New TV on DVD Releases for the Week of June 2 2009
Here is a list of the new TV DVD Releases for the week of March 24 2009 (for movie releases head over to Daemon's Movies):
Army Wives (The Complete Second Season)
Synopsis: Army Wives follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an "army husband" whose wife is in the army.
Cast: Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Catherine Bell, Brian McNamara, Sterling K. Brown, Wendy Davis, Drew Fuller
Recommendations: When I started watching Army Wives, the quality of the show really blew me away. And the second season is as good as the first one. This is your chance to own it so you can watch it over and over again.
Buy it: ARMY WIVES on Amazon
Raising the Bar (The Complete First Season)
Synopsis: Raising the Bar revolves around a group of law school classmates who find themselves on opposite sides of the criminal law.
Cast: Mark Paul Gosselaar, Natalia Cigliuti, Gloria Reuben, Teddy Sears, J. August Richards, Melissa Sagemiller, Jane Kaczmarek, Currie Graham
Recommendations: If you haven't seen Raising the Bar yet, then you are missing out. It is such a great show that for once focuses on the defense side of the justice system. The stories are really compelling and it's pretty scary to think this is how the system really works. It's a great reality check. You don't want to miss it. And with season 2 starting on June 8th, this is the perfect time to catch up.
Buy it: RAISING THE BAR on Amazon
Prison Break (The Complete Fourth Season)
Synopsis: Most men would do anything to get out of Fox River Penitentiary, but Michael Scofield will do anything to get in. His brother Lincoln has been sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit, and the only way to save him is from the inside out. Armed with prison blueprints and an impossibly intricate escape plan, Michael gets himself incarcerated, and the race against time is on. Now, he'll need all of the cunning, daring, and luck he can muster…along with the assistance of some of the prison's most vile and dangerous felons.
Cast: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Robin Tunney, Peter Stormare, Amaury Nolasco, Sarah Wayne Callies, Marshall Allman, Wade Williams, Paul Adelstein, Robert Knepper, Stacy Keach, Barbara Eve Harris
Recommendations: Well, this is the final season for Prison Break, and it's true that the show is definitely not what it was in its first season, but if you have been a fan and want to find out how it all ends, then this would be a great rental.
Buy it: PRISON BREAK on Amazon
Wallander
Synopsis: Wallander is a series adapted from Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels and starring Kenneth Branagh as the eponymous police inspector.
Cast: Kenneth Branagh
Recommendations: I haven't yet seen Wallander, but have been meaning to. Kenneth Branagh is a really talented actor and I think it's worth taking a look.
Buy it: WALLANDER on Amazon
Weeds (The Complete Fourth Season)
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Nealon, Justin Kirk, Alexander Gould, Clayton Rohner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Romany Malco
Recommendations: After four seasons of selling drugs, what will Nancy get herself into this time? Well, it's time you found out. This summer is the perfect time to catch up on your Weeds.
Buy it: WEEDS on Amazon
Blood Ties
Synopsis: Blood Ties centers around Vicki Nelson, a former TPS cop who left the force to become a private investigator after beginning to lose her eyesight. Through her work she teams up with the 480-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy, who happens to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.
Cast: Christina Cox, Kyle Schmid, Dylan Neal, Gina Holden
Recommendations: If you feel like maybe discovering a new show this summer, you might want to give Blood Ties a chance. I personally haven't seen it, and although I doubt it's up to the quality standards on Moonlight and True Blood, it might be fun to check out, especially for vampire fans.
Buy it: BLOOD TIES on Amazon
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Haven't seen True Blood, and have only seen a few episodes of Moonlight. I am, however, a huge fan of Blood Ties. This series is well worth watching and deserved a lot better than it got from Lifetime. All the actors - not just the three leads - have an absolutely amazing chemistry no matter what combo is on screen. When you get Vicki, Henry, and Mike together in a scene, the sparks fly! They all deserve credit for a job well done. Kyle Schmid does an outstanding job of playing Henry Fitzroy, the 450+ year old vampire who happens to be the bastard son of King Henry VIII. He doesn't play Henry as one of those "woe is me, I hate my life" vampires, nor does he play it over-the-top. Rather the character has come to accept life as a vampire and enjoys the opportunities it brings to see and live so much of history. Kyle also brought a maturity and quiet dignity to the character that is amazing. I could go on and on but I won't. Bottom line is this is a fantastic show. Too bad shortsighted, hard headed people at Lifetime couldn't see that.
Have to agree with Cindy W all the way. And Daemon don't diss something you haven't watched. This show is excellent and actually came out several months before any of these other vamps appeared on the scene. Kyle played Henry Fitzroy with just the perfect amount of aristocracy and arrogance needed for the character. He made us believe he was that 450 year old vampire which certainly couldn't have been an easy feat for him as he was only 22 when he started filming the series. Looking back in retrospect it still blows me away. He has talent beyond his years and the chemistry between the main characters was fantastic, they just gelled. As Cindy said he didn't whine about his lot in life being a vampire, he embraced it. He actually made us feel sympathy for someone/something that most people would have viewed as a monster.
If you buy this DVD you certainly won't be disappointed. Its camp, funny, sweet at times and dramatic when it has to be. Fans begged lifetime to bring this show back but they ignored the fans. Wonder how they're feeling now with the vampire resurgence?
@ maggiemay - I wasn't dissing Blood Ties, I'm just giving my opinion based on previews for the show that I have seen. But I do realize that a lot of people liked the show, and I actually am encouraging people to check it out so they can make up their own minds.
Also, I'm glad that fans of the show can finally get it on DVD.
"although I doubt it's up to the quality standards on Moonlight and True Blood, it might be fun to check out, especially for vampire fans". The thing that drives me crazy is that this show, as I said before, came out way before any of the others did. Moonlight and True Blood I'm sure appeared to be made better as they had truckloads of money behind them. Blood Ties didn't have near the budget either one of these shows did but still managed to garner a huge fan base. But you can throw all the money in the world at a show and if the acting isn't up to pare, it really doesn't matter. Blood Ties was the Little Engine that could. It was made on a shoe string budget, obtained grants from the Canadian government, and had the misfortune to be aired on lifetime who had no idea what they had in their hands.
The only consolation for Blood Ties fans now is that we are getting the dvds. But if you are going to encourage someone to watch the dvds please don't do it with a qualifier like: I doubt it's up to the quality standards on Moonlight and True Blood, as you're already planting the seed in the viewers mind that it won't be as good. All these shows were good in their own way, each one of them is different. I've seen Moonlight and True Blood and I don't care for them. Blood Ties will always be my favorite.
@ maggiemay - I absolutely respect your opinion and if you enjoy Blood Ties better than the other shows, then that's great. I am just sharing my opinion and people can make of it what they want.
[...] mentioned the release of WALLANDER on DVD last week, and recommended you take a look at it. At the time I [...]
Hi Sandie,
I'm not going to get in the middle of a row, as you admitted that you haven't seen any episodes of Blood Ties, so any doubts are unfounded. But might I make a suggestion for which episodes to watch:
Heart of Ice and Heart of Fire... a sort of two-parter
Post Partum
Norman
The Devil You Know
We'll Meet Again
You will see the Brilliance of these actors skills in these episodes. They will make you laugh, cry, frustrated at times, and desire them in the most deepest sense! You will want to be a part of their lives in their world!
Kyle will make you believe he's really a vampire.
Christina and Dylan will make you believe they really were once a couple.
Gina will convince you that she's the genius.
Henry, Vicki, Mike and Coreen will be very real people in impossible situations with things that most people don't believe exist... but after watching these episodes... maybe you'll think they really DO!
And just for the record, some statistics:
From IMDb:
Blood Ties:
Season 1, Episode 1: Blood Price
Original Air Date—11 March 2007
Last Episode:
Season 2, Episode 10: Deep Dark
Original Air Date—10 January 2008
22 episodes in a 10 month run
Moonlight:
Season 1, Episode 1: No Such Thing as Vampires
Original Air Date—28 September 2007
Last Episode:
Season 1, Episode 16: Sonata
Original Air Date—16 May 2008
16 episodes in an 8 month run
True Blood:
Season 1, Episode 1: Strange Love
Original Air Date—7 September 2008
Still airing: 13 episodes to date
Gals, repeat your mantra!
Moonlight only got 16 episodes
Blood Ties got 22!
I'm pretty sure Blood Ties didn't have the funds per episode that Moonlight or True Blood did, but that doesn't mean it's not quality.
I don't mind people preferring Moonlight or True Blood, but I admit it bugs me when vampire fans are totally unaware of Blood Ties.
Yes, it was gravely hampered by airing on Lifetime, but still.
So "discovering a new show" ... yeah ...
I also get the feeling that some people think it's a cheap rip-off - whereas it's actually the recent vampire show with the most impressive pedigre.
It's based on the 5 novels by Tanya Huff that were published between 1991 and 1997 - meaning way before 2001 when Charlaine Harris' Southern vampire novels (aka True Blood on TV) were first published.
And yes, it debuted on TV before Moonlight and True Blood.
So excuse me for feeling a bit defensive.
FYI - I enjoy both Moonlight and True Blood and Twilight - but I LOVE Blood Ties. And Henry can beat Edward, Bill and Mick in the hot vampire department ANY day. The "Woe is me, I'm a vampire" is getting a bit tired by now, and you won't see Henry doing that.
He did it all for love.
there are very few shows on anymore that are worth watching and Raising the bar was one of my favorite. All they want to show are the stupid reality shows and not show that the whole family can enjoy. I hope you can reconsider and give this show another chance.