Studios Prepare New Slate of TV DVD Megasets for Fall

11 Aug, 2009 By: John Latchem

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Once again, studios are preparing a slate of premium TV DVD complete-series boxed sets for fall release, just in time for the holidays.

The highest-profile announcement so far is 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Oct. 6 (prebook Sept. 9) release of Ally McBeal: The Complete Series at $199.98. The fan-favorite series has to this point never been available on DVD in the United States, save for a compilation of episodes released in 2000.

The 31-DVD set includes all 112 episodes of the 1997-2002 series, which was created by David E. Kelley (“Picket Fences,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal”). The quirky show starred Calista Flockhart as a neurotic young lawyer juggling her career and her love life. The cast included Robert Downey Jr., Portia de Rossi, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Gil Bellows, Greg Germann, Lucy Liu, Peter MacNicol and Jane Krakowski. “Ally McBeal” won seven Emmy Awards, including outstanding comedy series in 1999 and supporting actor in a comedy series for MacNicol in 2001.

The DVDs will include all the original music from the series, plus a new retrospective featurette, the season two TV special “Life and Trials of Ally McBeal,” the season five special “Goodbye, Ally,” additional vintage featurettes and a crossover episode of “The Practice.” The set also includes a 32nd disc consisting of the CD soundtrack The Best of Ally McBeal.

A six-disc first-season set will be available the same day at $39.98. Target will offer an exclusive insert to download three songs from The Best of Ally McBeal.

HBO Home Entertainment Nov. 17 (prebook Oct. 13) releases Rome: The Complete Series as an 11-DVD set at $99.98 and a 10-disc Blu-ray set at $139.99. The Blu-ray represents the first release of the show in the high-definition format. The 2005-07 series ran for 22 episodes on HBO and depicted the fall of Julius Caesar and the rise of his adopted son, the emperor Augustus, told from the point of view of two soldiers, played by Kevin McKidd (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone). News of the complete series comes amid reports of a Rome movie slated for 2011.

Nov. 24 sees the release of Superman: The Complete Animated Series at $53.82 from Warner Home Video. The seven-DVD set includes all 54 episodes of the 1996-2000 series from the creative team behind “Batman: The Animated Series” (released as a complete series last year) and “Justice League Unlimited.” The show starred the voices of Tim Daly as Superman, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and Dana Delany as Lois Lane.

Warner also is offering a deluxe boxed set of some of its best-selling Adult Swim titles. Adult Swim in a Box includes Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 2, Metalocalypse: Season 1, Sealab 2021: Season 2, Moral Orel: Season 1, Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Season 3, and Robot Chicken: Season 2, plus a bonus disc with five Adult Swim pilots never before released on DVD, all for $69.98. The set streets Oct. 27 (prebook Sept. 22).

A&E Home Entertainment Nov. 17 (prebook Oct. 27) releases Farscape: The Complete Series Megaset (25-DVD set $149.95) as well as individual releases of the four seasons (six-DVD sets $49.95).

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