“Madam Secretary stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined secretary of state who drives international diplomacy and circumvents protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home. A college professor and a brilliant former CIA analyst who left for ethical reasons, Elizabeth returned to public life at the request of President Conrad Dalton, who values McCord’s political leanings, deep knowledge of the Middle East, flair for languages and ability to not just think outside the box, but not even acknowledge there is a box. McCord’s team includes her chief of staff, Jay Whitman; policy advisor, Kat Sandoval; speechwriter, Matt Mahoney; press coordinator, Daisy Grant; and charming assistant, Blake Moran. As McCord debates third-world problems, confronts issues related to her decision to run for president, finesses foreign dignitaries at work and does battle with the president’s combative chief of staff, Russell Jackson, that’s just a warm-up for when she goes home to her supportive husband, theology-professor-turned-intelligence-operative Henry, and their three children, where “politics” and “compromise” take on new meaning.” — from CBS
As fans wave goodbye to the show that gave us great writing, an unforgettably strong and capable female lead, and the real-life romance between Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, Madam Secretary: The Final Season and Madam Secretary: The Complete Series are both now out on DVD. Bonus features on the final season are limited to deleted scenes, so if you’re big on extras, consider going for the complete series set, which boasts over four hours of special features (including featurettes, episode commentary, pilot episodes of other CBS favorites such as The Good Fight, Bull, and The Affair, a set tour, deleted and extended scenes, a making-of special, and more). On Amazon you can grab the final season DVD for $24.88 and the complete series set for $51.92 (which considering it has all six seasons plus the aforementioned extras is a fairly good deal).
“Criminal Minds follows the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they embark on an epic manhunt for ‘The Chameleon’ a.k.a Everett Lynch (Michael Mosey, Ozark), a serial killer that escaped and nearly killed David Rossi (Joe Mantegna, The Godfather III) again. The BAU’s most experienced agent is David (Mantegna), a founding member of the BAU, who is essential in helping the team solve new cases. Other members include Special Agent Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster, Batman and Harley Quinn), the daughter of high powered diplomats who returns to the team after being the head profiler at Interpol; Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler, 500 days of Summer), a classically misunderstood genius whose social IQ is as low as his intellectual IQ is high; Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook, Final Destination 2), the team’s former unit liaison-turned-profiler who juggles motherhood and marriage with the same skill as solving cases; Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) the team’s indispensable computer wizard who helps research the cases with her unique charm; Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler, Ghost Whisperer), a forensic psychologist whose expertise is studying and interviewing serial killers after they’re captured to determine if they are able to stand trial; Luka Alvarez (Adam Rodriguez, “Empire”), a former Army ranger and excellent tracker recruited from the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force; and the newest member of the BAU team, Special Agent Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), an ex-Delta soldier with deft profiling skills and military special-ops expertise. As the team evolves together, the BAU continues its dedication to using their expertise to pinpoint predators’ motivations and identify their emotional triggers in the attempt to stop them.” — from CBS
Criminal Minds, a fan favorite for the past fifteen years, has now come to an end, but both the final season and the complete series are available on DVD! The final season DVD set is host to a handful of extras including the cast’s final table read, behind-the-scenes looks with cast and crew, and extended / deleted scenes. These pale in comparison, however, with the over 17 hours of bonus content available on the complete series set. It’s all previously released content, but among the table reads, featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reels, and more, there’s probably something that’s new to you. Fans can snag Criminal Minds: The Final Season on Amazon for $24.99 and Criminal Minds: The Complete Series for $153.45 (yes, it’s a triple-digit price tag, but remember, it’s 85 discs and 324 episodes, so it is a lot of bang for your buck.)
“Season seven of Ray Donovan finds Ray Donovan working to be the man his family needs him to be. While he makes progress with Dr. Amiot, there are dangers from the past that require the Ray Donovan of old. Between NYC mayor Ed Feratti, an unrelenting NYPD officer hunting for the truth and clients old and new, Ray struggles to find the balance between fixing for clients and fixing himself. And when Feratti’s corruption brings a piece of Mickey’s past back to New York, Ray is forced to seek answers to long-buried questions. Meanwhile, Bunchy, hoping for a fresh start, bunks in Ray’s apartment and work stocking shelves at a pharmacy. Terry is offered a new, unconventional healing opportunity. Daryll struggles to figure out where he fits into the Donovan clan. Bridget and Smitty face the realities of married life.” — from Paramount
Ray Donovan: Season Seven is now out on DVD, and includes a behind-the-scenes look at episode 705 directed by Dash Mihok (Bunchy) plus a featurette with Liev Schreiber and the cast as they talk about the character of Ray Donovan in Season Seven. You can grab the DVD on Amazon for $26.99. It’s also available to purchase the season digitally for $24.99, but you don’t get bonus features, so it’s up to you if you feel that the $2 difference is warranted or not.
“[In the multiple Emmy-nominated satirical sitcom Police Squad], join Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) and Captain Ed Hocken (Alan North) as they solve the toughest cases – full of all the sight-gags, puns, and non-sequiturs that made the series famous! Created by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, who gave us other classics such as Airplane! and The Naked Gun series. Guest appearances include TV legends William Shatner (“Star Trek”) and Florence Henderson (“The Brady Bunch”). — from Paramount
Police Squad: The Complete Series is now out for the first time on Blu-ray. In addition to all six episodes of the show, the set also offers a respectable collection of special features, including audio commentary by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Robert K. Weiss, an interview with Leslie Nielsen, a “Behind the Freeze Frames” featurette, casting tests for Alan North and Ed Williams, production memo highlights, a gag reel, and more. If you’re a Police Squad fan, you can get the complete series on Blu-ray on Amazon for $13.99.
“[Gunsmoke stars] Emmy Award® nominee James Arness as the legendary Marshal Matt Dillon who’s hell-bent on serving justice as he tames the Old West, where people have no respect for the law. Dillon’s adventures continue alongside the loyal Doc Adams (Emmy Award® winner Milburn Stone), sexy saloon proprietress Miss Kitty (Emmy Award® nominee Amanda Blake) and lovable Deputy Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis) as he corrals dangerous outlaws and deals with the problems of the Wild West: epic gunfights, brawls, cold-blooded murderers and bank robbers…. Guest stars from the hit series include Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), Bette Davis (All About Eve), Tom Skerritt (M*A*S*H), Kurt Russell (Overboard), and many more.” — Paramount
Gunsmoke: The Final Season and Gunsmoke: The Complete Series are both available on DVD. The final season DVD includes all twenty-four episodes from Season 20 across six discs. Bonus features on Gunsmoke: The Final Season include episodic previews, a photo gallery, and Gunsmoke experts and authors Ben Costello (“Gunsmoke: An American Institution” and Beckey Burgoyne (“Perfectly Amanda, Gunsmoke’s Miss Kitty: to Dodge and Beyond”) discussing Season 20. The complete series set is being released for the first time in a 143-disc DVD collection, which serves up all 635 episodes of the show in digitally remastered and restored presentation. The complete series set boasts a wide selection of bonus features, including featurettes, original sponsor spots, promos and audio commentaries, an in memoriam special on James Arness, and more. The set comes in a sturdy and attractive presentation box, housing six large jewel cases dividing the seasons up to keep the discs safe and organized. Those who wish to purchase Gunsmoke: The Final Season can get the DVD set on Amazon for $49.98. For fans who have been holding out for the full series, or even those who have previously purchased seasons and just want to have it all in a comprehensive collection, you can get Gunsmoke: The Complete Series collectable set for $338.98 (if you think at first glance that the price is steep, do the math — you’re getting over 440 hours of content in the set, so you’re only paying about 77 cents an hour…. pretty sweet!)
