Your Favorite TV Series DVD Set

[Michael]

What are your favorite DVD sets of a television series? And why? How important are bonus features to you and which ones do you prefer?

As for me, I think the eight Seinfeld DVD box sets are definitely the best thing ever to grace the plastic of a DVD. Every episode has a very informative text commentary. Many episodes have audio commentary. Nearly every episode has a bunch of deleted scenes. All episodes have been remastered to look better (and you can see it).

The next best thing are the Simpsons DVD sets. Here every episode even got an audio commentary by the producers. These are also some of the funniest commentaries I've ever listened to. Also very interesting are the featurettes on the animation techniques.

 

[Bishbot]

I'm a huge fan of the Futurama sets - commentary on every single episode, and they're so good to listen to I've actually rewatched all of them. Its almost as good as having twice as many episodes - such a big group of funny and talented people who clearly love what they do.

 

[Ethros]

Simpsons DVD sets. Here every episode even got an audio commentary by the producers. These are also some of the funniest commentaries I've ever listened to

Agreed. Sometimes I enjoyed listening to the commentaries more than watching the episodes (but mainly because I'd seen the eps a million times before)
The ones with Josh Weinstein & Bill Oakley were always the best I thought

 

[amdmiami]

I love my Buffy chosen collection set. I snagged it for $100 off of Amazon and it was sooooooooo worth it. The box doesn't take up much space on my shelve so thats a plus as well.

 

[Michael]

The ones with Josh Weinstein & Bill Oakley were always the best I thought

I think I enjoyed David Mirkin's commentaries the most. He's also the guy who put in most of the Trek references in the Simpsons, IIRC.

 

[auntiehill]

I'm not real big on the commentaries, but I love the "making of" featurettes, behind-the-scenes stuff, and bloopers. I love the LOST dvds that I have. I enjoy finding all the little buttons to push to make things light up and whatnot. I also loved the "A Day in the Life of LOST" on the season 3 set where they showed all things going on during one single DAY during filming. HOLY CRAP! I'd hate to be the poor bastard in charge of scheduling.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I agree about the Seinfeld sets. Jerry Seinfeld said all along that he was gonna do up the DVD sets right, and he kept his word. Seinfeld fans were not disappointed.

I also like the Battlestar Galactica sets because there are alot of interesting special features like the web episodes, podcasts, gag reels, and such, in addition to commentary.

I personally think the Smallville sets are pretty good. Several episodes per season have commentary and/or deleted scenes, and there are some nice little featurettes. I also really like the booklets with the episode summaries and pictures and stuff. Those turned out nice. I love when a DVD set has a booklet.

 

[Michael]

I agree about the Seinfeld sets. Jerry Seinfeld said all along that he was gonna do up the DVD sets right, and he kept his word. Seinfeld fans were not disappointed.

Didn't the sets even win a prize or something like that?

I also like the Battlestar Galactica sets because there are alot of interesting special features like the web episodes, podcasts and such.

In Germany they come without those bonuses.

But you're right, the RDM episode podcasts are one of the most interesting things on the internet. I love to listen to them.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I also like the Battlestar sets. Some of the podcasts are hilarious. I remember in one of them, the cast is doing a table reading and everybody except Edward James Olmos was there, but he was on the phone, and he read one of his lines, which was supposed to be heartfelt, and he added, "...because I'm a wuss." on the end of the line

I haven't watched any of the features, but the Steve Carell The Office is another favorite of mine that I watch over and over.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I agree about the Seinfeld sets. Jerry Seinfeld said all along that he was gonna do up the DVD sets right, and he kept his word. Seinfeld fans were not disappointed.

Didn't the sets even win a prize or something like that?

Don't know...but if there was an award to be won, those sets should have won it!

I also like the Battlestar Galactica sets because there are alot of interesting special features like the web episodes, podcasts and such.

In Germany they come without those bonuses.

But you're right, the RDM episode podcasts are one of the most interesting things on the internet. I love to listen to them.

Too bad the sets in Germany did not have all the extras. In the US they had podcasts, webisodes, featurettes, gag reels, commentaries, and extended episodes for a few episodes (like Pegasus, as one example...and I believe the mini-series was included in the season 1 set as an extended edition episode as well.) No booklet, but there are episode synopsis on the back of each thin case and that's the main thing.

All in all, a good set.

 

[Ethros]

I really like some of the extras on The Office DVDs (original Office btw), the interviews with Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant are hilarious.
Love Ricky's idea for their next project, Brain Jail, about a man locked in a futuristic prison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JILWKaQgUC0

"Yeah but the evil bloke in charge of it, who wasn't even voted in, he killed people to get there"
"Oh not that dictator? Zordon!"


And when they start taking the piss out of anyone watching this docu.
Ricky- "Most of the people who watch these extra stuff are nerds"
Steve- "Yeah, geeks and losers!"
Ricky- "Probably watching this on a sunny day"
Steve- "Yeah, curtains drawn"
Ricky- "Yeah, spotty fat git"

 

[Angel4576]

In terms of quality commentaries, the B5 ones are my favourites. The JMS ones are informative, and the cast ones are just an absolute riot!

 

[Takeru]

Too bad the sets in Germany did not have all the extras. In the US they had podcasts, webisodes, featurettes, gag reels, commentaries, and extended episodes for a few episodes (like Pegasus, as one example...and I believe the mini-series was included in the season 1 set as an extended edition episode as well.) No booklet, but there are episode synopsis on the back of each thin case and that's the main thing.

All in all, a good set.

I have the german season 2 (season 1 is the US version) and it has a ton of extras. Deleted scenes, commentaries, the regular and extended versions of Pegasus, a few featurettes (about the new Pegasus sets and stuff like that) and 10 really nice postcards with pictures of the cast. Season 3 hasn't been released yet, but I think it will be almost identical to the US set, just like season 2.
The really bad sets are the ones in the UK, they are the ones missing most of the extras (I think season 3 has no extras at all).

 

[BigFoot]

Which are my favourite sets? Whichever my favourite TV shows are (Farscape, Buffy, Angel, DS9,...).

Which extras do I like? I do enjoy a good cast commentary (especially the Farscape ones done by Ben and Claudia).

 

[jeff lebowski]

I think they could have done a better job on the sets (No Dolby 5.1???), but I've watched the Firefly DVD set probably 9 times.

I'll be eagerly awaiting the Blu-Ray version of the set.
Hopefully better sound as well as video.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Yeah, I'm also really looking forward to Firefly on Blu-ray.

 

[Michael]

Too bad the sets in Germany did not have all the extras. In the US they had podcasts, webisodes, featurettes, gag reels, commentaries, and extended episodes for a few episodes (like Pegasus, as one example...and I believe the mini-series was included in the season 1 set as an extended edition episode as well.) No booklet, but there are episode synopsis on the back of each thin case and that's the main thing.

All in all, a good set.

I have the german season 2 (season 1 is the US version) and it has a ton of extras. Deleted scenes, commentaries, the regular and extended versions of Pegasus, a few featurettes (about the new Pegasus sets and stuff like that) and 10 really nice postcards with pictures of the cast. Season 3 hasn't been released yet, but I think it will be almost identical to the US set, just like season 2.
The really bad sets are the ones in the UK, they are the ones missing most of the extras (I think season 3 has no extras at all).

Really? I was under the impression the second season had the same features as the first one (i.e. none). I only have the first season. I saw season two and three through ... other means.

 

[Hermiod]

^IIRC, the UK releases of Battlestar Galactica have all been fairly poor efforts with little or no extras. Certainly no extended "Pegasus" or "Unfinished Business" cuts.

I'll vote for The Simpsons here. Commentaries on every episode, commentaries on specific scenes with the animators, loads of deleted scenes etc. Great stuff.

 

[Goliath]

The best DVD set I ever bought is no longer available, it seems. It was the complete series of Homicide: Life on the Street, all seven seasons, plus three crossover episodes of Law & Order, plus the Homicide TV movie that wrapped everything up after the series was cancelled. It was so cheap, I bought it despite the fact that I already owned the first three seasons on DVD (I gave those away to my brother and his wife). And it came in an imitation file drawer.

 

[Michael]

^ I'm in the process of acquiring all seasons of Homicide on DVD. Unfortunately I have to get them from the UK as they were never released in Germany. I have the first three now.

Sadly, this, one of the greatest series of all time, hasn't got any extras at all on the normal season box sets.