Video versions of TV series popular, pricey

Television shows have been a staple of home video since the earliest VHS tapes went on the market, although they were simply selected episodes of older classic programs. We're talking "The Honeymooners," Abbott & Costello, Jack Benny, Burns & Allen, etc.

Later, "Star Trek" pioneered the release of entire seasons, albeit in piecemeal fashion.

These days, however, TV series on video is big business, with entire seasons selling as a multiple-disc box set -- everything from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to "M*A*S*H" to more recent fare, such as "Friends," "The X-Files," "The Simpsons," "Mad About You" and "24." The entire "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series was made available in seven box sets over the course of one year!

If you're a fan, the upside is having your favorite shows at your fingertips anytime you want to indulge. The downside, of course, is the cost. Because some of these can get quite pricey, it pays to shop around. The prices listed here are retail, but you can find them much cheaper.

Here are a few of the latest:

-- "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete First Season" (Paramount, 2000, not rated, $89.99, 6 discs). Before this box set arrived in the mail, I had never seen "CSI," although I was aware that it's one of the most popular shows on television. But after settling in for some episode sampling, my wife and I were hooked. Over a couple of weeks, we watched all 23 episodes!

"CSI" isn't a perfect show; some TV/movie clich��s do apply. Occasionally there's over-the-top gore (as when the camera zooms inside the wound of a dead body), and the lead cast members are all more attractive than real-life people tend to be. (Marg Helgenberger's investigator character was previously a stripper!)

But the individual stories in each episode, and the meticulous Sherlock Holmes-style manner in which crimes are solved using evidence the average eye would probably overlook, make this most compelling.

William Petersen is also strong as the lead character, who instructs and educates his team -- and the audience -- in a highly entertaining and sometimes amusing way. And the Las Vegas setting provides plenty of eye candy.

Extras: Full frame, making-of documentaries, music video, etc.

-- "Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Complete Second Season" (Paramount, 1994, not rated, $129.99, 6 discs). During its second year, "Deep Space Nine" began to improve noticeably, though not quite as much as the third year. But there are a number of fine episodes here, and the characters continue to take shape . . . including shape- shifter Odo. The extras are in the same format as the "First Season" set, with easy-to-locate easter-egg interviews galore. (For the uninitiated, easter eggs are hidden "extras" you have to search for with your remote.)

Extras: Full frame, making-of documentaries, interviews, etc.

-- "Dawson's Creek: The Complete First Season" (Columbia/TriStar, 1998, not rated, $39.95, 3 discs). I'm probably not a great judge of this show's appeal; clearly it is not made for me. With music videos and an array of self-centered adolescent characters, this one is clearly aimed at teens, and fans will no doubt love this set.

Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, making-of documentary, etc.

-- "War and Remembrance: The Final Chapter" (MPI, 1989, not rated, $129.99, 6 discs). My main complaint with this miniseries (maxiseries is more like it) is that the unlikely romance between Robert Mitchum as Pug (!) and Victoria Tennant as Pamela is the show's weakest link. But that's a minor complaint.

The story of Pug's daughter-in-law and her uncle (Jane Seymour and John Gielgud) as they find themselves imprisoned by Nazis and eventually sent to Auschwitz, is riveting. Gielgud is perfect, but the real surprise is Seymour, whose performance is fabulous, utterly convincing. If you remain dry-eyed during her interrogation scene, check your pulse.

The commentary by co-writer/director Dan Curtis is also interesting, especially as he talks about actually filming in Auschwitz and the reactions of some extras who were survivors of Nazi brutality during World War II.

Great stuff, but now that we've got the two sequels, when will we see "Winds of War" on DVD?

Extras: Full frame, CD soundtrack album, making-of documentaries, scenes with audio commentary, etc.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com

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