There’s a mob of offerings from TV

Until the new fall TV season officially starts in three weeks, fans can bide their time by reliving the first seasons of several series still on the air. Also new on DVD are some classic series and mouthwatering political shows from England.

A decade before HBO premiered its award-winning mob series “The Sopranos,” CBS offered its own buzzed-about mob series, “Wiseguy,” from producers Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo. Ken Wahl starred in the terrific show as Vinnie Terranova, a handsome, charming 30-year-old agent for the FBI’s Organized Crime Bureau who is sent deep undercover to sniff out various mobsters. Wahl, who was basically just a pretty face before “Wiseguy,” was perfectly cast as Terranova. The same can be said of Jonathan Banks as his OCB handler, Frank McPike, and Jim Byrnes as his covert liaison, Dan “Lifeguard” Burroughs. The series was unique because Terranova’s assignments were presented in six to 10 hourlong story arcs. And the series attracted established and up-and-comers like Kevin Spacey, Ron Silver, Tim Curry, Annette Bening and even Jerry Lewis in a rare dramatic turn.

Ventura Distribution is offering the first arc of the series ($70), which found Terranova infiltrating the powerful New Jersey mob family of Sonny Steelgrave.

The late Ray Sharkey was a revelation as the volatile, violent Sonny. The series also explored the moral dilemma Terranova found himself in when he developed an almost a brotherly relationship with the charismatic Steelgrave.

Besides the nine-episode arc, the DVD set includes an R-rated gag reel and interesting interviews with Cannell and Banks. Wahl supplies commentary on two of his favorite episodes, but he comes across as a real lug.

NBC’s still-popular medical drama “ER” is entering its 10th season next month. For those who can’t remember the beginning, Warner Home Video has released the complete first season of the Emmy Award-winning medical series ($60) on DVD.

The four-disc digital set is a must-have for the series’ legion of fans. There are two commentary tracks on the two-hour pilot episode: one with executive producers Michael Crichton and John Wells and the other with pilot director Rod Holcomb and key production members.

There are also commentary tracks on the most acclaimed episode from the first season, “Love’s Labor Lost,” with director Mimi Leder and production crew members, and “Sleepless in Chicago” with director Christopher Chulack.

The fourth disc is jammed with extras, including a new documentary on the making of the pilot, the difficulty in doing such a complex, multicharacter series on a demanding TV schedule during the first season, outtakes and deleted scenes, a very funny gag reel, a featurette on the medical consultants and writers and another mini-documentary on the complicated post-production process.

Another of NBC’s popular “Must See TV” Thursday night series, “Will & Grace” has also arrived on DVD (Lions Gate, $45). The four discs feature each episode of the premiere season of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series about two best friends: a gay male lawyer and a straight female interior designer. There are decent interviews with creators and executive producers David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and with cast members Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally and a series of “featurettes,” which are really just a series of clips from the episodes.

Though it’s never been a ratings blockbuster for ABC, the stylish spy thriller “Alias” has developed a cult following, and its lead, Jennifer Garner, has become a true television star; thanks to an impressive performance in “Daredevil,” she’s on her way to movie stardom.

On Tuesday, the first season of “Alias” makes its DVD bow (Disney, $70) in an attractive boxed set.

The collection features breezy commentary on the pilot episode with creator and executive producer J.J. Abrams, who wrote and directed the pilot, and Garner. There’s also a fun production diary from Abrams, deleted scenes, and a funny gag reel.

Instead of releasing a complete season set of Michael J. Fox’s sparkling, sophisticated and often cynical ABC political comedy “Spin City,” DreamWorks is bringing out two volumes ($30 each) featuring the actor-producer’s “all-time favorites” from the four seasons he appeared on the show -- he left after 2000 because of his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Fox, who introduces each episode, has made wonderful choices for the discs, including the pilot, the installment when Woody Harrelson guest-starred as a school janitor who becomes mayor for a day, Heather Locklear’s first episode and a clever show about a dead police dog. Since its beginning in fall 1975, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has always managed to nab the biggest stars as its musical guests from the Rolling Stones to Eminem to Bruce Springsteen to Simon & Garfunkel.

And the late-night variety series has always had a knack for doing hysterically funny musical parodies like Gilda Radner’s Candy Slice or Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy as Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder performing “Ebony and Ivory.”

The tune-filled five-disc DVD set “SNL: 25 Years of Music” (Lion’s Gate, $60) features some of the best musical moments from the first quarter-century of the series, along with some of the funniest moments, including Steve Martin’s “King Tut” or John Belushi -- as Joe Cocker -- in a duet with the real Cocker. Included are introductions and reminisces with former regular Chevy Chase and executive producer Lorne Michaels.

New from BBC Home Video ($60) is the complete collection of episodes of the British political satire “Yes, Prime Minister.” A sequel to the hit “Yes, Minister,” this incisive, brilliantly acted sequel finds the rather dimwitted Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington), now the prime minister of Britain, having won on his platform to “Save the British Sausage.” Also back is the wonderful Nigel Hawthorne as the slick, conniving Cabinet secretary Sir Humphrey.

Far darker than “Yes, Prime Minister” is another great British political series, actually a miniseries trilogy that aired in America on PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre.” Being released as the “House of Cards Trilogy, “ the DVD set features “House of Cards,” “To Play the King” and “The Final Cut” (BBC Video, $60).

Penned by one of British TV’s best writers, Andrew Davies, the miniseries revolves around the oily, Iago-esque Francis Urquhart (an amazing Ian Richardson), a British politician -- the chief whip of the Conservative Party whose main aim is to maintain party discipline.

Urquhart, though, wants to be prime minister, and in “House of Cards” he forces the hand of the prime minister to resign and then attempts to discredit each of his rivals for the position. In “To Play the King,” Urquhart is prime minister but finds his political life in upheaval when the queen dies and the king (Michael Kitchen) ascends the throne.

In the finale, “The Final Cut,” he’s on the verge of becoming England’s longest-serving postwar leader, but the public is tiring of him and there are the beginnings of dissent in the Conservative Party. Urquhart, though, refuses to leave his post without a fight.