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EXTRAS: Season 1 extras include "A South Park Thanksgiving," and music videos for Cartman's "O Holy Night" and Ned's "O Little Town of Bethleham." Season 2: the "Goin' Down to South Park" documentary and Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls" music video. Seasons 3 through 5 feature brief commentary by the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which is just as irreverent as the show itself, only with more cussing.
LOOK FOR: Think you know all there is to know about South Park? To find out, check out: www.southparkstudios.com.
- Sam Boykin
KING OF THE HILL
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Hank Hill, wife Peggy, son Bobby, Peggy's niece Luanne Platter, and Hank's alley-dwelling, beer-swigging buddies Dale Gribble, Bill Dauterive, and Boomhauer. Broadcast 1997-Present.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Season 1-3.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: The show satirizes suburbia's tastes and sensibilities with relatively gentle, clever and more often than not, funny insight. Hank, the honest and dignified patriarch of the Hill clan, is a salesman of propane and propane accessories in Arlen, Texas. His is a world of lawn mower focus groups, backyard barbecues, football, and trying to cope with his wacky family and friends.
BEST SEASON: King of the Hill grew smarter, funnier and more assured with each subsequent season. Season 3, though, kicking off with the finale of the cliffhanger "Death of a Propane Salesman," in which Luanne loses her monosyllabic boyfriend and her hair. Another great episode is "Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men," where the guys attend a lawn mower focus group and Bill utters the great line: "What I'm going to say next will rock your world: I like the cup holder."
EXTRAS: Season 1's extras include in-character commentary on various episodes, deleted scenes, becoming "King of the Hill" featurette, alternate music themes and a Barenaked Ladies music video. Season 2 features director introductions and in-character commentaries, as well as an "animation evolution" featurette, deleted/extended scenes, "Music Inspired By The Hills" and two animated music videos and eight static pages with music. Surprisingly, the Emmy Award-winning third season has no extras.
LOOK FOR: Check out the official King of the Hill website at: www.fox.com/kingofthehill.
- Sam Boykin
ROCKY & BULLWINKLE & FRIENDS
WHO AND WHEN: Starring Rocky the flying squirrel, Bullwinkle the moose, villainous spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, along with Mr. Peabody, his boy Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, and various fairytale characters. Originally broadcast by ABC and NBC 1959-1964.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Seasons 1 and 2.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: Before there was South Park, before there was The Simpsons, heck, before there was The Flintstones, there was Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, perhaps the first animated TV series to incorporate smart, witty, subversive humor that appealed to both kids and adults. Implementing a variety show format with a backdrop of the US-Soviet "space race" and the Cold War, the show follows the adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle as they thwart the evil plans of Boris and Natasha. There are also droll and witty shorts like "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Peabody's Improbable History."
BEST SEASON: Seasons 1 and 2 are equally strong, featuring oddball characters, great voices and strong, multilayered writing.
EXTRAS: Short segments featuring the rarely seen Bullwinkle puppet called "Dear Bullwinkle," classic commercial and promos, and the many faces of Boris Badenov.
- Sam Boykin
THE CRITIC
WHO AND WHEN: Starring film reviewer Jay Sherman, his parents Frankin and Eleanor, and his boss Duke Phillips. Originally broadcast on ABC and Fox 1994-1995.
SEASONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON DVD: Both seasons in one box set.
WHAT'S SO GREAT?: This animated series about a movie critic was produced by a couple of the guiding lights on The Simpsons, and similarly offered big laughs while taking shots at staples of pop culture. A flop when it first aired, it's maintained a small but loyal following, and the DVD set rewards the faithful by including all 23 episodes from the show's two seasons. Jon Lovitz provides the voice for short, pudgy critic Jay Sherman; his catchphrase is "It stinks!" but the series itself decidedly does not.
