Monitor Picks

Five TV shows on DVD that we think you'll like, including '30 Rock,' 'Friday Night Lights,' and 'The Office.'

The Office

If you're anything like us, you still haven't caught all the shows you meant to watch. Now's your chance. In the coming weeks, studios are releasing DVD sets of all the fan favorites. Why not start with season three of the workplace comedy The Office? The US version of the BBC cult favorite has grown up as characters such as Dwight (a superb Rainn Wilson) settle into their obnoxious – and hilarious – routines.

The Unit

Not every TV show merits repeat viewing, but with top Broadway playwright David Mamet penning the scripts, CBS's "The Unit," is actually better the second or third time around. That's when you can stop following the action and appreciate the carefully written dialogue. The extras are minimal – pick this up for the sheer pleasure of the show itself.

Friday Night Lights

In a dusty outpost of the Texas oil industry, a high-school football coach is treated like a president or a pariah, depending on how his team fares. This cinematic show has off-field drama to interest women even as it works as a Costner-style male weepie. "It doesn't have any doctors, or lawyers, or policemen," says an observer in the extras. We applaud that stance.

Heroes

Now you can save the cheerleader all over again. This superhero story, which tempers violence with heart and humor, comes laden with DVD extras including an extended pilot episode and a feature on special-effects. Turns out that Masi Oka (Hiro) worked for George Lucas as a special-effects designer before he developed acting (and Samurai) chops.

30 Rock

Uneven at first, this adult sitcom – set behind the scenes of a "Saturday Night Live"-type show – "30 Rock" has evolved into TV's funniest comedy thanks in large part to Alec Baldwin as the corner-office suit who decides to mentor a harried TV producer (Tina Fey). Baldwin is a cut-up in the blooper reel, too, while Fey reveals that she drafted her husband to write the show's score. That rocks.

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