Homicide: Life on the Streets - The Complete Series
New releases announced today, July 14:
A Charlie Brown Christmas on Blu-ray Disc will be coming out October 6
Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series will be coming out September 29
Holiday TV Comedy Collection: The Office, 30 Rock, House, Monk and Psych will be coming out October 13
Van der Valk Mysteries - Set 1 will be coming out October 6
Visit TVShowsOnDVD.com for the complete stories on these and other news items.
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Question: I have found a silver lining in all of this strike business. Getting desperate for some quality entertainment during this "dry spell", I started TiVo'ing old episodes of one of my favorite shows, Homicide: Life on the Streets. For me, this was one of the first breakout-quality series in this genre. I have been thoroughly enjoying reliving some fabulous episodes, particularly the Luther Mahoney storyline. It is especially satisfying since I get a new episode of the syndicated series every day. This brings me to my question: Why have Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor not been able to find new roles that show off their talent the way Pembleton and Bayliss did? Watching these old episodes has reminded me how much I enjoy these two actors. I even gave Women's Murder Club a few extra viewings after Secor showed up in the pilot, but I didn't see him again after that. I guess if the strike landscape doesn't improve soon, I'll be looking to revive some other long-gone favorites and ...
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Question: In your column this week you said, "And speaking of self-fulfilling prophecies, I'll state my contention again that if you choose not to get behind shows out of a fear they'll get canceled, you may only be contributing to the problem." In recent history, I have tried out The Nine, Invasion, Day Break, Vanished, Studio 60 and now Traveler. With the exception of Vanished (which was wretched), I enjoyed all of them on many levels, with Invasion being my favorite and Day Break being my least. (Vanished doesn't count.) Before those there was Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night, My So-Called Life.... I could go on. I'm just curious how many times I'll have to get torn away from a show without any fulfillment before I can stop trying to feel like it's my fault? I think back on a show like Homicide, which was amazing and so critically acclaimed despite the fact that it was never a ratings gem, and I wonder if today's market would have even given it a chance; I think we know the ...
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Bedford DiariesAhh, bittersweet premiere. Given that Milo Ventimiglia already made a beeline for NBC's upcoming Heroes, I couldn't help but feel that WB was just going through the motions here — but hey, I understand. They spent good money on this show and they're gonna air it, by golly. More power to them. OK, before we bite into the meat of this sandwich, I admit it: I had high expectations for this show. Can you blame me? It was created by Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, and if those names sound familiar, it's because they also created a little show called Homicide: Life on the Street, all seven seasons of which grace my DVD shelf. And I wish I could say that Bedford was everything I thought it'd be, but my mom taught me lying was bad. There was nothing wrong with the premise — college kids learn about
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Question: I have a suggestion to save Commander in Chief: Kill the president's husband (or at least divorce them). The plotline that has erased my interest for Chief is the idea of watching Mackenzie's husband as a "supporting" chief of staff. The entire concept is boring and offensive to the original concept: a woman capable of being the president of the United States. I am sorry, but I signed up for a show that leaves the man in the house while his wife is running the country, not this annoying double team formed by a married couple. So by killing the husband, you'll add a huge dramatic twist, plus the chance to get back on track. What do you think about my suggestion? Is there another way to creatively save Commander in Chief? Hopefully ABC will give the show a chance. However, I think if ABC wants to save a show, they should go with Invasion, since that one is completely flawless. Thanks for taking the time to read my question.
Answer: Is anyone listening? Fan as I have been of Kyle
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Question: Is Michelle Forbes amazing or what? As much as I hated to see her go, her death scene (as Commander Cain) on Battlestar Galactica was as interesting and unexpected as all her other work. I'm not sure how she pulled it off, but her face seemed to register anger, fear, defiance and resolution all in the space of about 20 seconds, and she suddenly made this detestable character sympathetic without having to say a word. As always, after watching Forbes, I thought, "Why hasn't someone made this woman a permanent presence on a major ensemble show?" After strong performances on everything from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Homicide: Life on the Street, from 24 to Prison Break, it feels like Forbes is long overdue for success at the level of Allison Janney or Felicity Huffman. But it always seems like she's around for a short time and then — bang — she's gone again! What do you think, Matt? Any chance we'll see her land a regular series and a long-term role she can really dig ...
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Question: In reference to your comments regarding Grey's Anatomy's diversity and that a real breakthrough will be made when a lead in an ensemble is allowed to be a minority — sadly, I think it happened already but nobody noticed! When I think of Homicide: Life on the Street, I think of Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor, but especially Andre. When he left the show, it swiftly went downhill. I was excited when he got his own show — seemed like a breakthrough really had been made, but the network pushed his show around from night to night and from time to time before finally canceling it. I was not impressed enough by Hack to watch him play second fiddle. I hope that his upcoming show will, again, prove his talent and ability to carry a series as a minority and as a top-rate actor.
Answer: I'm with you. Andre Braugher is a huge talent, and maybe a network like FX (where his new drama Thief will premiere early next year) will finally give him a proper showcase. The medical drama he starred in
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Question: What defines a show as a "procedural"? I keep hearing the critics say there are too many of them now. I remember the days when shows were in two basic categories: comedy or drama. Then someone coined "dramedy," and started coming up with subcategories: Western, medical, police, sci-fi, horror, etc. Can't we just put everything back in two categories: good and bad?
Answer: Well, there's good and bad in each of these categories, which are better known as genres, and each has its own conventions, trademarks and ardent fans. The "procedural" tag really caught on in the wake of the franchising of Law & Order and, later, CSI. It typically refers to a crime drama in which each episode deals with the solving of a crime, usually a self-contained story each week, and has minimal soap-operatics. There are variations on the formula — some are high-end like Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Boomtown, and some (like this season's wretched Killer Instinct and Criminal Minds)
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Question: I never really understood why programmers can't get TV shows to work on Fridays. An obvious obstacle is the fact that people are out on Fridays, but kids aren't. You're clearly not gonna get a Firefly to work on Fridays (why this wasn't obvious to the network is beyond me) but why not just market shows that appeal to tweens on Fridays, like those comedies that used to be on TGIF? Now that I'm a grownup (!!!) with a job I'm usually too pooped to party on Fridays and I figure there should at least be something on for the kids, but all I can find to relax to on a Friday are the few comedies on WB, which always seem to be reruns. Where are the rest of the networks? And while you're at it, why don't movies premiere on the movie channels on Fridays? Seems more people would be home on a Friday than on a Saturday.
Answer: You make some interesting points, but there was a big argument when Joan of Arcadia was canceled, in part because it skewed very old, that kids in fact aren't home
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Yeah, yeah, he's starred in series like Gideon's Crossing, Hack and scores of teleplays and feature films. He even appears in TNT's remake of Stephen King's Salem's Lot later this month. But to us, Andre Braugher will always be the ultracool, cagey Det. Frank Pembleton from NBC's late, great Homicide: Life on the Street. He recently reunited with his old Homicide honchos — producers Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson — on their newest crime drama, The Jury (debuting tonight at 9 pm/ET on Fox).
"It's a very interesting Rashamon kind of idea. The jury's invited to recreate the crimes for themselves in order to come to verdict," Braugher, 41, tells TV Guide Online. "Barry Levinson plays the judge in the first eight episodes, and I'm the judge in the last two episodes of the season."
As an actor, Braugher conveys an intellect and gravitas that'll no doubt make him a convincing (and in
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