The Universe: The Complete Series Mega-set (Blu-ray Review)
April 12th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
For those of you that aren’t aware of the show, The Universe is a documentary series that premiered in 2007 on The History Channel that explains astronomical concepts and objects through the use of computer generated graphics and a group of experts whose expertise includes astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics. The Universe does a great job covering many aspects of science and future possibilities and making it accessible for average viewers. This sixteen disc mega-set contains all five seasons of this fantastic show.
How would you like some acting lessons from such dramatic heavyweights as Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, and David Suchet? As impossible as that may seem, that’s exactly what you get when you watch Playing Shakespeare since each of these performers are on hand to assist Royal Shakespeare Company’s Associate Director John Barton in teaching the essentials to performing Shakespeare’s plays. 
For those of you that haven’t seen the show, Mad Men focuses on the lives of New York advertising men and women. Set in the turbulent 60s, these men and women navigate the burgeoning new world changing around them and everything that comes with it. The show has won multiple awards, including thirteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. In addition, it is the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning it in 2008, 2009, and 2010. 
So a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost move in together. It sounds like the makings of a bar joke, doesn’t it? It’s actually the basis for the Syfy channel’s Being Human, a show that is anything but a joke. Originally a product of the UK, Being Human has made its way to the US and Canada with a new cast courtesy of the Syfy channel with its first season airing now. So what exactly does this show bring to the table and who’s in it?
One of the most popular and successful British drama series in television history, Upstairs, Downstairs: Series One tells the story of the aristocratic Bellamy’s and the servants that support them. Upstairs, Downstairs is the winner of seven Emmy Awards, two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. 
Serving as a warmup and placeholder for the upcoming Avengers movie, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is coming to DVD on April 26, 2011. This action-packed superhero series features Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Wasp, and The Hulk. There’s also appearances from the Fantastic Four and some of the other heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe. 
Have you ever wondered where your family came from? Or whether or not there were any scoundrels or perhaps royalty in your bloodline? I know I have and that’s why I wanted to review this. The shows format is simple: get some famous people and have some genealogists help them track down their historical relatives. For this first season the stars are: Lisa Kudrow, Brooke Shields, Emmitt Smith, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Spike Lee, and Susan Sarandon. 
My all time favorite mini-series is Band of Brothers hands down. So when I heard that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were gearing up to make The Pacific, I was ecstatic. While Band of Brothers took place in the European Theater, The Pacific focuses on our war with Japan and the brutal fighting done island by island on the way to Japan. When the series was finally released, I signed up for a trial period with HBO just to watch it. 
Most parents that have young children and the Disney Channel are aware of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse television show aimed at pre-schoolers. My son has loved the show his whole life so of course I’ve already seen every episode tons of times, so I was happy to to be given a chance to review something that my son could watch with me for a change.
Last year during the inaugural season of Fox’s smash hit Glee, the show paid homage to one of the most controversial and popular performers in our midst today; Lady Gaga. Performing her hits such as “Bad Romance” and a playful ballad rendition of “Poker Face,” the cast proficiently carried her work to their show. So what’s next in store for the musical comedy? 
The only thing better than Billy the Exterminator Season One is Billy the Exterminator Season Two! Right? To be completely honest, Season Two doesn’t have a lot of new things in it, but that is okay. More Billy the Exterminator is a very good thing. Season Two was just as entertaining as Season One.
The World at War is without question, the definitive historical documentary account of World War II. The scope and breadth of this documentary series is unparalleled as it covers events from 1933 through the war’s end in 1945. Commissioned by Thames Television in 1969, it took four years to assemble all of the footage (including some rare footage in color) and it ended up costing what would now cost around $12 million dollars to produce. 
The estrogen network, aka Lifetime, brings you the fourth season of Army Wives on a four disc DVD set. The show is based on the novel Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank and it offers a look at a life in the military for the soldiers and how it affects their family. 
A&E brings you Billy the Exterminator, my new favorite reality show. As the title suggests, Billy Bretherton is an exterminator. He runs the family business, Vex Con – a very busy company located in Lousiana. Billy and his team remove everything from cockroaches to alligators and it does not appear as though he ever turns down a job. Billy and his family are as white trash as they come, but somehow it’s part of their charm. 
[Initial Note: I am not one to write TV reviews often, but seeing as how I was anticipating this series for a long time and was able to write about the season premiere, I felt it was right to put up my thoughts on the finale of this first season. That being said, this review 
