New DVD Spin: Scrubs, My So-Called Life, and Twin Peaks

THE "WE LIKE TO WATCH" DISCS OF THE WEEK

Scrubs: The Complete Sixth Season
Will J.D. confront Kim about her pregnancy? Is Elliot enjoying private practice too much? Will Turk and Carla regain the whoopie now that the baby is born? Does Ted survive the roadtrip in Dr. Kelso's man-van? Is it really true about Nurse Roberts? And what about ... Janitor?

One of the best comedies of the decade is clearly emptying its IV drip (the seventh and final season just started airing), but it's still strong enough and funny enough to carry us smiling through. Season Six includes the episode "My Musical," which takes the show uptown in full Broadway style.

These three discs arrive augmented with the welcome extras assortment already familiar to those of us who've filled long weekends with the previous five season boxes -- episode audio commentaries, a making-of feature on "My Musical," some behind-the-scenes chat time with Judy Reyes (Carla), plus selections of deleted scenes, alternate improv lines, outtakes and more.

My So-Called Life: The Complete Series
Adolescence never hurt so good. These six discs may hold just 19 episodes (the entire run) that originally aired on ABC in 1994, but teen angst hasn't again been portrayed so well and entertainingly (at least not without vampires). Here's one of those genuinely fine shows -- deft nuanced blends of drama and humor, insightful writing, pitch-perfect performances, on-the-money direction -- that didn't find enough audience the first time out, yet has earned a respectable "cult" status since. Earlier this year Time magazine placed it on their list of 100 Best TV Shows of All Time. It stars (exquisitely) Claire Danes, who won the Golden Globe for her turn as awkward middle-class American high-schooler Angela Chase. She comes ably supported by Jared Leto, A.J. Langer, Bess Armstrong, assorted misfits and flannel dresses.

Re-released after a long spell out of print (and noticeably more affordable than the poorly managed 2002 release), this fan-friendly edition from Shout! Factory adds new bonus features such as an interview with Claire Danes, episode audio commentaries, "My So-Called Life Story," "A Conversation with Claire Danes and Winnie Holzman," "A Conversation with Marshall Herskovitz and Winnie Holzman," a featurette exploring the backstories and relationships of the characters, another on "The Music - Composer W.G. Snuffy Walden," and highlights from the 1995 Museum of Television and Radio Panel with the cast. Packaged inside the box is a 36-page book with original art alongside color cast photos and liner notes from Winnie Holzman, Joss Whedon, Janeane Garofalo, and author Michele Byers. Audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround.

Twin Peaks: Definitive Gold Box Edition
Here's the week's "More Quirk Per Perk" winner. Can you feel the fan-love warming your monitor and making eht frawd klat drawkcab? None other than David Lynch himself supervised this ten-disc set of his freakin' odd TV series, from 1990-91, about "dark and heinous" doings in a mystically touched Pacific Northwest mountain town. It's FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) who must discover who killed Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and it'll take more than prophetic giants, surreal visions, funny-strange characters, quotably off-kilter dialogue, and cherry pie to help him get to the bottom of the addictive strangeness.

All 29 episodes are newly re-mastered from the original negatives, along with both the original and European versions of the pilot. As for sound, options include the original broadcast 2.0 audio and new 5.1 surround. It all comes chock-full of extras: an exclusive feature-length documentary titled "Secrets from Another Place," deleted scenes, "A Slice of Lynch" (featuring David Lynch, Kyle MacLachlan, and Mädchen Amick), "Return to Twin Peaks," an interactive map of Twin Peaks, the complete Log Lady introductions, Kyle MacLachlan’s Saturday Night Live monologue and Twin Peaks comedy sketch, the Julee Cruise music video "Falling," on-air promos, TV spots, production documents, and photos. In other words, some damn fine coffee.

Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume Five
"Ali Baba Bunny"! "Stupor Duck"! "Bewitched Bunny"! "Prehistoric Porky"! An entire disc titled "The Best of Bob Clampett"! Suffering succotash!

Here are sixty more uncut and restored Looney Tunes cartoons from the WB vault, plus over five hours of special features on Chuck Jones, production techniques, the musical scoring, the TV specials and more. We also get audio commentaries by cartoon historians and other people with seriously cool jobs. Disc 1 features Bugs and Daffy. Disc 2 holds fairy tales that got the Looney Tunes treatment. Disc 3 tips a generous hat to "super-genius" Bob Clampett ("Bacall to Arms" -- oh, baby!). And Disc 4 ("The Early Daze") comes aimed right at us fans of vintage archeo-toonery.

MORE NEW DVD RELEASES:

THE "UBIQUITOUS BLOCKBUSTER BLITZ" DISC OF THE WEEK
THE "UNDER THE RADAR YET WORTH LOOKING FOR" DISCS OF THE WEEK
DOCUMENTARIES, CONCERTS, AND THE "SATURDAY NIGHT WITHOUT A DATE" RENTAL DISCS OF THE WEEK

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