This week we see another Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. It's a time for reflection and the company of family or friends. It's also a mad crazy time for watching movies and TV. As far as we know from the historical record, the Pilgrims didn't land at Plymouth Rock looking for the local Blockbuster Video. (They did, however, open three new Starbucks within the first month.) Nonetheless, we can honor their memory and celebrate the land that booted them out by taking in some recently released DVDs from England. And not just England, but our commonwealth cousins in Canada too.

For Americans, unless you have BBC America on your cable system or live close enough to the U.S.-Canada border to eavesdrop on CBC broadcasting, access to some of the best TV shows in the western hemisphere is spotty at best. But DVDs can fill the gap, and we have a choice selection of recent releases to see you through the holiday weekend -- and figuratively raise a glass to our cool and talented friends across the Atlantic and north of the 49th parallel.

The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard (Acorn Media)
Here's a jaunty political satire from the BBC. Jane Horrocks (Little Voice, Absolutely Fabulous) delivers a warm, winning performance as Ros Pritchard, a middle-class wife and mum whose frustration with politics as usual sparks a political uprising. Running on little more than charm, honesty, and common sense, she's swept up in an improbable campaign for Parliament. After the former supermarket manager wins the position of Prime Minister, she must face the reality of governing -- she relocates Parliament to make it more accessible to the people, and introduces "No Cars Wednesday" to tackle global warming -- while her increasingly put-out family has to cope with living in the modern media fishbowl.

Poking fun at all sides, here's The West Wing with that distinctly British humor and charm, not to mention a populist anti-establishment bent. The strong cast includes Janet McTeer, Jodhi May, Geraldine James and Steven Mackintosh.

Da Vinci's Inquest: Seasons 1 and 2 (Acorn Media)
The CBC's longest-running, highest-rated drama series combines the intricate realism of Law & Order with the high-tech forensics of CSI. Award-winning actor Nicholas Campbell (Cinderella Man) stars as Dominic Da Vinci, the controversial, charismatic coroner for the city of Vancouver. A former cop, he pursues justice for the dead while fighting bureaucratic resistance and his own inner demons. He relies on the expert findings of criminologists, pathologists, and police -- and his own hard-nosed inquiries -- to ferret out the truth behind suspicious deaths. Along the way, he makes plenty of enemies, from the petty to the powerful.

Da Vinci's Inquest aired on CBC television for seven seasons from 1998-2005, and co-stars Donnelly Rhodes (Battlestar Galactica) and Ian Tracey (The 4400). The series owes its realism partly to the inspiration of Larry Campbell, former Vancouver coroner and mayor who served as a consultant to the show. It won more than 35 awards in its first four seasons, including four Gemini Awards for Best Dramatic series and five Writers Guild of Canada Awards. Variety dubbed it "one of the most widely honored series in Canadian television," and The New York Times said that it's "unlike anything on television."

Clive Cussler's The Sea Hunters - Set 1: Relics of WWII (Acorn Media)
History buffs and scuba enthusiasts alike should get a thrill from these eight daring, real-life adventures among some of the most significant undersea relics of World War II. Bestselling action-adventure author Clive Cussler, renowned maritime archaeologist James Delgado, and their crack team of divers explore some of the most significant shipwrecks of World War II. They visit the remnants of an enormous aircraft carrier made entirely of ice, probe the world's deadliest maritime disaster, survey the relics of D-Day, and much more.

Rather than looking for treasure, the Sea Hunters seek only to complete the historical record. Each of the eight episodes detail the history behind the wreck, offer rare insight into the technical challenges presented by the search, and feature fascinating, never-before-seen underwater views of the World War II relics using the latest underwater technology from submarines, 3-D imaging sonar, and the latest mixed-gas dive equipment. Also included are exclusive interviews with survivors, witnesses, and other experts, bringing a human dimension to historical events. The Sea Hunters series is currently airing on the National Geographic Channel.

Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (Acorn Media)
Here's the conclusion of the critically acclaimed hit crime drama, starring Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (The Queen) in her most famous television role. ("Perhaps the greatest role and performance of a female police detective, ever" said the San Francisco Chronicle.) Mirren truly inhabits the role of Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison. The Final Act finds her searching for Sallie Sturdy, a 14-year-old girl presumed murdered. Facing the hospitalization of her father, descending deeper into alcoholism, and resisting pressure to retire quietly, Tennison vows to bring Sallie's killer to justice before ending her career. Along the way she forges a surprising friendship with Penny Philips (Laura Greenwood), the missing girl's best friend. In the teenager's longing and fierce independence, the aging cop sees something of her younger self.

The Final Act aired in the U.S. in November 2006 on PBS. The Prime Suspect series began in January 1992 and is among the most-honored franchises in TV history with 23 international awards, including a Peabody Award, Emmys for Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Actress for Mirren, BAFTAs for Best Drama Serial and Best TV Actress and more.

Slings & Arrows: Seasons 1, 2 and 3 (Acorn Media)
Combining hilarious satire with warmly felt personal drama, this universally acclaimed series mines solid gold from the personal and professional crises of a dysfunctional Canadian theater troupe. Each season unfolds backstage as the New Burbage Theatre Festival tries to hold it together -- artistically, financially, mentally, sexually -- long enough to mount a successful theatrical season, or at least not kill anyone while doing it. (That said, the ghost of the New Burbage's former director, killed early in Season One, is a recurring character throughout all three seasons.)

Easily one of the funniest, smartest and best written and performed series to hit any airwaves anywhere -- and essential viewing for theatergoers -- Slings & Arrows stars Paul Gross (Due South), Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall, SNL), Martha Burns and Don McKellar, with supporting stars such as Sarah Polley and William Hutt. The series was created and written by Susan Coyne, Mark McKinney and Bob Martin, and drew from their own experiences in professional theater. What was it Hamlet said? "The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral. . . ." Terrific stuff all the way through.

DVDs are available at Acorn Media.

Read about more new DVDs.

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Mark Bourne

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