Television - April 9, 2006

Comedy

Alice: TV Favorites -- Wave 3. Linda Lavin created a classic character in the title role, a single mother and singer forced to take a job as a waitress in Mel’s Diner. Based on the film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” Warner Bros.: one disc, $9.97, June 27.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Third Season. Newhart plays a psychologist sometimes more equipped to deal with his patients’ problems than his own. Fox: $29.98, Tuesday.

Coach: The First Season. Craig T. Nelson is the coach of the Minnesota State University football team. Also starring Jerry Van Dyke and Shelley Fabares. Universal: includes featurette and bonus episode from second season, $34.98, June 13.

Entourage: The Complete Second Season. A tongue-in-cheek look at the day-to-day life of a young Hollywood star and his entourage, his buddies from Queens. HBO: includes interviews with entire cast, creator and producers, $39.98, June 6.

Family Affair: Season 1. Bachelor Brian Keith and his terribly British manservant Sebastian Cabot inherit 6-year-old twin orphans and their older sister. It turns the men’s lives topsy-turvy but soon a real family is formed. MPI: five discs, $39.98, June 27.

F Troop: The Complete First Season. Utterly incompetent cavalrymen up to shenanigans in their Western outpost. Warner Bros.: six discs, $39.98, June 6.

I Love Lucy: The Complete Sixth Season. The last season marks Lucy and Ricky’s planning to move to Connecticut, but laughs must be had before they depart. Includes the reputedly longest studio audience laugh in the history of television, “Lucy Does the Tango.” Paramount: $54.99, May 2.

In Living Color: Season Five. The last season of the Wayan Brothers-conceived comedy skit show that launched the careers of Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier, Jennifer Lopez and, in this season, included Chris Rock. Skits include “Fire Marshall Bill” and “Homey the Clown.” Fox: 26 episodes, $39.98, Tuesday.

Kate & Allie: Season One. Two single moms, Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James, move in together with their brood and form a new kind of family. Universal: includes interviews and featurette, $29.98, May 2.

Nip/Tuck: The Complete Third Season. Drama? Or just the darkest comedy to hit TV? Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon are two plastic surgeons who consistently battle their own shifting codes of ethics in this series that has broken down many taboos. Warner Bros.: six discs, $59.98, Aug. 29.

Sgt. Bilko -- 50th Anniversary Edition. Phil Silvers plays the title character, a motor pool sergeant as comically corrupt as they come and a man who rules the Army post by graft and cunning. Paramount: three discs, many extras including Silvers in clips from other TV shows, commentaries, $42.99, May 9.

Wings: The Complete First and Second Seasons. Two brothers, played by Timothy Daly and Steven Weber, run a charter airline out of Nantucket. Much of the action takes place around a lunch counter run by their friend, played by Crystal Bernard. Paramount: four discs, $42.99, May 23.

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Drama

An Early Frost. Award-winning television movie that broke ground by introducing the topic of AIDS in 1985. Stars Aidan Quinn, Bill Paxton, Terry O’Quinn and John Glover. Wolfe Video. $24.95, July 18.

The Big Valley -- Season One. Barbara Stanwyck invests the same authority in her role as the tough cattle ranch boss Victoria Barkley as she did in her lustrous film career. Fox: five discs, $27.99, May 16.

Boston Legal -- Season One. James Spader and William Shatner prove to be excellent foils in this humorous take on a courtroom drama. Fox: includes interviews and commentaries, $49.98, May 23.

Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas. Contains one episode each from crime shows that had an early demise: “Johnny Staccato,” “Delvecchio,” “Gideon Oliver,” “Touching Evil.” Universal: $19.98, May 23.

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets. Three episodes, including the two-hour pilot, from the canceled series starring Ken Olin as a detective wrongly accused of a crime. Universal: $19.98, May 23.

Cheyenne: The Complete First Season. One of the prototypes for the television western, “Cheyenne” ran from 1955 to 1963 and followed the adventures of Cheyenne Bodie, a former Civil War scout turned drifter. Clint Walker plays the title role with the kind of laconic taciturnity that Clint Eastwood later developed into a trademark. Warner Bros.: five discs, includes featurette narrated by Walker, $39.98, June 6.

The 4400: Season 2. Four thousand four hundred people inexplicably reappear after having gone missing, sometimes for decades, and the government attempts to figure out what it all means. Another entry in the alien abduction theme. Paramount: four discs, includes commentaries by stars Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie, featurettes, $42.99, May 23.

Hill Street Blues -- Season Two. An L.A. cop show with a documentary-like feel thanks to Steven Bochco and consistently tight writing that characterized the show and influenced a host of others. Daniel J. Travanti owned the part of Capt. Frank Furillo. Fox: $39.98, May 16.

Medium: The Complete First Season. Patricia Arquette stars as a wife and mother of three who uses her psychic abilities to help the D.A. solve crimes. But her greatest challenge is to find a way to balance her prescience with her family life. Paramount: $62.99, June 13.

My Name Is Bill W. A biographical film for television on the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill W. (James Woods) and Dr. Bob (James Garner). Woods won an Emmy for his performance. Warner Bros.: includes interviews, $19.98, June 6.

NCIS -- The Complete First Season. Mark Harmon heads a crack investigative team looking into crimes connected with the armed forces. Paramount: six discs, including commentary by co-creator-executive producer-writer-director Don Bellisario, $68.99, May 30.

Numb3rs -- The Complete First Season. Rob Morrow is an FBI agent who employs his brother, a math wizard played by David Krumholtz, to help solve seemingly impossible cases. Paramount: four discs, includes commentaries, featurettes, $68.99, May 30.

Queer as Folk: The Final Season. A group of gay friends and lovers living in Pittsburgh addresses the challenges of same-sex parenting, AIDS and discrimination. Showtime: 13 episodes, $109.99, May 9.

The West Wing: The Complete Sixth Season. This was a traumatic season when Allison Janney’s C.J. Cregg became chief of staff, Martin Sheen’s president suffered an episode of multiple sclerosis and Bradley Whitford’s Josh Lyman left the White House to run Jimmy Smits’ congressman character’s campaign. Warner Bros.: six discs, includes deleted scenes, a featurette and a conversation with the late John Spencer, $59.98, May 9.

The Wild Wild West -- The Complete First Season. Robert Conrad and Ross Martin star as Secret Service agents fighting assorted bad guys after the American Civil War in the growing Western frontier. Paramount: $54.99, June 6.

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Animation & Children

Berenstain Bears: Fun Family Adventures. Six episodes on a family of bears who know how to have fun together. Based on the books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Sony: $14.94, May 23.

Boondocks: The Complete First Season. Based on Aaron McGruder’s successful comic strip, the show features two boys, Riley and Huey Freeman, who move from the South Side of Chicago to live with their grandfather in the suburbs. Sony: three discs, includes featurette, $49.95, June 13.

Dinosaurs: Seasons 1 and 2. The Sinclairs are a dinosaur family in 60,000,003 BC, and the award-winning series follows their adventures. Buena Vista: $39.99, May 2.

Dragon Tales: Let’s Be Brave. Produced by Sesame Workshop and Sony, the episodes help children overcome their fears with laughter and music. Sony: $14.94, May 23.

This Is America, Charlie Brown. Eight episodes of Charlie Brown and his friends reliving important moments of U.S. history. Paramount: $19.99, June 13.

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Interview

The Merv Griffin Show: 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time Special Edition. In a collection drawing from among 5,500 shows and 25,000 guests, this predecessor to Larry King interviews Orson Welles, Walter Cronkite, Richard Nixon, Ingrid Bergman and many other luminaries. Alpha: three discs in a leather box, includes rare photos. $29.98, Tuesday.

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Deadwood: The Complete Second Season

THE greedy, the profane, the wicked and the dead in 1870s Dakota Territory. Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker and Powers Boothe are on the long list of cast regulars. HBO: six discs, includes featurettes and commentaries, $99.98, May 23.