Vintage tube torrent unleashed on DVD

Nostalgia isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, especially when it comes to revisiting on DVD old TV shows you remember fondly. Truth be told, what some of us enjoyed 20 years ago becomes creaky with age.

The latest batch of TV shows to slip onto discs hold up pretty well, although you may cringe at the mullet hairdos, the overdose of pastels and some of the clothes.

Arriving today from Warner Home Video are the initial seasons ($30 each) of three long-running comedy series that began their lives in the 1980s -- “Murphy Brown,” “Night Court” and “Full House” -- as well as three sitcoms from the 1990s, all starring African American performers who have gone on to movie stardom.

The six releases kick off Warner Bros.’ yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary of television production. (The series that started it all? “Cheyenne.”)

Sony is countering Warner’s comedy collection with favorite episodes from the award-winning ‘90s comedy “Mad About You.” For the more dramatically inclined, the first-season editions of “Miami Vice,” “Murder One” and “Deadwood” are all making their DVD bows today

The crown jewel of the Warner collection is “Murphy Brown,” which earned bushels of Emmys during its 10 years on CBS and even stirred up a national controversy in 1992 when then Vice President Dan Quayle chastised the show for making Murphy an unwed single mother.

Created by Diane English, “Murphy Brown,” which premiered on CBS in the fall of 1988, revolved around the brash female TV newsmagazine anchor played by Candice Bergen, who is still delivering zingers in her new role as a high-powered attorney on ABC’s “Boston Legal.”

Bergen’s and costar Faith Ford’s over-teased hair notwithstanding, “Murphy Brown” is nearly as topical as it was some 17 years ago. In the pilot episode alone, the words “Shiite” and “Camus” are uttered within minutes.

The four-disc set includes a better-than-average retrospective documentary with English and Bergen and other cast members, and heartfelt commentary from Bergen on the pilot episode. She talks about everything from the knickknacks in Murphy’s office to her sorrow over the drug-overdose death last year of Robert Pastorelli, who played the quirky housepainter Elden.

“Night Court,” which ran for nine years on NBC starting in 1984 as a midseason replacement, still offers a fair share of laughs thanks to Harry Anderson’s turn as a maverick judge, John Larroquette as the womanizing district attorney -- he won four Emmys -- and the late Selma Diamond as an acerbic court employee.

Extras include a decent retrospective hosted by executive producer/creator Reinhold Weege and commentary on the pilot.

Despite some scathing reviews when it debuted in the fall of 1987, the ABC family sitcom “Full House” managed to stay on the network until 1995. The best reasons to watch are to catch John Stamos’ longhaired mullet design and 1-year-old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s performance as baby Michelle. There’s a trivia track on the “Miracle of Thanksgiving” episode and commentary on two episodes from creator/exec producer Jeff Franklin.

Rounding out the Warner collection are three urban comedies: NBC’s 1990-96 sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which introduced the TV world to a teenage Will Smith; the 1996-2001 “Jamie Foxx Show,” which aired on the WB; and “The Wayans Brothers” comedy series with Shawn and Marlon Wayans that aired from 1995-99 on the WB.

Many factors figured in bringing out “Prince” and “Foxx,” including the tie-in with Black History Month. But the studio said it wasn’t necessarily due to Smith’s new comedy “Hitch,” arriving in theaters Friday, or Foxx’s Oscar nominations for “Ray” and “Collateral.”

To kick off the studio’s 50th anniversary of TV production, vice president of marketing Rosemary Markson wanted series with “strong star power, like ‘Jamie Foxx,’ ‘Fresh Prince’ and ‘The Wayanses,’ and these certainly showcased them early in their careers.”

“The Mad About You Collection” (Sony, $40) includes episodes that span the seven-year run of the Emmy-winning series on NBC. They were selected by stars Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser, who in discussions about the show still exude on-screen chemistry.

With the movie version set to go into production soon starring Foxx, Universal finally is bringing out the first season of “Miami Vice” ($60), one of the more influential television series of the 1980s. Executive produced by Michael Mann, “Miami Vice,” which aired from 1984 to 1989 on NBC, turned the detective genre on its ear with its moody, movie-quality cinematography, innovative use of current pop songs, Jan Hammer’s pulsating synthesized score and masterful use of Miami -- making the city a character in and of itself. And the stars’ loose-fitting suits, pastel shirts and pants, sans socks, caused a stir in the design world.

But the extras on the DVD are a washout. The mini-documentaries covering the show’s conception, music and fashion are pedestrian. Stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas are featured only in vintage interviews from 1984 and ‘85, and Mann is nowhere to be found.

A torrent of hype surrounded the ABC hourlong series “Murder One” (Fox, $60) in the fall of 1995. From Steven Bochco, the series had an unusual concept -- it would cover one single trial over 23 episodes. Unfortunately, “Murder One” couldn’t sustain its momentum over the full season. Daniel Benzali played the head of a high-powered Los Angeles firm, with supporting players that included Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson and Jason Gedrick. The first-season edition includes a serviceable retrospective documentary and amusing commentary from Gedrick and director Randall Zisk.

Emmy Award-winner David Milch was a writer and creative consultant on “Murder One,” and after working with Bochco, he branched out on his own last year with the revisionist western HBO series “Deadwood.”

The Emmy-winning series premiered last summer and returns for its second season in March.

HBO Home Video’s first-season edition ($100) includes all 12 episodes and several well-produced featurettes. There also are four commentary tracks featuring Milch and several of the show’s stars.