The final seasons of "Remington Steele" lead these TV shows that are new to DVD, scheduled for release on Tuesday.
"Remington Steele: Seasons Four & Five" (Fox, 1985-87, not rated, 49.98, five discs). This is the final season-and-a-half of the show that made Pierce Brosnan a star, as he and Stephanie Zimbalist banter, jet-set around the globe and solve mysteries. With help from Doris Roberts.
As Brosnan's character investigates his past in the fourth season, the show begins to run out of steam. Season 5 is really just three two-part TV movies to wrap up the series' loose ends.
Still, it's fun to see Brosnan in his pre-James Bond days.
Extras: Full frame, 27 episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"The Jeffersons: The Complete Fifth Season" (Sony, 1978-79, not rated, $29.95, three discs). Five years down the road, this sitcom is still a riot. Check out the very funny episode with Louise (Isabel Sanford), her maid Florence (Marla Gibbs) and neighbor Helen (Roxie Roker) all falling apart when they meet Billy Dee Williams.
Extras: Full frame, 24 episodes, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Jericho" (WGBH, 2005, not rated, $29.95, two discs). Another cynical English detective series with a grumpy police inspector (Robert Lindsay) who suffers from repressed memories, in this case a childhood trauma from seeing his police-officer father gunned down by mobsters. This disc has two feature-length episodes of this well-made, dark police procedural, with violence, and some brief nudity and bad language.
Extras: Widescreen, two two-part "Mystery!" episodes, 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.)
"Surface: The Complete Series" (Universal, 2005-06, not rated, $49.98, four discs). Not a bad beneath-the-ocean sci-fi tale of aliens, but it didn't complete its first season. Very "X-Files"-ish, with some interesting characters as a mysterious sea creature is discovered. Friend or foe? Unfortunately, the cliffhanger won't be resolved.
Extras: Widescreen, deleted scenes, featurette, optional English subtitles.
"The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series" (Shout! 1997-98, not rated, $34.98, three discs). "Weird Al" Yankovic stars in this amusing but short-lived network-TV Saturday-morning kids show, which seems to be channeling "Pee-wee's Playhouse." An eye-popping opening-credits sequence, animated in several different styles, kicks things off, then a nominal theme is introduced, followed by zany skits with Yankovic, his pal Harvey the Wonder Hamster, and occasional guest stars: Drew Carey, Dick Clark, Dr. Demento, Stan Freberg, Teri Garr, Barenaked Ladies, etc.
Extras: Full frame, 13 episodes, audio commentaries on each episode, art galleries, storyboards, karaoke.
"The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season" (Fox, 1996-97, not rated, $49.98, four discs). This long-running animated series is still funny and sharp in this eighth season, with a "Treehouse of Horror" episode, Mr. Burns meeting his long-lost son (Rodney Dangerfield), and an "X-Files" spoof, with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Leonard Nimoy.
Extras: Full frame, 25 episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, art galleries, language options (English, Spanish, French), subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"Full House: The Complete Fourth Season" (Warner, 1990-91, not rated, $29.98, four discs). John Stamos and Lori Loughlin get married in this season, and guests include Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Co-stars are Bob Saget, Candace Cameron, and young Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as one girl.
Extras: Full frame, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Magilla Gorilla: The Complete Series" (Warner, 1964-67, not rated, $44.98, four discs).
"Hong Kong Phooey: The Complete Series" (Warner, 1974-75, not rated, $26.99, two discs). Lower-tier animated series from Hannah-Barbera ("The Flintstones," "The Jetsons"). "Magilla" is a silly primate who becomes a news anchor, an astronaut, a football player, while "Phooey" is a karate-chopping superhero of sorts, who is by day a mild-mannered janitor. Oh, and he's a dog.
Extras: Full frame, 23 episodes ("Magilla"), 31 episodes ("Phooey"), audio commentaries ("Phooey"), featurettes, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Princess Natasha: Season One" (Anchor Bay, 2006, not rated, $14.98). Cartoon Network animated series about the title character, who is also a secret agent and undercover high school student on a mission to prevent her evil Uncle Lubek from taking over her homeland, Zoravia. Includes one never-before-seen episode.
Extras: Full frame, 11 episodes, bloopers, character gallery, trailers, chapters; DVD-Rom applications.
"The Wiggles: Wiggledancing! Live in the U.S.A." (Fox, 2006, not rated, $19.98). The popular Australian singers/dancers perform on this collection of songs from their live stage show.
Extras: Full frame, 25 songs, jukebox, featurettes, optional English subtitles.
"Dora the Explorer: We're a Team!" (Nick Jr./Paramount, 2006, not rated, $16.99). Episodes: "We're a Team!" "Baseball Boots," "Bouncing Ball," "Choo Choo."
Extras: Full frame, music video, language options (English, Spanish, French), optional English subtitles; DVD-Rom applications.
"Thomas & Friends: On Site With Thomas & Other Adventures" (Anchor Bay, 2006, not rated, $17.98).
"Thomas & Friends: Thomas, Percy & the Dragon & Other Stories" (Anchor Bay, 2006, not rated, $17.98). "On Site" has Thomas and friends on a construction site. "Dragon" has Thomas using a carnival Chinese Dragon to play a joke on Percy.
Extras: Full frame, read-alongs, sing-alongs, interactive games, optional English subtitles, chapters; DVD-Rom applications.
"McKids Adventures: Get Up and Go With Ronald" (Warner, 2006, not rated, $14.98).
"McKids Adventures: Treasure Hunt With Ronald" (Warner, 2006, not rated, $14.98). Aimed at kids ages 2-5, this live-action series has the red-headed McDonalds clown encouraging kids to get out and enjoy the world. Educational videos, or commercials for Big Macs?
Extras: Full frame, featurettes, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish).
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com