Classic TV Shows Make Great Holiday Gifts

By F. Colin Kingston

Looking for that perfect holiday gift for the television fan in your life? How about giving them classic episodes, or entire seasons, of their favorite television show? DVD and video packages of many shows, past and present, are available for purchase at your local retail store.

As with DVD versions of most feature films the television packages contain behind-the-scenes information, audio commentary and other bells and whistles designed to please even the most discerning fan. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites:

“Battlestar Galactica” – All 24 episodes of the classic 1978-79 ABC sci-fi series are featured in order of original broadcast. In addition to the usual bells and whistles, this special DVD set comes in a box shaped like a Cylon helmet. Fans of the original series will enjoy this much more than they will the recent remake that was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Season two of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” – Long considered on the classic comedies in the history of television, this five disc package will provide hours of laughs and repeat viewings. In addition to Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore the series starred, among others, Carl Reiner, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam. The series ran on CBS from 1961–66.

“Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends” – Fans of “moose and squirrel” can rejoice as the first season of the classic cartoon series is finally out on DVD. In its day this series was comparable to what “The Simpsons” are today. Each episode was written to appeal to children and adults alike. The children enjoyed the animated adventures of Rocky J. Squirrel while the adults and older kids could laugh at the jokes and terrible puns.

“Wiseguy” – Ken Wahl starred as Vinnie Terranova, an undercover agent for the Organized Crime Bureau. Created and written by Stephen J. Cannell, this was one of the first cop shows to use multiple episodes in a season to tell a story.

Agent Terranova worked undercover in a variety of mob related organizations. The most popular episodes featured Ray Sharkey as underworld boss Sonny Steelgrave. Annette Bening co-starred in this story arc. Thankfully, it is the Steelgrave episodes that are featured in this box set.

“Alias” – Both seasons one and two of the ABC spy series are available on home video and DVD. Both box sets contain deleted scenes and a blooper reel, a real treat for fans. This is currently my favorite show on television.

“24” – Seasons one and two of the FOX spy series are also available on DVD and home video. The box set for season one contains an alternate story ending in which Jack Bauer’s wife Terri survives her encounter with Nina. (The episodes that were broadcast show her dying.)

For More Information:

These are just a sampling of many television programs that are available for at your local retail store. Did I miss any of your favorites? If so, drop me a line at ckingston@aol.com. I’d love to hear from you. Until next week, happy viewing!

Article courtesy of http://www.suite101.com/.