A pair of British crime series have arrived on DVD and Blu-ray this week.
Case Histories: Complete Collection (ITV/Acorn/DVD, 2011-13, four discs, nine episodes, featurettes). Jason Isaacs (currently starring in the USA cable series Dig) plays Edinburgh cop-turned-private-eye Jackson Brodie in this rough-and-tumble but engaging mystery series.
What helps Brodie stand out is his good-hearted nature, which often goes against his own best interests as he takes cases that make him feel hes fighting injustice but which do little to balance his bank account. Based on Kate Atkinsons novels and filmed on location in Scotland.
Lovejoy: Series 5 (Acorn/DVD, 1993, four discs, 14 episodes). Before Deadwood, Ian McShane struck gold with this comedy/con-game/adventure series about an antiques dealer whos not above taking the dodgy deal. This penultimate season finds Lovejoy at odds with a loan shark, in possession of a haunted mirror and handling the sale of a Chinese Ming cannon. He also traverses some ups and downs (mostly downs) in his love life.
Silicon Valley: The Complete First Season (HBO/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014, two discs, featurettes). More reality-based than The Big Bang Theory, this witty, razor-sharp and quite profane cable comedy show about geek culture in Silicon Valley focuses on an ensemble foursome, one member of which finds himself in the center of a bidding war for his novel compression algorithm. One of the creators is Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-head, Office Space), and this being HBO, there is plenty of foul language and sexual content.
Veep: The Complete Third Season (HBO/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014, two discs, deleted scenes, audio commentaries). Another profane HBO comedy is this political farce about a female vice president who, in this third season, runs for president. It's frequently funny, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is very good in the lead, but does everyone have to constantly cuss? Its exhausting.
Chuggington: Fire Patrol Rescue (Anchor Bay/DVD, 2010-14, six episodes, featurette, Badge Quest episode, coloring/activity pages). The Chuggers learn how to use a fire hose, practice emergency drills and practice fire-safety lessons in this British animated series for preschoolers.
Case Histories: Complete Collection (ITV/Acorn/DVD, 2011-13, four discs, nine episodes, featurettes). Jason Isaacs (currently starring in the USA cable series Dig) plays Edinburgh cop-turned-private-eye Jackson Brodie in this rough-and-tumble but engaging mystery series.
What helps Brodie stand out is his good-hearted nature, which often goes against his own best interests as he takes cases that make him feel hes fighting injustice but which do little to balance his bank account. Based on Kate Atkinsons novels and filmed on location in Scotland.
Lovejoy: Series 5 (Acorn/DVD, 1993, four discs, 14 episodes). Before Deadwood, Ian McShane struck gold with this comedy/con-game/adventure series about an antiques dealer whos not above taking the dodgy deal. This penultimate season finds Lovejoy at odds with a loan shark, in possession of a haunted mirror and handling the sale of a Chinese Ming cannon. He also traverses some ups and downs (mostly downs) in his love life.
Silicon Valley: The Complete First Season (HBO/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014, two discs, featurettes). More reality-based than The Big Bang Theory, this witty, razor-sharp and quite profane cable comedy show about geek culture in Silicon Valley focuses on an ensemble foursome, one member of which finds himself in the center of a bidding war for his novel compression algorithm. One of the creators is Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-head, Office Space), and this being HBO, there is plenty of foul language and sexual content.
Veep: The Complete Third Season (HBO/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2014, two discs, deleted scenes, audio commentaries). Another profane HBO comedy is this political farce about a female vice president who, in this third season, runs for president. It's frequently funny, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is very good in the lead, but does everyone have to constantly cuss? Its exhausting.
Chuggington: Fire Patrol Rescue (Anchor Bay/DVD, 2010-14, six episodes, featurette, Badge Quest episode, coloring/activity pages). The Chuggers learn how to use a fire hose, practice emergency drills and practice fire-safety lessons in this British animated series for preschoolers.