Plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara(Dylan Walsh)and Dr. Christian Troy(Julian McMahon)have been best friends since college, and run one of the best and most profitable practices in all of Florida. However, their personal lives often get in the way. Sean's marriage to his wife Julia(Joely Richardson)is on the rocks and he has trouble connecting with his teenage son Matt(John Hensley)which causes Sean to begin going through a mid-life crisis. Christian is a ladies man who has seemingly slept with half of the women in Florida. His "love them then leave them" lifestyle often gets him into trouble. Christian also lacks ethics, drinks too much, and is willing to operate on just about anyone to keep the money rolling in. Each episode of Nip/Tuck deals with a particular patient that Sean and Christian are operating on, along with everything that is going on in their personal lives as well.

When I first heard about Nip/Tuck I was highly skeptical because a show that is based on plastic surgery does not sound all that entertaining. However, if there was ever a time to apply the rule of "never judge a book by its cover" it is with this show. Even though the effects of the sugeries themselves are groundbreaking and extremely graphic, there is only about 10-15 minutes of actual plastic surgery in each episode. What makes Nip/Tuck such a great show, is the fact that the storytelling and episode quality is so good that it is almost unreal. While the patients that Sean and Christian operate on differ from episode to episode, the overall story of what is happening in their personal lives manages to continue and build throughout the season. For a show that is supposed to deal with something as superficial as plastic surgery, Nip/Tuck has incredible depth to it. Actors Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon seem like they were made for the show, and manage to bring Sean and Christian to life with their amazing performances. Nip/Tuck is also as addictive as any show I have ever seen. Each episode you are hooked from the time you hear the show's wonderful catch phrase "tell me what you don't like about yourself" to the end credits. Last but not least, is the wonderful music that the show features. You get everything from songs of the 80's to current hit music. The soundtrack is definately one worth owning.

Overall, Nip/Tuck is definately one of the best shows on television today. You get everything from great performances and wonderful music, to amazing special effects and top notch storytelling. I was extremely happy when the first season of the show came to DVD. Not only do you get all thirteen episodes commercial free, but wonderful bonus features as well. There are three featurettes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

Up until a few months ago, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. However, now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. Right off the bat, I was hooked immediately and with each passing season the show became established in my eyes as one of the best and most addictive sci-fi shows ever created. After seeing the first five seasons, I didn't think that season five could be topped, because it did not have one bad episode. I was also somewhat skeptical about season six, because of how many fans that said the show went downhill after the show left Vancouver to be shot in Los Angeles. I just finished with the sixth season, and it feels like the move to L.A. was a blessing in disguise. The sixth season is without a doubt the best season I have seen so far.

The thing that suprised me the most about season six, was the fact that there were only three mythology episodes in "Two Fathers", "One Son", and "Biogenesis". Season six was the first season to be built almost solely upon stand alone episodes. However, the three episodes did such a wonderful job with the mythology of the show, that three episodes was all that season six needed. In fact, a season that was mainly comprised of stand alone episodes was definately a nice change of pace. Season six is filled with some of the best episodes of the entire show like "Triangle", "Dreamland" pts 1&2, "Monday" and "The Unnatural". Other episodes worth mentioning are "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" in which two ghosts try and convince Mulder and Scully to kill each other, "Arcadia" in which Mulder and Scully pose as a newly married couple, and "Drive" in which Mulder is trapped in a car with a man who forces Mulder to drive at high speeds to suppress a fatal ear condition.

Overall, season six of the X-Files managed to be even better than the fifth season and is now my favorite season. With top notch mythology episodes and fantastic stand alone episodes, this DVD set would be worth owning just for the season itself. However, the extras are also great as well. You get two featurettes, deleted scenes, commentary on "Triangle" and "Milagro", and more.

A solid 5 stars...

Quinn Mallory ( Jerry O Connel)is trying to create an anti-gravity device and accidentally creates a device that opens up a portal. His physics professor Maximillian P. Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), and his girlfriend Wade Wells (Sabrina Lloyd) want to accompany Quinn through the portal to see where it leads. A washed up singer named Rembrant Brown (Cleavant Derricks)is also accidentally dragged along for the ride, when he is walking buy and sucked through the portal with them. Quinn and the rest of the group "slide" to another dimension of earth. The Sliders soon realize that they would much rather return back to their own dimension, but things are not that easy. Once you have entered through the portal, you have to keep traveling to different dimensions of earth to find the right one that will lead back home. Each episode deals with Quinn, Professor Arturo, Wade, and Rembrant exploring each dimension to find their way back to their own dimension. Unfortunately, once the Sliders have entered a particular dimension, there is only a limited amount of time to reopen the portal, and there are only a few select places within each dimension they can do it from. Finding the right place to open the portal is often a challenge to the group because each dimension is different than their own, and can be life threatening at times.

I have heard people often refer to Sliders as a rip off of Quantum Leap. While Quantum Leap was a better show, Sliders is completely different. Quinn, Professor Arturo, Wade, and Rembrant are not traveling through time. They are traveling through other dimensions of earth that differ from their own. This is what makes the show so great, because it is very interesting to see how each dimension will be different than the next. The show also offers tons of suspense. There is a "race against the clock" type feel due to the fact that the group only has a limited amount of time to find one of the few places within the dimension they can "slide" from. Jerry O Connel and the rest of the cast were excellent in their roles, and it is their performances that make the show so entertaining, especially the performance given from Cleavant Derricks as Rembrant Brown. The funniest thing about his character, is that Rembrant never asked to go with them, and was dragged along accidentally. So he often complains about each situation which usually provides for a lot of laughs.

Unfortunately, Sliders did not manage to stay great for the entire run of the show. I have to agree with many of the fans and say that the show went seriously downhill during season three when Professor Arturo left the show. Seasons four and five would become even worse, because the show left FOX to air on the Sci-Fi channel, and by the end of the show, Rembrant was the only original character left. However, the first two seasons of Sliders are what make the show rank among the top of any television show in the sci-fi genre. The best thing about this DVD package, is the fact that you get the two best seasons of the show in one set. While it is a shame that the extras are somewhat limited, this set is worth owning just for the episodes themselves.

A solid 5 stars...

The first season establishes that Buffy Summers ( Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a vampire slayer and that she must protect Sunnydale due to the fact that it is on what is refered to as a Hellmouth. The school librarian Rupert Giles ( Anthony Stewart Head) is introduced as Buffy's watcher who guides and trains her for her upcoming battles with the evil of Sunnydale. Buffy becomes friends with Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendan)and Willow Rosenburg ( Alyson Hannigan)who quickly learn of Buffy's situation, and decide to help save the lives of those in Sunnydale by working along side Buffy and Giles. Buffy also meets and begins to fall for a vampire with a soul named Angel (David Boreanaz)who also helps Buffy out from time to time. The main conflict of season one, is Buffy and her friends preparing to fight the master vampire of Sunnydale, who plans on releasing hell on earth by opening up the Hellmouth.

When I first heard about Buffy the Vampire Slayer being turned into a weekly television show, I was as skeptical as everyone else. However, you could tell that the show was going to become a good one after the very first episode. Show creator Joss Whedon managed to cast each character perfectly, and also managed to provide excellent dialogue for the characters, great special effects, and tons of action, suspense, and humor. Even though the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably the weakest one, you can't really hold anything against the first season either because there was only 12 episodes. You have to look at the first season as more of a stepping stone that leads to something great. The best episodes from the first season are "Welcome to the Hellmouth", "The Harvest", "Angel", "Nightmares", and "Prophecy Girl".

Overall, the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer offers a very decent start to the show, as well as some quality episodes. The special features for the season one DVD set include - commentary from Joss Whedon on the first two episodes, as well as interviews from Joss on several episodes.

A solid 4 stars...

After the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fans knew that the show could only get better, and season two definately brought the show to a whole new level. Season two had so many things working for it, from the introduction of my favorite character Spike and Buffy's relationship with Angel heating up, to the introduction of Angel's darkside Angelus who turned out to be one of the show's greatest villans. Now season two is very good and I definately enjoyed it. However, I also feel that the season is overrated because many fans of the show think that season two is the show's best season, when seasons three, five, and six were much better overall. I mean, let's be honest here. There were some really bad episodes in this season like - "Some Assembly Required", "Ted", "Reptile Boy", "Inca Mummy Girl", "Bad Eggs", and "Go Fish". In order for a season to be worthy of a five star rating, it needs to be great from start to finish, with a minimum number of bad episodes.

The second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer does feature some wonderful episodes however that manage to make up for season two's shortcomings. "School Hard" is one of my all time favorite episodes because it introduced my favorite character Spike. The bad ass leather clad vampire proved to be so popular, that the writers ended up keeping him around for the rest of the show. The classic episode "Halloween" has everyone turn into whatever they dressed up as for Halloween. "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" is another one of my all time favorites and is definately a candidate for funniest episode ever. When Cordelia dumps Xander on Valentine's Day, he seeks help in a witch at Suunydale High named Amy to cast a spell on Cordelia to make her fall in love with him. Unfortunately, Xander ends up becoming the object of every woman's affection in Sunnydale. The two best Buffy/Angel episodes of the entire show are "Suprise" and "Innocence" in which their relationship ascends to a new level, and we are introduced to Angel's darkside Angelus who turns out to be one of the best villans ever. Season two comes to an amazing conclusion in "Becoming" parts 1&2. Other episodes worth mentioning are "What's My Line" parts 1&2, "Passion", "Phases", and "I Only Have Eyes of You".

Even though season two is not quite as good as a lot of people claim, it is still a highly enjoyable and definately worth owning. What really makes the season two DVD set special is the bonus features. The set has many featurettes and interviews, as well as commentary on several episodes.

A solid 4 stars...

The growing trend up until this point was that Buffy the Vampire Slayer seemed to get better after each season. The first season was a great start to the show, the second season was amazing, and the third season somehow managed to become even better. Over the course of the rest of the show, there would be some fantastic seasons. But, season three has managed to remain the best season of the entire show.

The relationship between Buffy and Angel is brought to a whole new level in this season, because of the events that took place in season two. Season three also introduced a beautiful and renegade slayer named Faith(Eliza Dushku) whose love for killing would eventually cause her to become an excellent villan, as well as the evil mayor of Sunnydale ( Harry Groener)that would definately practice the age old metaphor of "killing people with kindness". The suspense for season three is intense, because there is a countdown throughout the season that comes to a head on Graduation Day in which the mayor wishes to ascend to a higher level of being to destroy the world. There were so many great episodes in season three, that it is hard to choose a favorite. There were so many in fact, that 20 out of the 22 episodes were fantastic. The overall direction of season three was fantastic, and each episode seemed to build off the last one. Among season three's best episodes are - "The Wish" ( my all time favorite episode), "Dopplegangland","The Zeppo","Lover's Walk", "Band Candy", "Homecoming", "Lover's Walk", "Revelations", "Amends", "Earshot", "Prom", and "Graduation Day" PTS.1&2.

Overall, this is a must for any fan of the show. This would be worth owning just for the season itself. However, the DVD set is fantastic as well. You get commentary on several episodes, as well as five featurettes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

With the first three seasons of the show, the trend seemed to be that Buffy the Vampire Slayer got better after each season. Season one was a good start to the series, season two was amazing, and season three managed to somehow be even better. That is why I had high hopes for season four. It seemed like the show would be in for a nice change of pace with Angel and Cordelia gone, as well as the setting moving from high school to college. Unfortunately, the progress of the show manages to take a step back from the stellar third season. With how good the show would become in seasons 5-7, I would even go as far to say that season four was the show at its weakest.

Season four, had three major downfalls. One of the main reasons why each season seemed to be better than the last was because of an excellent main villan. The first season had The Master, the second season had Angelus, and season three had The Mayor. They all made each season exciting and suspenseful. In season four however, the main villan Adam, was a part machine, part demon, and part human hybrid that provided no charisma at all, and he was quite boring. Season four's second downfall was Buffy's love interest Riley. After watching Buffy's passionate relationship with Angel, there is no way that Riley could complete, and he is probably the most boring character to ever come out of the show. Season four's main downfall would come in the form of a military organization called the Iniative, in which Riley and other soldiers would hunt down monsters. Now instead of Buffy, Willow, Xander, and OZ working together as they did in the past, Buffy becomes a part of the Iniative to work with Riley. The show's best feature is the relationship between the Scooby gang, and season four strayed away from that aspect of the show somewhat.

Now even though season four was argulably the show's weakest season, it was still an enjoyable season to watch. In fact, it does feature some of the show's best episodes in "Hush", "Fear Itself", "Something Blue", "A New Man", the return of Faith in "This Year's Girl"/"Who are You", "Primeval" and the season four finale "Restless". The DVD set itself was also very good and was packed full of featurettes and commentary on several episodes. Fans of the show may be slightly dissapointed with the direction of season four, but with some great episodes and a nice DVD set, this is still a must for any fan of the show.

A solid 4 stars...

Up until very recently, I was extremely skeptical about this show for two different reasons. The first and most obvious reason was because Anthony Michael Hall played the lead character. Most people including myself have only seen Anthony play nerdy characters in John Hughes movies, and other roles in unknown "B" films. The second reason why I was always skeptical, was because I figured that there was no way that a weekly television show could be made dealing with the characters from Stephen King's book and the film, because it is a story that is pretty specific and hard to stretch out. However, after I finished watching the first season of The Dead Zone, I became instantly hooked. But, going into the second season, I never could have prepared myself for how much better the show could get.

Once again, the second season of The Dead Zone lets Anthony Michael Hall show that he is a very decent actor that deserves to be taken seriously. He does such a wonderful job as Johnny Smith. Anthony makes the character extremely believeable and easy to connect with. The show also features a great mix of romance, drama, and suspense with all of the visions that Johnny receives, as well as Johnny trying to deal with the fact that the woman he loves is married to someone else. It is also great to see Johnny try and connect with his son, who has no idea that Johnny is his father. In the first season, Johnny's son would not even talk to him. Season two has Johnny and his son starting to become friends and bond more. The second season also manages to be even better than the first season in terms of episode quality and overall storytelling. In the second season, there is 19 episodes and there was only one episode that I could not get into. Every other episode grabbed my attention from the beginning and did not let go until the end credits. The second season of the show establishes that The Dead Zone is the most addictive and well done science fiction show since The X-Files. The second season of The Dead Zone is so addictive in fact, that I went through all 19 episodes over the span of two days.

Overall, the second season of The Dead Zone offers a fantastic array of quality episodes and wonderful performances from all the actors involved. This set offers one of the best seasons I have ever seen from any television program. It also offers outstanding picture and sound quality as well as tons of great extras. My favorite feature was definately the interviews with all the guest stars. It was very interesting to hear their take on the show and their roles. You also get deleted scenes and more.

A solid 5 stars...

Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. Now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. After watching the first four seasons on DVD I have become a huge fan, and in my opinion The X-Files is one of the most addictive and well done science fiction shows ever created. However, the only five star season that was great from start to finish, was the third season. Going into season five, I never expected to see a season of The X-Files that could manage to overcome season three in terms of storytelling and episode quality. I was wrong. The fifth season was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every single episode, and I doubt that any season for the rest of the show will be able to top it.

The thing that I probably enjoyed the most about season five, is that Mulder and Scully switch roles. Based on what he learns at the end of season four, Mulder turns somewhat skeptical and comes to think that everything he believed in was a lie, while Scully starts to become more of a believer based on things she discovers about her abduction. The fifth season offers so many wonderful episodes, it is hard to choose a favorite. The first two episodes "Redux" and "Redux II" offer a wonderful conclusion to the season four cliffhanger. One of my favorite episodes "Unusual Suspects" goes into how the Lone Gunmen came to be. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is loosely based on the Frankenstien monster, and is shot in black and white. This was definately one of the best episodes I have seen so far. Everything from the writing and cinematography, to the music used was fantastic. "Bad Blood" is the funniest and most entertaining episode of The X-Files that I have ever seen, and will probably go down as being my favorite episode of the entire show. "The End" is the best season finale of the show that I have seen so far, and is definately on my top ten list for best episodes.

Overall, the fifth season of The X-Files is the best season I have seen so far. While there were only 20 episodes, each one managed to be fantastic. The fifth season would be worth owning for the episodes alone. However, the DVD package is great. This was the first DVD set to offer the episodes in widescreen! The extras are very good as well. My favorite feature was the 45 minute "Inside the X-Files" featurette. It was very in-depth and featured tons of great information. You also get deleted scenes with commentary from series creator Chris Carter, commentary on the episodes "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and "The Pine Bluff Variant" from the writer of those particular episodes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

The X-Files "Fight the Future" takes place after the end of season five when the X-Files have been shut down. FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson) are assigned to a Federal building in Dallas to locate a bomb. Unfortunately, the bomb goes off before it can be defused, and an FBI agent as well as three fireman and a boy are killed in the explosion. The FBI needs someone to blame for what happened and look to Mulder and Scully. Wanting to find out what really happened to save their careers, Mulder starts searching for clues. He soon encounters a paranoid doctor ( Martin Landau) who reveals to Mulder a conspiracy dealing with a deadly virus that could be alien in origin - and capable of destroying all life on earth. Mulder and Scully are soon forced to put their careers and lives on the line, when they are pitted against a powerful group of men known as the Syndicate, who are somehow connected with the virus and willing to kill to keep their secrets safe.

The X-Files film "Fight the Future" offers a very enjoyable transition from the television series to the big screen. I first saw the film, back when it was released in theaters. I had never seen a single episode from the show, and even though there were some things I did not understand, like who the Lone Gunmen were, the Syndicate's role in the overall conspiracy, etc., the film managed to entertain me. Now that the prices on the DVD sets for the show have been reduced, I was able to go back and finally watch the first five seasons. I recently watched the film again, and I really enjoyed it because I was finally able to understand all the smaller details that eluded me the first time around. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are in fine form once again as Mulder and Scully. Martin Landau was very good as well. Fans of the show will be happy with the film, because it does a very good job expanding on the overall mythology, as well as bringing in characters from the show like Assitant Director Skinner played by Mitch Pillegi, the Lone Gunmen, and the Cigarette Smoking Man played by William Davis. The special effects, action sequences, and suspense this film brings will entertain people who have never seen the show.

In my opinion, "Fight the Future" can be enjoyed by hardcore fans of the show, as well as a person who has never seen the show. I know this from experience because I was able to watch the film from both points of view. In fact, it was seeing the film the first time around that made me want to watch the show in the first place. The DVD itself offers top notch picture and sound quality, as well as commentary from Chris Carter, and an in-depth featurette on the making of the movie and the transition from the show to the big screen.

A solid 5 stars...