-ray)
September 22
Cristela 1.x
Modern Family 6.x
October 6
Brickleberry 3.x
Person Of Interest 4.x NEW!!
Person Of Interest 4.x (Blu-ray) NEW!!
Vikings 3.x
The Prequel To GAME OF THRONES!! $21.78 Hardback!! $11.99 Kindle!!