Follow-up seasons of "I Love Lucy," "Taxi," "Cheers" and "Frasier" lead off the new DVDs of TV series scheduled for release on Tuesday.
"I Love Lucy: The Complete Third Season" (Paramount, 1953-54, not rated, b/w, $54.99, five discs). Tennessee Ernie Ford turns up during this season as "Cousin Ernie," and he's very funny — as are classic episodes that have Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) getting golf lessons from Ricky (Desi Arnaz) and Fred (William Frawley), and Lucy having to go 24 hours without telling a fib, among others.
The episodes are beautifully restored and, as usual, there are also plenty of bonus features for "Lucy" fans, from bloopers to audio episodes from "I Love Lucy's" predecessor, the radio show "My Favorite Husband."
Extras: Full frame, 31 episodes, lost scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, original animated openings, guest-cast biographies, script excerpts, promotional spots, language options (English, Spanish), subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"Taxi: The Complete Second Season" (Paramount, 1979-80, not rated, $38.99, four discs). The very funny second season of this classic sitcom, which already had a great ensemble cast, gets a boost from brain-fried Vietnam veteran and sometime reverend Jim Ignatowski — thanks to Christopher Lloyd's hysterical performance, long before Doc Brown of "Back to the Future."
But there is also plenty of funny material for Alex (Judd Hirsch), Elaine (Marilu Henning), Louie (Danny DeVito), Tony (Tony Danza) and Latka (Andy Kaufman). This season also introduces Latka's girlfriend Simka (the delightful Carol Kane), and even Louie finds romance (with his real-life wife Rhea Perlman, of "Cheers").
Extras: Full frame, 24 episodes, chapters.
"Cheers: The Complete Fourth Season" (Paramount, 1985-86, not rated, $38.99, four discs). This is the season that introduced Woody the bartender, hilariously played by Woody Harrelson as a sweet-natured dim-bulb. We also meet the stiff-necked, emotionless Dr. Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth), who would become a semi-regular and eventually marry Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer).
And there is the usual concentration on the on-again, off-again romance between Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long), the irascible Carla (Rhea Perlman), and the goofy banter between barflies Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger).
Extras: Full frame, 26 episodes, chapters.
"Frasier: The Complete Fourth Season" (Paramount, 1996-97, not rated, $38.99, four discs). "Frasier" was still a very funny show in its fourth season, as psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) continued to search for true love, and his brother Niles (the hysterical David Hyde Pierce) continued to moon over Daphne (Jane Leeves).
Even their father Martin (John Mahoney) finds love, albeit temporarily, with the down-to-earth Sherry (Marsha Mason, who earned an Emmy nomination). Still, the two funniest characters in many of these episodes continue to be Eddie the dog and the talked-about but never-seen Maris, Niles' wife.
Extras: Full frame, 23 episodes, chapters.
"Charmed: The Complete First Season" (Paramount, 1998-99, not rated, $49.99, six discs). Three sisters, reunited at a Victorian mansion in San Francisco, discover they are descended from a long line of witches. As they learn to draw on their magical powers (which are stronger when they work together), they also find themselves newly susceptible to the powers of darkness.
In the opener, the sisters — Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) — dispatch a warlock. And from there, it's more "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"-style adventures, with deadpan humor.
Fun for fans of supernatural yarns, though not nearly as stylish or engaging as "Buffy."
Extras: Full frame, 22 episodes, chapters.
"Degrassi Junior High: Season 1" (WGBH, 1986, not rated, $39.95, three discs). This half-hour PBS series attempts to tell stories about teens from a teen point of view, getting into such serious issues as drug use, puberty, death in the family, rumors, etc. Authentic in many ways and good for starting discussions between kids and parents, if you can get past the weak performances and production values.
Extras: Full frame, 13 episodes, bonus videos, trivia, wallpaper, printable materials for educators, optional English subtitles, chapters. (If you can't find this title in a local store, it can be ordered by phone at 800-949-8670, or on the Web at shop.wgbh.org)
"Superman: The Animated Series: Volume One" (Warner, 1996-97, not rated, $26.99, two discs).
"Batman: The Animated Series: Volume Two" (Warner, 1993-94, not rated, $44.98, four discs). These two sets are first-rate collector's items for animation buffs, with a retro-art style and imaginative stories, utilizing villains from the original comics. The "Batman" TV series remains superior, but the "Superman" set is still fun.
Extras: Full frame, 18 "Superman" episodes, 28 "Batman" episodes, audio commentary (on four episodes each), making-of featurettes, language and subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Balto III: Wings of Change" (Universal, 2005, G, $19.98). The heroic dog — think Lassie in Alaska — races an airplane pilot for mail/supply delivery, with voices by Sean Astin, Keith Carradine, Jean Smart and Kathy Najimy.
Extras: Full frame, interactive game, trailers, language and subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com