DVD gift ideas for the TV fans on your list

DVD sales are down, but they're not out. Hollywood studios are issuing some TV-show sets in the Blu-ray format, and complete-series and special-edition DVD collections remain easy, but pricey, holiday gifts for TV fans.

Luckily for consumers' wallets, the retail prices listed below tend to be for show only. In reality, sticker prices are lower -- sometimes as much as 40 percent lower -- whether bought on sale in stores or every day at online sites. But they also fluctuate, so it pays to shop around.

If you're considering giving the gift of entertainment, allow our reviews of some of the year's new TV-on-DVD releases to be your guide.

"Smallville: The Complete Series"

The last words spoken on the next-to-last feature on the last disc of the 62 that comprise the new Ultimate Collector's set of "Smallville: The Complete Series" ($339.88, Warner Home Video) say it all: "A hundred years from now, kids will want to know what Superman is up to."

The words are from Neil Gaiman, the genius behind the comic-book series "The Sandman" (among many other projects) and a man who knows a little something about stories that tug at the conscience and compel our attention. And they speak not only to why the Superman mythology endures, but to why "Smallville" -- at 10 years on the WB and later The CW -- became the longest-running superhero series in history.

Smartly cast, wonderfully written, "Smallville" stood as a contemporary reinterpretation as well as empathetic calling card to every teen caught in the clutches of alienation. This gorgeously packaged set is an opportunity to revisit Clark Kent (Tom Welling) as he acquires -- and sometimes wrestles with -- the moral compass that will guide him ultimately to Metropolis and his destiny. But it is the five-plus hours of this masterwork that places it apart from other boxed sets.

In addition to the obligatory episode guide, you get a retrospective on the series (including cast interviews), behind-the-scenes clips, a decade of appearances at Comic-Con, a chat session from the 2004 Paley Fest, the "Aquaman" pilot, a Daily Planet newspaper and an expanded look at the 100th episode from season five. Also included is the original -- and cheesy -- 1961 pilot for "The Adventures of Superboy," which is nearly a carbon copy of the 1950s series, "The Adventures of Superman."

And then there's the best of the features, "Secret Origin: The American Story of DC Comics." It's nothing less than a vibrant history lesson, told by the writers and artists who have created such memorable characters over the past 75 years. It alone elevates this package to super-status.

It's clear, as one cast member put it, that "Smallville" was filmed on "a happy set." The "Smallville" crew members treated their subject with reverence and each other with affection. And that's sort of the legacy of this collection. It will make you happy. That's a pretty fair return on the investment.

In one clip that pops up on a bonus disc, Lana (Kristin Kreuk) asks Clark if he can keep a secret. His response: "I'm the Fort Knox of secrets."

Well, the makers of this collection have opened the vault. There are no more secrets. Relive "Smallville" and take flight. This collection -- appropriately -- will send you soaring.

-- Allan Walton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette assistant managing editor/multimedia

"Barney Miller: The Complete Series"

Revisit New York's 12th precinct in its 1970s glory with "Barney Miller: The Complete Series" ($159.99, Shout! Factory), a meticulously curated box set that includes all eight seasons plus the first season of the spinoff series "Fish."

But it's the extras that make this an outstanding box set, including a featurette on the making of the series with cast interviews, including Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Steve Landesberg and Max Gail.

"Salute to the Old One Two" explores the design of the precinct set; "Inside the Writers Room" is a featurette on the show's writers/producers. There's also a tribute to cast member Jack Soo, who died during the show's fifth season.

This box set also contains the show's unaired pilot, "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller," and a 40-page episode guide.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"ESPN Films Collection"

After celebrating its 30th anniversary by producing 30 sports documentaries, ESPN and the producers of "30 for 30" started a film series that continued to explore some of the most dynamic sports stories of our time. These new documentaries are even more compelling and sophisticated than the original "30 for 30" series.

This new collection ($49.95, ESPN Films) contains five ESPN documentaries, highlighted by two outstanding films -- "Renee," a film about transsexual tennis player Renee Richards, and "Catching Hell," the story of Steve Bartman, directed by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney. (Bartman was the Chicago Cubs fan who interfered with a possible fly-ball catch in game six of the 2003 playoff series and was blamed for the Cubs

losing the NL pennant to the Florida Marlins.) Both films were official selections at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. The DVD set also contains documentaries about Herschel Walker, race horse Charismatic and the University of Michigan's "Fab Five," the most watched of all five documentaries.

Some DVDs contain ample extra material, including first-person interviews along with original game and event broadcasts. Others, however, offer little more than what was shown when these films were first televised on ESPN -- and leave the viewer wanting more.

-- Michael Sanserino, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff writer

"Band of Brothers/The Pacific Special Edition Gift Set"

If you've already purchased HBO's "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" World War II miniseries separately, there's no need for this new set ($159.98 DVD and $199.99 Blu-ray, HBO Home Entertainment) that contains both programs. But for anyone who hasn't watched these excellent shows, it's an ideal collection.

"Band of Brothers" debuted in 2001 and chronicles Easy Company's march through Europe; "The Pacific" aired last year and follows events in the Pacific Theater through the eyes of members of the 1st Marine Division.

The only addition to this DVD that wasn't a part of previous releases is a new 50-minute documentary, "He Has Seen War," telling the stories of the real-life vets from the miniseries and their family members along with commentary from historian/author Donald L. Miller. It's largely about the reintegration of those who served into life on the homefront after the war's end.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"The Office Collection Special Edition"

The original British version of "The Office," starring Ricky Gervais, has been out on DVD in the past, but the new "Office Collection Special Edition" ($39.98, BBC Home Video) includes what Gervais calls "extra bits" in his new introduction to the first episode. He calls these introductions, included on all first-season episodes, "a retrospective of A-listers talking about why they think 'The Office' is genius."

Matthew Perry, Ben Stiller and Christopher Guest are among the stars paying tribute, along with "Office" stars Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis reflecting on their experiences starring in the show.

The box set contains both the first and second seasons and the special that wrapped up the show.

Other extras include the original pilot episode and a featurette, "Comedy Connections: The Office," which appears to be a BBC documentary that traces the history of the show.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"The L Word: The Complete Series"

"The L Word: The Complete Series" DVD set ($129.98, Showtime Entertainment) offers hard-core fans great behind-the-scenes footage of the "women who long, love, lust/women who give" in Showtime's over-the-top but very entertaining Sapphic soap opera.

From the pilot to the series finale, "Last Word," the 25-disc set includes something for everyone.

In addition to all 70 episodes from seasons one through six (2004-09), each season has myriad bonus features on "L Word" wardrobe, fashion, photos, fan mail, music videos and video shorts. Other extras include cast and creative-staff interviews and cast biographies.

The most interesting and only new bonus feature -- which wasn't part of any of the individual season box sets -- is an hourlong 2011 cast-reunion panel including creator Ilene Chaiken and actors Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman, Eric Mabius, Katherine Moennig, Erin Daniels, Leisha Hailey and Marlee Matlin.

They discuss a hodgepodge of topics, including the series-finale cliffhanger -- "Who killed Jenny Schecter?" -- filming Bette (Beals) and Tina's (Holloman) first kiss and first sex scene, the network's reaction to that first kiss, Chaiken's one major plot-twist regret and other interesting tidbits about the show, characters and cast relationships.

-- L.A. Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette deputy Magazine editor

"Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 1"

Available only on Blu-ray ($79.98, Warner Home Video), this three-disc compilation features 50 "Looney Tunes" cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin the Martian, Tasmanian Devil and Pepe Le Pew.

Bonus features are plentiful, with featurettes about the making of cartoons such as "What's Opera, Doc?" and "One Froggy Evening." There's also the film "Chuck Amuck," about animator Chuck Jones, and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" pencil test.

Other goodies in the box set include a shot glass featuring a Warner Bros. character, a magnet and a litho cel.

If you don't have a Blu-ray player or are looking for something a little less pricey, try "The Essential Daffy Duck" DVD ($26.98, Warner Home Video), which contains more than 20 Daffy Duck cartoons and a career profile aptly titled "Daffy Duck: Ridicule Is the Burden of Genius."

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Big

Love: The Complete Collection"

HBO's "Big Love" was a fantastic series for the first three of its five seasons, so if you haven't seen it and are interested in a smart, well-acted family drama -- albeit, a polygamous family -- then by all means snatch up "Big Love: The Complete Collection" ($199.99, HBO Home Entertainment).

But if you're a collector who already owns the first four seasons, there's nothing new here that you don't already have in those individual season box sets or in the new fifth-season release ($59.99), which also has "Inside the Episode" featurettes and "End of Days," about the history of the show. It contains cast and producer interviews I've seen before either on HBO or maybe at HBO.com.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Prep & Landing"

Networks make few original Christmas specials anymore -- at least, not ones without much of a commercial tie-in -- but ABC debuted this Disney cartoon in 2009 and aired a sequel Monday.

"Prep & Landing" ($19.99, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) follows elves on Santa's "prep and landing" crew who help pave the way for Santa's arrival at homes around the globe. It's the only way he can visit millions of children's homes in one night.

This first episode follows Wayne (voice of Dave Foley, "NewsRadio") and Lanny (voice of Derek Richardson, "Men in Trees") on their mission. They get assistance from Magee (Sarah Chalke, "Scrubs") at the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center.

Bonus features include "Operation Secret Santa," a six-minute short that debuted on ABC last year, and "Tiny's Big Adventure," a one-minute short.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Farscape: The Complete Series"

Push your "Farscape" DVDs into a wormhole to the future, and this 20-disc Blu-ray set ($199.95, A&E Home Video) pops out on the other side, pulling with it the rarely seen "Farscape Undressed," a gem of a behind-the-scenes special that at last can be part of a Scapers' collection.

The Australia-based show was the brainchild of Rockne S. O'Bannon and Brian Henson, which might explain the Henson Co. puppets that were part of the band of misfits aboard the living ship Moya. They included an American astronaut (Ben Browder as John Crichton) who was lost in space and forced to fight for his survival with a crew of rough-and-tumble aliens -- or was he the alien in their midst?

There was romance and violence and comedy and chaos in four seasons from 1999 to 2003, before what is now called Syfy pulled the plug unexpectedly. When the series ended on a cliffhanger, rabid fans rose up and helped gain closure through the miniseries "The Peacekeeper Wars." Every microt is here, plus 15 hours of extras including a new look back, "Memories of Moya: An Epic Journey Explored."

-- Sharon Eberson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Planet Earth: Limited Collector's Edition"

Packaged in a giant, "Made in China" plastic globe, the "Planet Earth" series gets rereleased with four new bonus programs: "Great Planet Earth Moments," "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth," "Secrets of the Maya Underworld" and "Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert."

In addition, the set includes a preview of an upcoming documentary from the same producer, "Frozen Planet."

"Planet Earth: Limited Collector's Edition" ($79.98, BBC Earth) purports to look better than previous DVD releases thanks to advances in high-definition technology. It also has a "music only" viewing option for those who just want to look at the majestic images of the planet without David Attenborough's narration.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas"

With Gordon Ramsay you never know if you'll get the screaming, profane chef of "Hell's Kitchen" or the kinder, gentler star of "MasterChef." Turns out, "Ultimate Christmas" ($29.98, BFS) is more of the latter as the chef, in a cheerful holiday mood, even invites his mother to help cook Christmas pudding.

"Ultimate Christmas," which aired on BBC America, is just two 50-minute episodes, but the set also comes with five laminated recipe cards with Ramsay's take on turkey, stuffing, ham, pumpkin soup and vanilla shortbread.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Downton Abbey"

If you've heard the raves about the PBS "Masterpiece Classic" series "Downton Abbey," now's the time to get caught up on the Edwardian-era intrigue in advance of season two, which premieres Jan. 8.

The DVD of season one ($34.99, PBS Home Video) has all six hours of the series, which is not an adaptation but a wholly original story written by Julian Fellowes, who previously explored similar terrain in the movie "Gosford Park." Extras are limited to two featurettes: A 13-minute making-of documentary and a nine-minute look at the country house where "Downton" was filmed.

-- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV writer

"Mr. Magoo -- The Television Collection (1960-1977)"

Nearsighted retiree Mr. Magoo, voiced by actor Jim Backus (he played Thurston