The vintage series The New Doctors is on DVD this week, along with the latest seasons of several more recent TV programs.
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors The Complete Series (Timeless/Universal, 1969-73, nine discs, 43 episodes, crossover episode of Ironside). With this DVD set, all four of the wheel series that rotated on NBC under the umbrella title The Bold Ones are available, the others being The Senator, The Lawyers and The Protectors. The New Doctors was the longest-running of the four, playing out its final season alone after the other three were canceled.
E.G. Marshall is a world-famous neurosurgeon who opens a clinic with John Saxon as chief of surgery and David Hartman as a recruited specialist, all interested in advancing medical procedures as they encounter an array of topical issues, from organ transplants to psychosis, as well as rare and unusual diseases. Robert Walden replaced Saxon during the fourth season.
Guests include Richard Dreyfuss, Louis Gossett Jr., Ida Lupino, Jane Wyman, Ron Howard, Dorothy Malone, Carl Reiner, William Shatner, Jack Klugman, Della Reese, Carol Lynley, Stefanie Powers, Milton Berle, Don Johnson and future M.A.S.H. stars McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit and Mike Farrell.
The Americans: The Complete Third Season (Fox, 2015, four discs, 13 episodes, deleted scenes, featurette). This thriller is about married KGB spies posing as Americans in a suburb of Washington, D.C., during the Reagan administration. This season, they are threatened with exposure as the Cold War heats up. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star, with Holly Taylor and Kiedrich Sellati as their kids. Richard Thomas co-stars; Frank Langella has a recurring role. (Season 4 begins later this month.)
The Fall: Series 2 (Acorn, 2014, two discs, six episodes, deleted scenes, featurette, photo gallery). The second season of this police procedural (with some coarse language, violence, sex and nudity) is set in Northern Ireland and continues the story of police superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson of The X-Files) trying to locate serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), who has fled Belfast. But a mistake on Spectors part brings him closer to capture. (Series 3 will be shown later this year.)
Strike Back: Cinemax Season 4 (HBO, 2015, three discs, 10 episodes, featurettes). This season of the gritty action series (with R-level violence, language, sex and nudity) has the elite British anti-terrorism unit led by a British soldier (Philip Winchester) and a former U.S. Delta Force operative (Sullivan Stapleton) investigating a missing-persons case in Bangkok. Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has a recurring role in this final season of the show.
Childhoods End (Syfy/Universal, 2015, two discs, three episodes, deleted scenes). Based on the classic science-fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (2001 A Space Odyssey), this engaging miniseries begins with a massive alien invasion in 2016 that is seemingly quite benevolent. In fact, by the second episode, the world seems to be living a Utopian existence without poverty or war. But, of course, all is not as it seems, and eventually this seemingly pure existence will reveal a chilling cost.
The Unauthorized Collection 4-Film Set (Lionsgate, 2014-15, four TV movies). General audiences beware, but fans of tell-all celebrity gossip will enjoy these Lifetime channel TV movies purporting to tell the unauthorized backstage stories of Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Saved By the Bell and Full House.
Drunk History: Season 3 (Comedy Central/Paramount, 2015, two discs, 13 episodes, five uncensored episodes, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes). As the title suggests, this skit series has an inebriated narrator attempting to retell historical incidents as actors mime each event, a format that gets old fast. Guests include Octavia Spencer, Will Ferrell, Dennis Quaid, Jack Black, Henry Winkler, Nathan Fillion, Sam Rockwell and Greg Kinnear, among many others.
In Defense of Food (PBS, 2015). This is a two-hour documentary based on Michael Pollans best-selling nutrition book, which suggests people should Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The film has Pollan traveling to Tanzania, where hunter-gatherers eat in the way of their ancient ancestors; to Loma Linda, California, where a group of Seventh-day Adventists live a vegetarian life; and to Paris, where the French diet is surprisingly healthy.
Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (Lego/Disney, 2015, five episodes). This funny animated miniseries offers a Lego spoof of the first six Star Wars movies told from C-3POs point of view, with R2-D2 kibitzing.
Angry Birds Toons: Season Two, Volume Two (Sony, 2015, 13 episodes, featurettes, trailer, game intro).
Angry Birds: Stella The Complete Second Season (Sony, 2015-16, 13 episodes, featurettes, game trailer).
Piggy Tales: The Complete Second Season Pigs at Work (Sony, 2015, 24 episodes, trailers, featurettes). Angry Birds Toons is a spinoff of the popular Angry Birds video game, and Stella and Piggy Tales are spinoffs of Angry Birds Toons and all three are animated series available on third-party platforms (Xfinity On-Demand, Samsung Smart TVs and Roku set-top boxes). And now, of course, on DVD.
Barbie: Spy Squad (Universal, 2016, featurette, bloopers, music video). Barbie and BFFs Teresa and Renee transition from gymnasts to undercover secret agents, tracking down a cat burglar in this latest straight-to-video feature (76 minutes).
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Friends Across Equestria (Shout! Kids/Hasbro, 2015, five episodes, sing-along). Included in the five episodes is the 100th show, Slice of Life.
Digimon Fusion: Season 2 (Flatiron, 2011, five discs, 24 episodes, trailer). Mikey and his Digimon partner, Shoutmon, continue their fight to win back the Digital World in this animated series.
Paw Patrol: Brave Heroes, Big Rescues (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014-15, six episodes). The animated pups rescues include dangerous caves, bunny-filled woods and icy tundra.
Kate & Mim-Mim: Flight of the Flowers (SkipRope, 2013, six episodes). Stories in this animated series revolve around 5-year-old Kate (inspired by a real-life girl) and her toy rabbit Mim-Mim, whose adventures take place on the fantasy world of Mimiloo, where Mim-Mim becomes a larger-than-life playmate.
Thomas & Friends: Start Your Engines (Hit/Universal, 2015, six episodes, sing-alongs, interactive game). Here are six new episodes of the beloved animated series for preschoolers about anthropomorphic trains, this time having them race to get to the castle on time.
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors The Complete Series (Timeless/Universal, 1969-73, nine discs, 43 episodes, crossover episode of Ironside). With this DVD set, all four of the wheel series that rotated on NBC under the umbrella title The Bold Ones are available, the others being The Senator, The Lawyers and The Protectors. The New Doctors was the longest-running of the four, playing out its final season alone after the other three were canceled.
E.G. Marshall is a world-famous neurosurgeon who opens a clinic with John Saxon as chief of surgery and David Hartman as a recruited specialist, all interested in advancing medical procedures as they encounter an array of topical issues, from organ transplants to psychosis, as well as rare and unusual diseases. Robert Walden replaced Saxon during the fourth season.
Guests include Richard Dreyfuss, Louis Gossett Jr., Ida Lupino, Jane Wyman, Ron Howard, Dorothy Malone, Carl Reiner, William Shatner, Jack Klugman, Della Reese, Carol Lynley, Stefanie Powers, Milton Berle, Don Johnson and future M.A.S.H. stars McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit and Mike Farrell.
The Americans: The Complete Third Season (Fox, 2015, four discs, 13 episodes, deleted scenes, featurette). This thriller is about married KGB spies posing as Americans in a suburb of Washington, D.C., during the Reagan administration. This season, they are threatened with exposure as the Cold War heats up. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star, with Holly Taylor and Kiedrich Sellati as their kids. Richard Thomas co-stars; Frank Langella has a recurring role. (Season 4 begins later this month.)
The Fall: Series 2 (Acorn, 2014, two discs, six episodes, deleted scenes, featurette, photo gallery). The second season of this police procedural (with some coarse language, violence, sex and nudity) is set in Northern Ireland and continues the story of police superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson of The X-Files) trying to locate serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), who has fled Belfast. But a mistake on Spectors part brings him closer to capture. (Series 3 will be shown later this year.)
Strike Back: Cinemax Season 4 (HBO, 2015, three discs, 10 episodes, featurettes). This season of the gritty action series (with R-level violence, language, sex and nudity) has the elite British anti-terrorism unit led by a British soldier (Philip Winchester) and a former U.S. Delta Force operative (Sullivan Stapleton) investigating a missing-persons case in Bangkok. Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has a recurring role in this final season of the show.
Childhoods End (Syfy/Universal, 2015, two discs, three episodes, deleted scenes). Based on the classic science-fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (2001 A Space Odyssey), this engaging miniseries begins with a massive alien invasion in 2016 that is seemingly quite benevolent. In fact, by the second episode, the world seems to be living a Utopian existence without poverty or war. But, of course, all is not as it seems, and eventually this seemingly pure existence will reveal a chilling cost.
The Unauthorized Collection 4-Film Set (Lionsgate, 2014-15, four TV movies). General audiences beware, but fans of tell-all celebrity gossip will enjoy these Lifetime channel TV movies purporting to tell the unauthorized backstage stories of Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Saved By the Bell and Full House.
Drunk History: Season 3 (Comedy Central/Paramount, 2015, two discs, 13 episodes, five uncensored episodes, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes). As the title suggests, this skit series has an inebriated narrator attempting to retell historical incidents as actors mime each event, a format that gets old fast. Guests include Octavia Spencer, Will Ferrell, Dennis Quaid, Jack Black, Henry Winkler, Nathan Fillion, Sam Rockwell and Greg Kinnear, among many others.
In Defense of Food (PBS, 2015). This is a two-hour documentary based on Michael Pollans best-selling nutrition book, which suggests people should Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The film has Pollan traveling to Tanzania, where hunter-gatherers eat in the way of their ancient ancestors; to Loma Linda, California, where a group of Seventh-day Adventists live a vegetarian life; and to Paris, where the French diet is surprisingly healthy.
Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (Lego/Disney, 2015, five episodes). This funny animated miniseries offers a Lego spoof of the first six Star Wars movies told from C-3POs point of view, with R2-D2 kibitzing.
Angry Birds Toons: Season Two, Volume Two (Sony, 2015, 13 episodes, featurettes, trailer, game intro).
Angry Birds: Stella The Complete Second Season (Sony, 2015-16, 13 episodes, featurettes, game trailer).
Piggy Tales: The Complete Second Season Pigs at Work (Sony, 2015, 24 episodes, trailers, featurettes). Angry Birds Toons is a spinoff of the popular Angry Birds video game, and Stella and Piggy Tales are spinoffs of Angry Birds Toons and all three are animated series available on third-party platforms (Xfinity On-Demand, Samsung Smart TVs and Roku set-top boxes). And now, of course, on DVD.
Barbie: Spy Squad (Universal, 2016, featurette, bloopers, music video). Barbie and BFFs Teresa and Renee transition from gymnasts to undercover secret agents, tracking down a cat burglar in this latest straight-to-video feature (76 minutes).
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Friends Across Equestria (Shout! Kids/Hasbro, 2015, five episodes, sing-along). Included in the five episodes is the 100th show, Slice of Life.
Digimon Fusion: Season 2 (Flatiron, 2011, five discs, 24 episodes, trailer). Mikey and his Digimon partner, Shoutmon, continue their fight to win back the Digital World in this animated series.
Paw Patrol: Brave Heroes, Big Rescues (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014-15, six episodes). The animated pups rescues include dangerous caves, bunny-filled woods and icy tundra.
Kate & Mim-Mim: Flight of the Flowers (SkipRope, 2013, six episodes). Stories in this animated series revolve around 5-year-old Kate (inspired by a real-life girl) and her toy rabbit Mim-Mim, whose adventures take place on the fantasy world of Mimiloo, where Mim-Mim becomes a larger-than-life playmate.
Thomas & Friends: Start Your Engines (Hit/Universal, 2015, six episodes, sing-alongs, interactive game). Here are six new episodes of the beloved animated series for preschoolers about anthropomorphic trains, this time having them race to get to the castle on time.
