# What TV shows should I rent/buy on DVD **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854 "2003-11-12T17:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/1 "2003-11-12T17:49:34Z")
I don’t watch TV. At all. And I don’t miss it, either. But I know there are some amazing television shows out there, and I’d like to give them a try on DVD. Here’s what I’ve bought or rented through Netflix already. Bought: All 3 seasons of The Simpsons The 2 seasons of 24 Season 2 of Sex & The City Rented: One disc of The Sopranos (1st season, 1st disc). It was a bit slow, but I have to admit that I was starting to get hooked on the story by the last episode on the disc. Futurama: I plan to buy these, since I’ve seen all of the episodes already out. Family Man: Haven’t seen yet, but it’s on my Netflix queue and should be here this week. Band of Brothers: OK, so it’s not a series, but it’s really good. Plan to buy. Another season of Sex & The City, but I can’t remember which one. These shows make both my husband and I laugh. I’m not counting some Discovery Channel documentaries that are one-time things. I’ve rented several of those. So, what else is good? Alias? X-Files? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/2 "2003-11-12T17:51:30Z")
“Alias” is fun and fast-paced in a really unrealistic way. Most of the time, though, it’s so fun that you’re willing to forgive the absurdity of just about everything in that show. ---
**Author:** ![Cloverbee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@Cloverbee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cloverbee)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/3 "2003-11-12T18:01:37Z")
For fantasy/sci-fi, you can’t beat the six seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I’m a die-hard X-file fan, so I have to recommend that also. Also, I have a lot of friends that like the Children of Dune series, although I haven’t watched it myself yet. For drama, Law and Order. It is a show that doesn’t shy away from tough issues and rarely takes the easy way out. That’s about all I can recommend. I don’t watch much outside of Animal Planet and the Food Network anymore. I hope you end up liking all your choices! ---
**Author:** ![DaPearl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DaPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaPearl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/4 "2003-11-12T18:04:30Z")
Definately get _The Sopranos_ and _Band of Brothers_. IMO the two best things to ever happen to television. ---
**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/5 "2003-11-12T18:11:08Z")
For Scifi stuff, I highly reccomend renting the Farscape series, best scifi tv show evar 🙂 You gotta be pretty open-minded about scifi to enjoy it though… but if you can get into it, its a wonderful world. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/6 "2003-11-12T18:12:10Z")
Babylon 5. First 3 seasons are on DVD, IIRC the 4th season will come out in January. \<\*\> It isn’t as good as the animated version, but all the Tick live action episodes are on DVD (only 9 22 min episodes on 2 disks so may make a good rent) The complete Firefly (includung unaired episode(s) comes out in December. The entire Prisoner series is avaialble on DVD. Various Star Trek series are available. I find the season collections too expensive, but YMMV. Brian ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/7 "2003-11-12T18:21:59Z")
_Six Feet Under_, another one from HBO. No idea on how much the full seasons cost, but definitely the best thing I’ve ever watched on HBO. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/8 "2003-11-12T18:27:08Z")
If you want something goofy and sketch-comedyish, I recommend _Upright Citizen’s Brigade_, which came out yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/9 "2003-11-12T18:44:45Z")
Six Feet Under! But the second season is way better than the first. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/10 "2003-11-12T21:15:18Z")
I would recommend _Oz_, a prison drama that was HBO a few years ago. It’s kind of graphic, but I thought it was an excellent show. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/11 "2003-11-12T21:31:13Z")
I wholeheartedly second the nomination for _Babylon 5_. I also vote for _Buffy_ and _Angel_, but if you have to pick any, pick B5. And if you don’t like it, you have no soul. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/12 "2003-11-12T21:43:15Z")
Another vote for Band of Brothers. If you’re interested in non-WW2 recent history, the same producers made [From the Earth to the Moon](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0783114222/102-6890409-9967351?v=glance) , an HBO/Hanks/Spielberg about the space-race from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong. Other recs (more for rental than purchase): [Neverwhere](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000A14WF/qid%3D1068673753/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-6890409-9967351) a quirky British miniseries by Neil “SANDMAN” Gaiman. ww.a[Taken](http://wmazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005JM39/qid=1068673798/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6890409-9967351?v=glance&s=dvd)- a long and uneven Spielberg miniseries about three families who experience UFO abductions from WW2 to the present. When it’s bad it’s boring but when it’s good it’s REALLY good. [COSMOS](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000055ZOB/qid=1068674014/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6890409-9967351?v=glance&s=dvd) - by far the best of the _billions and billions_ of TV documentaries made to date. If you’re into general science, history, astronomy or just good TV, this is fantastic. Everything I’ve mentioned is available through Netflix, incidentally. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/13 "2003-11-12T21:44:10Z")
_The West Wing_ is finally coming out on DVD. I’m not so sure about the new shows this season, but the first several seasons were some of the best writing I’ve ever seen on tv. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/14 "2003-11-12T21:48:09Z")
_Mystery Science Theater 3000_ of course! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/15 "2003-11-12T21:53:28Z")
_Blackadder_, any or all of the series. Although most people like the series set in Elizabeth I’s time, I like the first series the best because of the heavy Shakespearean theme and the fact that Peter Cooke is in the first episode. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/16 "2003-11-12T23:36:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by N9IWP \* > \*\*Babylon 5… > > The entire Prisoner series is avaialble on DVD. > \*\* Prisoner is very much a “cult” show – either it’s fascinating or you don’t see what the big deal is. Definitely something I’d suggest seeing a episode or two of before buying. (I bought the set from the UK as soon as it was released). 🙂 I will however, 3rd the recommendation on Babylon 5. Also (seeing **pugluvr** on preview) Blackadder is a good choice. For myself, Blackadder Goes Forth (set in WWI) is some of the best black humour available. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/17 "2003-11-12T23:59:42Z")
I’ll second “Blackadder”, and throw in “Monty Python” as well. More good stuff is available from PBS, especially the episodes of “The American Experiance”, or most of Ken Burn’s stuff. “Nova” and “Frontline” are highly recommended too. And don’t forget “Beavis and Butthead”, or “South Park”. I think you can get “Girls Gone Wild” on DVD, too! 😃 * * * She told me she loved me like a brother. She was from Arkansas, hence the Joy! ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/18 "2003-11-13T00:57:01Z")
As the owner of the Alias Season 1 set, I would definitely recommend it, if you enjoy action-drama. Sure, it’s a little far-fetched at times (I wish I had 5 minutes in Marshall’s office sometimes) but it’s really fun, and some of the funniest moments are only funny if you know the past. Plus, Jennifer Garner looks even better at DVD resolution. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/19 "2003-11-13T02:21:28Z")
Futurama. The Transformers: Season 1 ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854/20 "2003-11-13T04:02:58Z")
OK, I’ve added CSI, Law & Order, X-Files, Babylon 5 and Alias (all 1st season, 1st discs) to my Netflix queue. Thanks a bunch, everyone! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-should-i-rent-buy-on-dvd/212854.md?page=2)