finding well-written, likeable TV series ON DVD?

December 21, 2023 3:37 PM

How can I find really great TV shows available on DVD, that I can get through my library - or suggest to my library as a new purchase?

My favorite way to watch media is on DVDs checked out from my library (mostly because of the bonus features, and also because then the library doesn't pay for each patron viewing).

I know a lot of stuff is not being released on DVD these days, and I know even when it is, the library can't always get it through their vendors.

I have specific tastes in TV shows - I like stuff that's well-written, with likeable characters, that has little or no violence. Detectorists is probably my ideal TV show. I loved Ted Lasso. I like all the Star Trek series, Mrs. Maisel, Tales from the Loop, Work In Progress, Britcoms from Good Neighbors up through The Other One.

My question is: how can I find really good TV shows that match my tastes, that are available on DVD so I can check them out from my library (or suggest that my library buy them if they don't have them already)?

Most of the things I have tried (Flickmetrix, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic) don't have a DVD filter and don't let me filter to my tastes.

Are there DVD review sites or online vendors with good search filters or other things I haven't thought of?

Note: I would welcome any recommendations for specific series, but the actual question is: what are good resources or techniques for me to FIND good TV shows that are available to libraries on DVD?

I will probably ask my library directly, but I wanted to ask the brilliant hive mind first.

Thanks!

posted by kristi to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Best answer: Were I you, I would lob an email over to the wonderful people of Scarecrow Video. I don’t know where they source their collection but they probably wouldn’t keep it a secret. You could browse their catalogue to see what exists as physical media too.

How are you with subtitles? I think you might enjoy some of the cozier k-dramas, although I don’t know how often they are printed with English subtitles, Though, because they are streamed with them a lot more these days finding dvds of dubious provenance but probably perfectly watchable quality seems to be simple, upon a cursory search. I really liked Romance Is A Bonus Book, it sidesteps a bunch of the more annoying k-drama romance tropes and gives a nice depth to the interpersonal relationships of the side characters. On the other end from realism is Mr. Queen, which is just chock full of shenanigans - time travel, body swap, gender play, palace drama, and more, all very enjoyable. Because the format for these shows is often just a single season or two, and the casts are often people who have worked together before, I find there is more focus on character development, aesthetics, and interesting storylines than longer running episodic or prestige drama western shows.
posted by Mizu at 4:46 PM on December 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Many libraries use Midwest Tape as a vendor for DVDs. You can peruse a page of some new DVD releases without being logged in: https://mwt-public-pages.midwesttape.com/newreleases No idea how often it refreshes.

Baker & Taylor is another large library vendor and they have an email newsletter called Press Play about new DVD releases available to libraries too. On that note, many large public library systems send out weekly email newsletters with new materials added, often they are tailored to different categories of materials - I would suggest digging into the websites of NYPL, King County Library System, Multnomah, and other large library systems to see about signing up for regular updates on new additions to their DVD collections. By virtue of seeing a library system having it, you will then know it is accessible to libraries.
posted by lizard music at 5:32 PM on December 21, 2023 [6 favorites]

Many TV shows have been put on disc, from stuff as old as "The Honeymooners" to as recent-ish "The Sopranos" and "Mad Men". Those and "Fringe" are at my local library.
posted by NotLost at 5:43 PM on December 21, 2023

I have done this the other way around: starting with what is available at my library - i.e. searching their online database - and working from there, doing the legwork myself to cross-reference titles against e.g. imdb ratings to at least separate the wheat from the chaff. It's helpful if you can narrow down your searches: e.g by publication date (to focus on more recent releases, say), or publisher (Acorn, BBC, HBO?) or language (Swedish for detective shows!). This all takes a minute, and there's definitely a degree of trial and error, but there's no financial cost - and given that you can check-out a bunch of discs at one time, if you don't like something you can just move on to the next.

Personally I've never found the you-like-X-so-you-should-like-Y model very helpful (I love Detectorists too, but Ted Lasso is not my cup of tea), and I've also found that using this approach exposes me to a wider net of content that I might have otherwise missed. There might be some psychological gain here too - like you're more likely to give a show a chance if you've been involved in weeding it out vs just an acting on an online recommendation. There's also an argument to be had that suggesting new titles for purchase may not reap great rewards, and so using what the library currently has (and then checking back later for new additions) is the better starting point, vs internet recommendations for titles which may or not be available to you through your library system.
posted by 4th Matryoshka Doll at 8:28 PM on December 21, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: You want this site.

This is a comprehensive catalog of everything ever released on DVD. It goes to blu-ray.com but I've linked the DVD section.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:12 AM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Since you like British sitcoms - Only Fools And Horses. But I don't know how available it is in the U.S.
posted by Webbster at 6:35 AM on December 22, 2023