Emmy Awards

Helen Mirren delivers a standout performance in this TV miniseries as Jane Tennison, a London police detective. Tennison is trying to track down a sex-crazed killer who is murdering prostitutes, while at the same time doing battle with her male colleagues for her fair share of respect and responsibility on the force. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) investigates the connection between a teen's murder and a pedophile ring in this third installment of the acclaimed BBC series Prime Suspect. Reassigned to a new district and a new department -- vice -- Tennison is drawn back to homicide when her squad discovers the immolated body of rent boy Connie (Greg Saunders) in the flat of timid transsexual Vera Reynolds (Peter Capaldi). The trail soon leads to James Jackson (David Thewlis), a vicious pimp with mysterious connections to Edward Parker-Jones (Ciarán Hinds), the director of a youth shelter where young Connie hung out. Forced to work alongside her old nemesis Sgt. Bill Otley (Tom Bell), Tennison spars with her superiors, who want her to focus on vice and resolve her homicide investigation posthaste. But when a TV reporter (Kelly Hunter) shows up with evidence that Connie was going to provide her with the names of his famous clients, Tennison must race to uncover the real motivation behind Connie's murder. The only installment other than the first to be written by series creator Lynda LaPlante, Prime Suspect 3 was filmed for the BBC and originally aired stateside on PBS. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Helen Mirren returns as police detective Jane Tennison in the fifth cycle of the award-winning television series Prime Suspect. Tennison is transferred to Manchester, where her superiors, unsure of what to do with her, initially put her in the public relations department, explaining police work to schoolchildren. Tennison wants a more substantial assignment, and she gets her wish when she is sent out to investigate the murder of a drug pusher. But Tennison quickly discovers the case is more complex than she imagined; a 14-year-old boy has claimed responsibility for the murder, but she believes the true culprit is a man known as "The Street" (Steven Mackintosh), who controls Manchester's drug traffic and has a number of lieutenants to cover his tracks. Tennison also finds herself in potentially hot water when she becomes romantically involved with DCS Ballinger (John McArdle), who is her superior -- and also a married man. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From Paramount Home Video comes this collection of highlights from the second season of the world's most popular reality television show. Survivor: Season Two -- The Australian Outback: The Greatest & Most Outrageous Moments features host Jeff Probst along with all of the contestants from Debb to Tina. Footage from reward challenges, immunity challenges, and tribal councils is included, as well as interviews with the castaways. Released in 2001, the program runs 122 minutes. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

New Jersey Mafia boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) continues maintaining the facade of being a respectable suburban husband and father while operating a vast criminal organization from the confines of the Bada-Bing Club during Season Two of The Sopranos. Now that the treacherous Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) has been placed under arrest by the feds, and with his far-from-supportive mother Livia (Nancy Marchand, who died during this season) has been exiled to a nursing home, Tony thinks that his family problems are over. No such luck: Breezing in from Seattle is Tony's seriously disturbed, sexually promiscuous and thoroughly untrustworthy sister Janice (Aida Turturro), the closest thing that any mob family has had to a "black sheep". There's more trouble from the dangerously impulsive Richie Aprile (David Proval), older brother of Tony's predecessor Jackie Aprile Sr., who is resentful that a younger man has taken over the Aprile branch of the DeMeo crime organization. Richie also has a mad-on for Tony's trusted protégé Christopher (Michael Imperioli), whose own prestige within the mob continues to grow by leaps and bounds, especially after he engineers the family's elaborate "pump-and-dump" stock scam. Christopher himself has developed a close relationship with Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo), and never mind that she is one of "Uncle" Tony's mistresses. Though the FBI agent within the family's ranks has been whacked, there is still someone feeding information to the feds. It breaks Tony's heart to discover that his trusted torpedo Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore) is the turncoat, but business is business, and Tony is obliged to stage-manage Big Pussy's demise during a now-famous boat trip. Nor is this the end of the intramural carnage: despite having become engaged to her former flame Richie Aprile, Tony's sister Janice settles a bitter argument with Richie in typical Soprano fashion. Result: No wedding, and no Richie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." With this pithy but all-inclusive prologue, thus began each hour-long episode of Law & Order, American network television's longest-running police drama.

This was not the first such program to equally divide its time between the arrest and the trial; indeed, there had been a series precisely titled Arrest and Trial back in 1963. But Law & Order was easily the most popular and successful of the batch, and as the series eased gracefully past its 11th, 12th, and 13th season, it was very likely that its creator and executive producer Dick Wolf would fulfill his dream of matching and even surpassing the longevity of Gunsmoke, which lasted 20 years, setting a record as American network television's most durable dramatic series. Although Law & Order boasted a large and fluid ensemble cast, there were no real "stars" per se, save for the city of New York (a point made by scores of TV historians, notably Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh). Virtually every episode starts out with the discovery of a dead body or evidence of a violent crime. A pair of NYPD detectives arrive on the scene, begin gathering evidence and eyewitnesses at the behest of their superiors, and -- generally after a handful of frustrating dead ends and false leads -- manage to collar the principal suspect. The story then shifts to the offices of the DA, where a team of brilliant prosecuting attorneys do their best to build a case against the accused, dodging the obstructive tactics of defense lawyers all along the way. Even when the case gets to court, the story is far from over, with several twists and turns -- and usually a shocking and unexpected denouement -- awaiting both the prosecutors and the viewer.

The series made its NBC network debut Thursday, September 13, 1990, moving to its originally scheduled Tuesday-night slot October 23. The original cast included, on the side of "Law," chubby, hard-boiled veteran detective Sgt. Max Greevey (George Dzundza) and his younger, more athletic partner, Mike Logan (Chris Noth). Their supervisor was Captain Donald Cragen, played by Dann Florek. Once the detectives had completed their share of the work, the scene changed to the "Order" team of District Attorney Adam Schiff (played by Steven Hill), who appeared in all but the pilot episode, and a brace of intense, dedicated assistant DAs, the Caucasian Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty) and African-American Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks). The program's first season had several distinctions: In keeping with network's promise of delivering TV's top "action series," the scenes in which Greevey and Logan track down the perp are top-heavy with noise and violence (generally implied, but not always so), vertigo-inducing handheld camerawork and punchy background music. Also, individual scenes run a bit longer than the later short-and-sweet vignettes that would become the series' stylistic trademark. And unlike the relatively dispassionate detectives seen in later seasons, Greevey and Logan tend to become emotionally involved in their work; similarly, lawyers Stone and Robinette seem to take every legal setback personally, much more so than their successors in the series' subsequent years, although DA Schiff exhibits as much calm, stoic integrity in his first appearance as he would in his last, a decade later. Even in its earliest episodes, however, the emphasis is on the story rather than personalities: All we learn of the regulars' private lives is revealed in fragmentary fashion, and only when it bears some relevance.

Fans of the latter-day Law & Order will notice that the first season lacks the gender balance of the series' later years -- or, put more bluntly, the series was pretty much an "all boys' club." Although dozens of prominent actresses appeared in supporting roles, there were no regular female characters, a fact that tended to weaken the series' ratings in its formative seasons. Still, it would not be until the fourth season began in 1993 that any distaff characters would be added to the weekly lineup. One element of the series was established early on and would remain in place forever afterward: Most of the stories on Law & Order were "ripped from today's headlines," often with only the names changed to protect the innocent (?). In season one alone, the series offers fictionalizations of the Bernard Goetz subway shootings, the Menendez killings, the Central Park "Preppie Murder," the "Mayflower Madam," the Tawana Brawley imbroglio, and the Steinberg child-murder case. So close did the last-named episode come to the actual facts that the series' producers were compelled to include a disclaimer at the beginning of several episodes, assuring viewers that, although the story was inspired by real happenings, the script itself was otherwise purely a work of fiction. The fact that Law & Order was frequently pre-empted by network specials indicated that NBC wasn't all that sure of the series' success. By the end of the first season, however, the ratings, if not spectacular, were good enough to warrant a renewal -- while backstage intrigues assured that the series would undergo the first of its many abrupt cast changes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another major casting change occurred during the third season of Law & Order, although not until the series had offered eight episodes. In "Prince of Darkness," an undercover police operation goes tragically awry, and Detective Phil Ceretta (Paul Sorvino) ends up seriously wounded. Though Ceretta would recover sufficiently to take up a desk job, Sorvino himself decided to leave the series for good; like George Dzundza before him, the actor felt that the series' format was too confining for his talents. Brought in as Mike Logan's (Chris Noth) new partner was Jerry Orbach as laconic veteran detective Lennie Briscoe, a recovering alcoholic with a multitude of family problems (which, in fine old Law & Order tradition, were only revealed to the audience on a "need to know" basis). At the time Orbach joined the series, there was much speculation (usually tongue-in-cheek in nature) as to how long it would be before he, too, was shot down in the line of duty, just like Logan's two previous partners, Greevey and Ceretta. As it turned out, Orbach not only outlasted Noth as Logan, but by season 13, he had been on the series longer than any other regular. A few stylistic changes marked season three. The "street action" was more or less cut to the bone, as was the background music. Also, in answer to viewer demand, the handheld camerawork became more steady and less distracting. One thing still remained constant from season one: the series' lack of regular female characters. At least Carolyn McCormick, in the recurring role of police psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Olivet, was spotlighted in the compelling episode "Helpless." Once again, Law & Order was honored with several Emmy nominations during the 1992-1993 season. This time out, the series copped the Emmy twice, for Elaine Stritch's guest-star turn in "Point of View" and for Constantine Makris' photography. Ratings remained steady, if not spectacular, but things would change dramatically during the next season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The biggest news surrounding Law & Order's fifth season was the acrimonious exit of series regular Michael Moriarty, who, since the program's inception, had upheld the "Order" part of the program as Executive Assistant DA Ben Stone. According to the script, Stone quit the DA's office in disgust and despair after a witness to whom he'd promised protection was murdered. In truth, Moriarty had long been dissatisfied with the diminishing amount of screen time afforded the DA's office -- and he was also worried that then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno would make good on her promise to purge network TV of "excessive violence," a move he felt would emasculate reality-based series like Law & Order. With the departure of Ben Stone, a new face was added to the series' judicial lineup: Assistant DA Sam McCoy, played by Sam Waterston. Like his colleagues, McCoy was a basically decent, but decidedly imperfect, human being; famous for walking a very thin line between ethics and legal flim-flammery, he was also a renowned womanizer, having slept with virtually all of his former law partners -- a fact that added a fascinating dimension to his relationship with State's Attorney Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy). Despite its so-so ratings, Law & Order had enough viewer support and industry clout to survive its fifth season, passing the 100-episode mark with "Progeny" (although NBC, refusing to acknowledge the existence of the series' 1990 pilot episode because it had been commissioned by CBS, insisted that "Rage" was Number 100). One indication that the series was supported by its network was the fact that the producers were given enough production money to complete 23 episodes, rather than the standard 22. In what was rapidly becoming a Law & Order tradition, the 1994-1995 season ended with the exit of still another character. In the season finale, "Pride," Detective Mike Logan Chris Noth was yanked from homicide and reduced to pounding a beat on Staten Island after punching out a homophobic councilman. In real life, producer Dick Wolf decided not to renew Noth's contract, feeling that the actor had reached the limits of his character -- and that the world-weary Mike Logan did not provide enough contrast with his equally hard-bitten, acerbic partner Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach). Although Noth never returned to the weekly version of Law & Order, he was able to persuade the series' producers to fashion a spin-off TV movie, 1998's Exiled, which tied up the loose ends of Logan's career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This six-disc set from 20th Century Fox contains every episode from the first season of the award-winning suspense series 24. All the episodes are rendered in a transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratios. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. Supplemental materials include an alternate ending for the season finale, an introduction from series star Kiefer Sutherland, and a television advertisement for season two of the show. This is a superb set for fans of the series. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Emmy-winner Tony Shalhoub stars in this premiere episode of the critically-acclaimed comedy-mystery series Monk. Afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder, Monk is unable to function within the confines of the police force. But that doesn't stop him from being a brilliant sleuth, and the police captain knows it and calls him in to assist in a high-profile murder case. Bitty Schram and Ted Levine also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Bart, Homer, and the rest of the family are back in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season. Each of these 22 episodes is presented in 1.33:1 full frame and sports solid colors and dark black levels. Since the second season of the show was in the early '90s, some imperfections abound including grain, dirt, and some bleeding colors. Otherwise, these episodes are all in very good shape. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English as well as Dolby 2.0 Surround in English and French. While 5.1 remixes are certainly welcome, The Simpsons isn't really an effects-heavy show and as such doesn't utilize a ton of directional effects. Overall the fidelity is quite low, though otherwise the mix is clear of any hiss or distortion. Also included on these discs are English and Spanish subtitles. Fox has made sure to add a few extra features onto this set, starting with commentaries on every episode by creator Matt Groening and various other crew members. Each of these are a goldmine of production information about the story and creative process, along with a lot of hearty laughs. Two music videos for the songs "Do the Bartman" and "Deep Deep Trouble" are included with optional commentary, plus two "awards show segments" featuring animated material from the Emmy Awards and American Movie Awards. Two video featurettes ("David Silverman on the Creation of an Episode" and "Interview") are fairly light peeks at the creation process with interviews by Groening and James L. Brooks. Finally there is an extensive still gallery with over 100 images of sketches and conceptual drawings. There are also some hidden extras featuring some weird foreign language clips. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide

It seems that with each subsequent DVD release of The Simpsons, 20th Century Fox successfully manages to edge up the standard in regards to both presentation and extra features -- and with the release of The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season, that trend thankfully continues. Each episode is presented as originally aired in 1.33:1 full-frame, offering bright, solid colors and little evidence of edge enhancement. The image is stable and the menus easy to navigate. Audio is presented in a selection of either closed-captioned English Dolby Digital 5.1 or Spanish or French Dolby Digital Stereo with optional English or Spanish subtitles. Though the show's visual scheme doesn't necessarily offer an abundance of directional effects, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is clean and bold throughout.

Of course, one of the main draws of each release thus far has been the bonus features, and as stated before, this one certainly doesn't disappoint. By this point, commentary on all episodes is almost expected, and creator Groening and crew serve it up with enthusiasm, wit, and entertaining insight (Groening also provides an entertaining introduction to the season). Illustrated commentary on select episodes offers the inclusion of a "telestrator" in order to give the commentary a more visual flare, but ultimately serves little purpose aside from distinguishing Patty from Selma and giving the restless creative souls a chance to doodle on the screen. For those who seek bonus features that are a bit more "hands on," animation showcases on select episodes offer a peek behind the scenes of The Simpsons as it passes through the various stages of creative visual process. It's a great learning tool for aspiring animators, with the picture-in-picture presentation giving a great feel for the various stages of animation. A look at the animatics will also be of interest to those who seek to know more about the creative process behind this enduring sitcom. Commercials offer a look at everyone's favorite yellow family as they pitch various products, and deleted scenes are fun to watch, if for nothing else than completist purposes.

Featurettes on this release are a real treat; from the controversy over the New Orleans song in "A Streetcar Named Marge" (which writer Jeff Martin claims was simply a riff on a similar tune in Sweeney Todd) to "Bush vs. Simpson" (in which Jim Brooks details the war waged by former first lady Barbara Bush and the awkward meeting that followed), it's great to hear the creative forces comment on the sometimes mixed public reaction to the wildly satirical series. A promotional piece hosted by Groening discusses the characters and appeal of the series, and fans will certainly relish the opportunity to hear the residents of Springfield speak in Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, and Castilian Spanish, thanks to a special language feature on the first episode of the season. Thanks to a great presentation and an impressive selection of bonus features, this set is a great addition to the collection of any true Simpsons fan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide