‘Shield’ Season 4 outshines field
DVD pick of the week: “The Shield” had a terrific fourth season earlier this year, and now you can get it on DVD (Fox, 13 episodes, four discs, $59.98).
The series follows a troubled, often-corrupt cop, Vic Mackey (played by Michael Chiklis). But in the fourth season, he struggled to get back on the good side of law and order, with help from a new captain (Glenn Close). And he did so while battling a smooth, smart new gang leader (Anthony Anderson).
Close and Anderson both did great work on the show, and the DVD gives you a chance to watch it all at once. There are also notable extras, including an hour-long behind-the-scenes feature that is detailed, often profane (more so than “The Shield” itself) and insightful. For one thing, it shows that Close did not approach her role casually, at times objecting to lines she thought wrong for her character. But she did so in good cause, given how well the show turned out.
The DVD also includes deleted scenes and commentaries on eight episodes. One regret: I wish we could see widescreen versions of the show; only one episode is presented that way.
The fifth season, by the way, starts Jan. 10.
Also out is
“Tracey Takes On: Season One” (HBO, 10 episodes, three discs, $34.98), a collection of the comic actress’s HBO series. Tracey Ullman, recently seen in “Once Upon a Mattress,” is a gifted performer, and she reveals a variety of characters here. But I sometimes cringe at her ethnic characters, which veer too readily into stereotype.
Extras include a commentary and a Tracey Takes on New York special. And make sure to look at the first episode, on romance, for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance by House’s Hugh Laurie and for Julie Kavner’s performance as a lesbian golfer.
Other new titles:
“Seaquest DSV: Season One” (Universal, 23 episodes, four discs, $59.98). Roy Scheider starred in the adventure series, with this set coming from 1993-94, the beginning of the show’s 2 1/2 -season run.
”America’s Funniest Home Videos: The Best of Kids & Animals” (Shout! Factory, three discs, $29.98). It collects clips, episodes and specials on three themed discs: Looks at Kids and Animals, All Animal Extravaganza and Battle of the Best.
”Nowhere Man” (Image, 25 episodes, nine discs, $69.99). This 1995-96 thriller starred Bruce Greenwood as a photographer whose entire past and present have been erased. He then struggles to reclaim his life, and to find out who took it away.
”Criss Angel: Mindfreak: The Complete Season One” (A&E, 15 episodes, two discs, $24.95). The show, which calls itself “a cross between Harry Houdini, Cirque du Soleil and Fear Factor,” follows the “master of surreality” as he prepares stunts.