So many people I admire – J.J. Abrams, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Christopher Guest among them – so revere “Extras” mastermind Ricky Gervais I feel kinda like an idiot for not having the chromosome for finding him hilarious. Mind you, I’ve somehow managed to catch only one episode of Gervais’ BBC version of “The Office,” so that could have a lot to do with it. (I’m much keener to check it out now, since I’ve grown into such a fan of the NBC version.)
I did watch all six episodes of the first season of “Extras,” a BBC/HBO sitcom about struggling actors trying to eke out a living in the margins of British showbiz, and I don’t recall laughing much at it.
For the record, if you like the way the series uses real celebrities to play exaggerated versions of themselves, I strongly recommend looking at an older HBO project, “The Larry Sanders Show,” which handled similar material with what I guage to be greater aplomb. (In point of fact, “Extras” marks at least the third time Ben Stiller has played himself in an HBO showbiz sitcom, following similar turns in “Sanders” and Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”)
Guest stars in the first six episodes include Stiller, Vinnie Jones, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart. Guest stars I really didn’t know were celebrities included Ross Kemp, Francesca Martinez and Les Dennis. Extras on the the $20.99 “Extras” set includes deleted scenes, outtakes, and two featurettes: “Finding Leo” and “The Difficult Second Album: Behind the Scenes of Extras."
I’m not certain why the box says MI-5 Volume 4, since it actually contains season four (or “series four” back in the U.K.) of the series.
No matter. Volume four contains the season that began with a terrorist bombing of central London – aired only two months after central London really was bombed by terrorists on July 7, 2005. It was also the first season to make do without the series’ original core trio of Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes and David Oyelowo.
At $55.99 for just 10 episodes , you’d think MI-5 Volume 4 would be the costliest show, per minute, of this week’s arrivals.
But the spy-drama set is in a virtual tie with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Vol. 5, which offers four half-hour episodes for $11.19.
Compare to SpongeBob SquarePants Season Four Vol. 2, which offers 20 half-hours for just $27.69.
The “MI-5” set may have the best extras among this week’s four newbies, with feature commentary on every episode, a doc on the fourth season, and interviews with series producer Andrew Woodland and director Julian Simpson. The SpongeBob set offers "Best Day Ever" shorts, a "Best Day Ever" Karaoke Music Video, and a behind-the-scenes peek with Pick Boy and the title character. The Scooby set appears to be extra-free.
A little addendum to last week’s report on The Venture Bros.: The Complete Second Season, which hits shelves April 17. If you like the cover art (as do most right-thinking Americans), you’ll want to have a gander at the similar interior graphics, which depict Dean, Hank, Rusty, Brock, The Monarch, The Phantom Limb, Dr. Fiancée and Molotov Cocktease in much the same manner.
Find it on series mastermind Jackson Publik’s website, which also contains news of the set’s extras:
• Commentary by Doc and Me on all episodes, plus special appearances by James Urbaniak or Mike Sinterniklaas on a few)
• Deleted Scenes (some from animatics, some from finished animation)
• "Deep Inside AstroBase Go!" informative super-documentary about the inner workings of the fabled space station/animation studio, as narrated by Master Billy Quizboy and Pete White
• Surround Sound
Those away from their computers since the holidays should note that the “Angel” season-box prices fell below $20 for the first time ever about a week ago, just as they did about a year ago with the “Buffy” sets. Remember that the “Buffy” sets did not stay under $20 long, so if you share the love for Cordy, Fred, Darla, Dru, Krevlornswath, the Senior Partners, Skip and the Pee-Pee Demon, ORDER THESE NOW. Stick them in your closet for future gifting or donations to libraries. One of the greatest TV shows in the history of history!!
$19.97 Angel Season Two
$19.97 Angel Season Three
$19.97 Angel Season Four
$19.97 Angel Season Five
More good news! The “Buffy” sets have been momentarily reduced again to $19.97 as well. Again you are encouraged to stock up:
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season One
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Two
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Three
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Four
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Five
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Six
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Seven
For those who haven’t checked in since Christmas Eve, Amazon is having what’s essentially an insano twofer sale. Buy one already-reduced DVD on the lists below and get another of equal or lesser price free. Some illustrations:
$20.09 Soap 1.x
$21.99 Soap 2.x
$21.99 Soap 3.x
$21.99 Soap 4.x
This means the last two seasons of “Soap” for $11 per season.
$21.99 All in the Family 1.x
$20.99 All in the Family 2.x
$21.99 All in the Family 3.x
$26.99 All in the Family 4.x
Math says first two seasons of “All in the Family” for $11 per season.
$35.49 Seinfeld 1.x/2.x
$35.49 Seinfeld 3.x
$35.49 Seinfeld 4.x
$35.99 Seinfeld 5.x
$35.99 Seinfeld 6.x
Meaning two seasons of “Seinfeld” for $18 per season.
$19.99 NewsRadio 1.x/2.x
$29.99 NewsRadio 3.x
$29.49 NewsRadio 4.x
Two seasons of “NewsRadio” for no more than $15 per season.
$36.49 Rescue Me 1.x
$36.49 Rescue Me 2.x
Two seasons of “Rescue Me” at $18.25 per season.
And of course you can mix and match:
$21.99 The Tick: The Complete Series
$18.99 Action: The Complete Series
That means you get both series at $11 per season.
Amazon has divided the sale into two TV epochs, 1960-1989 and 1990-2006.
1990-2006
Action: The Complete Series
Air America: The Complete Series
Beautiful People 1.x
Boondocks 1.x
The Critic: The Complete Series
Dawson’s Creek 1.x-6.x
Dilbert: The Complete Series
The Ellen Show: The Complete Series
Huff 1.x
The Jeff Foxworthy Show 1.x
Just Shoot Me 1.x/2.x
King of Queens 1.x- 6.x
Mad About You 1.x-2.x
My Big Fat Greek Life: The Complete Series
The Nanny 1.x
The Nanny 2.x
Ned and Stacey 1.x
NewsRadio 1.x-4.x
Party of Five 1.x
Party of Five 2.x
Rescue Me 1.x
Rescue Me 2.x
Seinfeld 1.x-6.x
Significant Others: The Complete Series
Strong Medicine 1.x
S.W.A.T 1.x
The Tick: The Complete Series
VIP 1.x
1960-1989:
All in the Family 1.x-5.x
Archie Bunker’s Place 1.x
Barney Miller 1.x
Bewitched 1.x-3.x
Blue Thunder: The Complete Series
Charlie’s Angels 1.x- 3.x
Diff’rent Strokes 1.x-2.x
The Facts of Life 1.x-2.x
Family 1.x/2.x
Fantasy Island 1.x
The Flying Nun 1.x-2.x
Gidget: The Complete Series
Good Times 1.x-6.x
Hart to Hart 1.x-2.x
Hazel 1.x
Here Come The Brides 1.x
I Dream of Jeannie 1.x- 2.x
The Jeffersons 1.x-5.x
Married With Children 1.x-5.x
The Partridge Family 1.x-2.x
Riptide 1.x
Sanford & Son 1.x-6.x
Soap 1.x- 4.x
Starsky & Hutch 1.x- 3.x
Tabitha: The Complete Series
That’s My Mama 1.x-2.x
T.J. Hooker 1.x/2.x
Tour of Duty 1.x-3.x
227 1.x
Walking Tall: The Complete Series
What’s Happening!! 1.x
Who’s The Boss 1.x
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Martin 1.x
This Week
Extras 1.x
MI-5 Vol. 4
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Vol. 5
SpongeBob SquarePants 4.x Vol. 2
Next Week
Allo Allo 6.x
Doctor Who 28.x
Doctor Who 27.x/28.x
The King of Queens 7.x
The Legend of Prince Valiant Vol. 2
My Hero 1.x
The Royle Family 1.x
Run's House 1.x/2.x
Space Academy: The Complete Series
January 23
Avatar: The Last Airbender 2.x Vol. 1
Walker: Texas Ranger 2.x
The Waltons 4.x
The Waltons 1.x-4.x
January 30
The Big Valley 2.x Vol. 1
Dallas 6.x
I Dream of Jeannie 3.x
Law & Order Special Victims Unit 3.x
Lucky Louie 1.x
Murder She Wrote 5.x
Three's Company: Jack's Favorites
February 6
Anything But Love 1.x/2.x
Baywatch Syndicated 3.x
Ben 10 1.x
Charlie & Lola Vol. 3
Charmed 7.x
Mad About You 3.x
Masters of Horror: Family
Masters of Horror: Pelts
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo
February 13
All in the Family 6.x
Beauty and the Beast 1.x
Captain N The Game Master
Emergency 3.x
The Golden Girls 7.x
The Hills 1.x
Hustle 2.x
Men Behaving Badly: The Complete Series
Picket Fences 1.x
Reno 911! Most Wanted Uncensored
Sonic X: 6.x
February 20
Alias Smith & Jones 1.x
Curious George: Zoo Night
Family Ties 1.x
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 2.x Vol. 2
What's New Scooby Doo 1.x
February 27
Da Vinci's Inquest 1.x
Dog The Bounty Hunter: Best of 3.x
The Doris Day Show 4.x
Ghostbusters Vol. 1
Girlfriends 1.x
The Immortal: The Complete Series
Magnum, P.I. 6.x
The Rockford Files 3.x
The State Within: The Complete Series
Voltron Vol. 3
March 6
Doctor Who: The Invasion
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Experiment
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends 1.x
Hawaii Five-0 1.x
Moonlighting 5.x
Northern Exposure 6.x
Sabrina The Teenage Witch 1.x
SNL: The Best of Steve Martin
South Park 9.x
Stargate Atlantis 2.x
March 13
Baby Looney Tunes Vol. 3
Bosom Buddies 1.x
Cool McCool: The Complete Series <--- NEW!!
I Love Lucy 7.x-9.x
Loonatics Unleashed 1.x
The Pretender: The Movies
Robin of Sherwood Vol. 1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.x
Without A Trace 2.x
March 20
Batman Beyond 3.x
Christy: The Complete Series
JAG 3.x
JAG 1.x-3.x
Justice League Unlimited 2.x
McHale's Navy 1.x <--- NEW!!
Milton The Monster: The Complete Series
Morel Orel: Vol. 1
Sleeper Cell 2.x
The Wild Wild West 2.x
March 27
The Addams Family 1.x Vol. 2
Family Affair 3.x
Full House 6.x
Mind of Mencia (Uncensored) 2.x
The Shield 5.x
7th Heaven 4.x
Sonic The Hedgehog: The Complete Series
Touched By An Angel 4.x Vol. 1
April 3
Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure
Law & Order 5.x <--- NEW!!
Galapagos: The Complete Series
The Streets of San Francisco 1.x Vol. 1
The Untouchables 1.x Vol. 1
Tom Goes To The Mayor: The Complete Series
April 10
Avatar: The Last Airbender 2.x Vol. 2
The Batman 3.x
Scooby-Doo Where Are You 3.x
Teen Titans 3.x
Twin Peaks 2.x
April 17
The George Lopez Show 1.x/2.x
Happy Days 2.x
Laverne & Shirley 2.x
SpongeBob SquarePants: Friend Or Foe?
The Venture Bros. 2.x
April 24
Ed, Edd & Eddy 2.x
Selected season-sets containing
some of Herc’s all-time favorite TV!!
$17.97 The Bob Newhart Show 1.x (24 episodes)
$17.97 The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1.x (24 episodes)
$18.99 Friends 1.x (24 episodes)
$19.97 Angel 5.x (22 episodes) <--- 50% OFF!!
$19.97 Buffy The Vampire Slayer 4.x (22 episodes) <--- 50% OFF!!
$19.97 Hill Street Blues 1.x (17 episodes)
$20.09 Soap 1.x (25 episodes)
$20.99 Moonlighting 1.x/2.x (25 episodes)
$20.99 ER 1.x (26 episodes)
$21.49 Northern Exposure 3.x (23 episodes) <--- 64% OFF!!
$21.99 The Tick: The Complete Series (9 Episodes)
$22.99 The Venture Bros. 1.x (13 Episodes)
$23.49 The Tick Versus 1.x (12 episodes)
$24.97 Firefly: The Complete Series (14 episodes)
$25.99 Rocky & Bullwinkle 1.x (26 episodes)
$27.99 Oz 1.x (eight episodes)
$28.99 Cheers 1.x (23 episodes)
$28.99 Taxi 1.x (22 episodes)
$29.49 Newsradio 1.x/2.x (29 episodes)
$29.49 Columbo 1.x (nine TV-movies)
$29.49 The Rockford Files 1.x (22 episodes)
$29.97 Murder One 1.x (23 episodes)
$29.99 The Simpsons 2.x (22 episodes)
$29.99 South Park 1.x (13 episodes)
$29.99 Wonderfalls: The Complete Series (13 episodes)
$30.99 The Andy Griffith Show 5.x (32 episodes)
$31.99 Kung Fu 2.x (23 episodes)
$31.99 Curb Your Enthusiasm 1.x (10 episodes)
$32.99 Futurama Vol. 2 (19 episodes)
$35.49 The Wild Wild West (28 episodes)
$35.49 Seinfeld 3.x (23 episodes)
$35.99 Gilmore Girls 4.x (22 episodes)
$36.99 Undeclared: The Complete Series (17 episodes)
$42.49 Veronica Mars 1.x (22 episodes)
$42.49 Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series (12 episodes)
$43.49 24 1.x (24 episodes)
$44.99 Battlestar Galactica 1.x (13 episodes plus 4-hour mini)
$44.99 SCTV Network 90 Vol. 1 (Nine 90-minute episodes)
$44.99 The West Wing 1.x (22 episodes)
$45.49 The Sopranos 1.x (13 episodes)
$45.99 Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series (18 episodes)
$46.99 Lost 1.x (24 episodes)
$47.49 Deadwood 1.x (13 episodes)
$47.99 The Wire 1.x (13 episodes)
$51.99 The OC 1.x (27 episodes)
$51.99 Star Trek: The Next Generation 3.x (26 episodes)
$53.99 Once and Again 1.x (22 episodes)
$54.99 Six Feet Under 1.x (13 episodes)
$55.99 The Dick Van Dyke Show 1.x (31 episodes)
$62.99 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 3.x (26 episodes)
$67.49 Star Trek 2.x (26 episodes)
$73.99 Carnivale 1.x (12 episodes)
$87.99 The Twilight Zone 1.x (36 episodes)
$89.99 The Larry Sanders Show 1.x (13 episodes)
$98.99 The Prisoner: The Complete Series (17 episodes)
$99.95 Monty Python: The Complete Series 16-Ton Megaset (45 episodes)
$171.00 Twin Peaks 1.x minus pilot (seven episodes)
$295.00 My So-Called Life: The Complete Series (17 episodes)
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