Saddle up TV fans, there’s just over six weeks until Christmas and that means it’s time for our annual Holiday Gift Guide for TV Fans.
2013 Holiday Gift Guide for TV Fans
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Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of the Doctor (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD Combo)
PRICE: $29.98
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comNever let it be said that BBC leaves any money on the table when it comes to “Doctor Who.” The heavily anticipated 50th Anniversary special, “The Day of The Doctor” hits in just a few days on BBC America, but it will be released as a special combo pack on December 10 that will include the DVD, the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D!
There’s also a few behind-the-scenes featurettes and some extras including “The Night of The Doctor” short that featured the return of Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor!
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Difficult Men: Behind The Scenes of a Creative Revolution
PRICE: $27.95
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comLast year, we picked Alan Sepinwall’s excellent book, The Revolution Was Televised for its verbal history of the current Golden Age in television. Brett Martin’s Difficult Men: Behind The Scenes of a Creative Revolution offers a heavier focus on some of the iconic cable series including “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.”
There is some overlap with Sepinwall’s book, but Martin interviewed most of the major showrunners from this era of television and it makes for some fascinating reading. If you’re curious about how some of the greatest TV shows were made, this book is for you.
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Robotech: The Complete Set
PRICE: $89.98
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comIf you’re a fan of classic animated series, then you’ve probably heard of “Robotech.” Originally released as three separate animated shows in Japan, “Robotech” cobbled together the disparate storylines into a single narrative that holds up surprisingly well.
This set features remastered editions of all 85 episodes from the original series and two of the follow-up movies: The Shadow Chronicles and Love Live Alive. This is old school anime at its best.
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Hannibal: Season One
PRICE DVD: $39.98
PRICE Blu-ray: $39.97
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.com“Hannibal” is a show that’s so well done that it feels too good for NBC.
Mads Mikkelsen makes Hannibal Lecter his own and he has a worthy opponent in Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham. This series has an amazing style that actually manages to shock and push the boundaries of network television.
This set even has the so-called “lost” episode of “Hannibal” that was pulled from the broadcast order, in addition to a few special features. But the show itself is quite special and “Hannibal” deserves to be served up with a Christmas side dish of fava beans and a nice chianti.
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Burn Notice: The Complete Series
PRICE: $149.98
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comSomewhere between “24” and “Strike Back” falls “Burn Notice,” the recently concluded USA action series that followed Jeffrey Donovan’s Michael Westen as he attempted to reclaim his life as a spy and his reputation while leading a modern day A-Team including his ex-girlfriend, Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar), Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) and Jesse Porter (Coby Bell).
All seven seasons of “Burn Notice” are included with a few special features as well.
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Farscape: The Complete Series
PRICE DVD: $129.95
PRICE Blu-ray: $149.95
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.com“Farscape” is hidden gem of a TV series that was underappreciated in its time. If you’re any kind of sci-fi fan, you owe it to yourself to check out this series. Ben Browder stars as John Crichton, an astronaut who finds himself stuck on the far side of the universe alongside escaped prisoners from different alien worlds as they come to rely on each other to survive.
The Jim Henson Company created amazing alien creatures that seem far more real than any CGI creation. “Farscape” was breathtaking television that could be alternately suspenseful, touching, thrilling and balls-to-the-wall crazy.
In other words, you’ll love it. There’s 88 episodes here and a lot of special features. The only thing missing is a proper ending. But the follow-up miniseries, "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" isn’t that hard to find if you want it.
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The Walking Dead Season 3 Limited Edition [Blu-ray]
PRICE: $149.99
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.com“The Walking Dead” really came together in the third season as the show’s creative team hit its stride with the introduction of The Governor (David Morrissey) and the town of Woodbury. The writers of this show also seemed very aware of which characters weren’t clicking with the audience before dispatching them with gruesome fates.
If you just want the episodes and special features, you have cheaper options. But the Zombie Head Tank limited edition is amazing. Based on the Governor’s collection of zombie heads, the replica that comes with this set is worth the price alone. It’s creepy as hell, but cool to look at.
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Fringe: The Complete Series
PRICE DVD: $159.96
PRICE Blu-ray: $197.50
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.com“Fringe” was underappreciated when it was on Fox, but it featured stories that were among the best written episodes on TV.
Imagine a modern day take on “The X-Files” if Chris Carter knew where he was going with the story all along. That’s not to say that “Fringe” didn’t hit a few hiccups in the final season, but the show had an astonishingly fantastic run from the second season through the end of the fourth. And the first and fifth seasons are also very good.
Joshua Jackson is so compelling on “Fringe” that you’ll forgive him for “Dawson’s Creek” and Anna Torv was a revelation as Olivia Dunham... and even better as Olivia’s alternate counterpart. The great John Noble also had outstanding run as the mad scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop. And even sci-fi icon Leonard Nimoy pops up a few times during “Fringe” despite his self-imposed retirement from acting.
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Breaking Bad: The Complete Series
PRICE Blu-ray: $299.99
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comWe’ll be the first to admit that Breaking Bad: The Complete Series is pretty damn pricey. If you just want the episodes, you may be better off with the single season sets or Netflix.
However, this complete edition has a few irresistible touches including a replica money barrel to hold all of the disks, a Los Pollos Hermanos apron and a “Breaking Bad” collectible booklet as well as a new documentary about the making of the final season.
“Breaking Bad” is TV at its finest and easily among the all time greats. If you want to own the entire series, this is a very worthy way to do it.
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Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset
PRICE Blu-ray: $349.98
BUY IT NOW!: Amazon.comStrictly for the "Doctor Who" fan whom you love very, very much. All seven seasons of the “Doctor Who” revival are here along with every “Doctor Who” special except for the upcoming “Day of The Doctor.” Otherwise, this set is as complete as it gets.
Among the extras are a “Doctor Who” comic book and a replica Sonic screwdriver that doubles as universal TV remote!
