These widely disparate TV shows, all new to DVD, are led by a British documentary on the Bible that offers archaeological evidence about its origins and history.
"Testament" (Athena, 1988, three discs, $59.99). Egyptologist and archaeologist John Romer travels to digs in Jericho, Jerusalem and other areas steeped in biblical history to investigate the motives and methods of the writers, as well as those who have changed it over the centuries. The emphasis is on physical evidence, but faith is also discussed.
Extras: full frame, seven episodes, text biographies; 20-page booklet
"George Gently: Series 2" (Acorn, 2009, four discs, $59.99). The title character is yet another world-weary detective, this one investigating murders in Britain's North Country during the turbulent 1960s. The drawing power here is Martin Shaw, who wonderfully brings the former Scotland Yard sleuth to life as he unravels complex, sometimes seedy mysteries.
Extras: widescreen, four feature-length episodes, text interviews/production notes
"Flashpoint: The Second Season" (CBS/Paramount, 2009, two discs, $42.99). Enrico Colantoni ("Veronica Mars," "Just Shoot Me") is great as the in-charge leader of a Canadian SWAT team in Toronto (theirs is called the Strategic Response Unit). This season gets a bit more personal as Colantoni's character is reunited with his estranged son, and two other team members think better of their affair.
Extras: widescreen, nine episodes, featurettes
"Imagine This" (PBS, 2010, $24.99). This is a live stage performance of the title show, a unique musical about actors imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, circa 1942, where they perform a version of "Masada," about a band of outnumbered rebels who held the Roman army at bay 2,000 years ago.
Extras: widescreen, bonus songs, featurette
"I Know What I Saw" (History, 2009, $19.95). This documentary gathers "credible" UFO witnesses to discuss what they witnessed, including Air Force generals, astronauts, military and commercial pilots, government and FAA officials — from seven countries.
Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes
"Hoarders: The Complete Season One" (A&E, 2009, two discs, $19.95). This reality series goes into the cluttered homes (and "cluttered" doesn't begin to describe them) of people who just can't throw anything away. And I mean anything! Despite the fact that many are facing eviction or alienation of family members — even jail time. This show offers an intervention.
Extras: widescreen, seven episodes, deleted scenes
"Extreme Cave Diving" (PBS, 2010, $24.99). This "NOVA" documentary follows Dr. Kenny Broad and his team of climatologists, paleontologists and anthropologists as they explore "blue holes," underwater caves considered to be one of the last unexplored frontiers.
Extras: widescreen
"Marked: The Complete Season One" (History, 2009, two discs, $19.95). This series looks at tattoos as rites of passage, visiting outlaw bikers and hardcore prison gangs, among others.
Extras: widescreen, six episodes
"Ancients Behaving Badly" (History, 2009, two discs, $24.95). Some of the most ruthless leaders in history are profiled, including Caligula, Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, etc.
Extras: widescreen, eight episodes
"Defenders of the Earth" (Mill Creek, 1986, five double-sided discs, $14.98). Animated series of a sort of "Justice League" of cartoon heroes, including Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, etc.
Extras: full frame, 65 episodes
"The Legend of Prince Valiant" (Mill Creek, 1991, five double-sided discs, $14.98). The comics perennial (he's still in the Sunday Deseret News) gets an animated series, offering stories with lessons for kids in human values.
Extras: full frame, 65 episodes
"Classic Adventures" (Mill Creek, $14.98). "Incredible Stories" (Mill Creek, $14.98). These two sets offer cartoons based on familiar tales — the former with "From the Earth to the Moon," "Robin Hood," "Swiss Family Robinson, among others, and the latter with "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "Moby Dick," etc.
Extras: full frame, 10 cartoons each
"Animal Stories" (Mill Creek, 2001, $14.98). The cartoons in this series offer a contemporary spin on Aesop's Fables.
Extras: full frame, 52 cartoons
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com