The Temple of Dagon

The blend of comedy and drama, done so well by shows like BOSTON LEGAL and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, is taken to a new level, with more laugh-out-loud moments than most sitcoms, and more genuine tears (of both joy and sadness) than many "Best Picture"-winning movies. There aren't many shows that I can count on to make me cry every week, but BROTHERS AND SISTERS manages to bring tears to my eyes at least once every week.What pushes BROTHERS AND SISTERS into the category of truly brilliant television is the way it is pushing the envelope of what we see on network television. I sometimes find myself checking to make sure I'm not watching HBO or Showtime, where ground-breaking television has become the norm. We have the first totally real gay character on network television -- one who has a real love life and will actually passionately kiss guys in prime time. We have married couples with extremely realistic relationships. We have non-stereotypical takes on drug addiction, infidelity, grief.I could purchase The Unit seasons box set go on, but I suspect if you've read this far you get the point -- if you were to only watch one show on TV (or buy one TV-on-DVD set), this should be the one.A note on the DVD: It's rare that a DVD season set includes an extra as good as the one contained here -- a complete, previously-unaired episode. It was meant to be the second episode of the season, but apparently the producers felt it didn't move the story in the direction they wanted to go. While it isn't the best episode of the series, it is certainly fantastic to watch, especially for someone like me who has seen every episode at least twice already. Many DVD sets have "special" episodes included, but they're usually either recaps of the the season, or just short episodes (like the "extra" episodes they've been including on the House MD box set series 24 season sets the past few years). This extra episode of BROTHERS AND SISTERS is a complete, finished, full-length episode.For the die-hard fans: If you buy the set at Target, you get a bonus DVD containing a Museum of Radio and Television interview with the cast. It's not particularly exciting, but the hardcore fans will want to see it. Its hard to think of a show that can take the place of "Six Feet Under" (honestly, I don't think any show could ever do that), but "Brothers and Sisters" is the closest thing to that show that's currently on TV. The magic of `Six Feet Under' was its darkness and gloom, yet its tongue in cheek and realistic Dexter 1-4 box set dvd portrayal of day to day life and relationships, without ever getting too campy or pretentious for its' own good. `Brothers and Sisters' is perhaps a poorer cousin to that show, as the Season Premiere itself was a flamboyant camp-fest with some over the top performances and one-liners. And The Mentalist 1-2 box set still, in spirit, its very, very close to the essence of the MASH all seasons dvd relationships that we saw on `Six Feet Under', which is why I am so interested in this series currently.The always good Calista Flockhart is given a very interesting role here, and for once has to rely on her acting chops rather than her pixie-like good looks. Lost 1-6 dvd seasons It was evident that she has aged here - upon first viewing I was shocked at the lines on her face and wondered `Has it been THAT long since Ally?', but no matter - her age, her looks, and her performance are all so apt for the role shes playing here - in fact, at times I thought that no other actress could possibly play her role - its pitch perfect. Sally Field, I'm not so Charmed box set seasons crazy about. I have never been a huge fan of her, and even though I see so many glowing reviews for her performance on this show, I felt it was the most `staged' and `forced'. It was as if Sally couldn't quite get under the skin of her character, which is sad considering shes supposed to be the glue that holds the show together. For that buy The Shield on dvd sets reason, this still remains `that new Calista Flockhart show', but I'm not complaining.Fans of the 1980s buy Lie to Me season 1-2 teen idol Paul Balthazar Star Trek Deep Space Nine 1-7 boxset season Getty ("Lord of the Flies" - he now calls himself just Balthazar Getty) are in for a treat as the 34 year old actor finds the perfect vehicle for his striking screen presence and his The Mentalist 1-2 set series underutilized acting The Wild Wild West 1-4 series box set abilities.