'Invasion: The Complete Series'

Shaun Cassidy, former teen idol and strange, warped mind behind ABC's undeservedly short-lived sci-fi series "Invasion" ($59.99, Warner Home Video), notes in the set's DVD extras that "I come from a complicated family."

That about sums up the relationships brewing, mending and evolving among members of two extended families in the aftermath of a horrific hurricane that strikes a fictionalized Homestead, Fla. The storm leaves behind mountains of wreckage, downed power lines and a little something extra in the water.

"Invasion" isn't coy about the strange goings-on; of course it's an alien invasion. And while the mystery of what the creatures are and why growing numbers of Homestead residents don't quite seem to be themselves anymore is intriguing, the real conflict is of the family variety. Creepy sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner) is married to Mariel, a doctor who used to be married to Russell, an Everglades park ranger, who's now married to Larkin, a damsel-in-distress TV news reporter who's the sister of Dave, an Every Man whose conspiracy theories on aliens are hardly wild, although his hair most certainly is.

Throw in Russ and Mariel's kids and Tom's daughter, and the term "teen alienation" takes on a while new meaning. These relationships make the show gripping, but the real punch is provided by Fichtner. Sheriff Underlay does some pretty horrible things and yet ... is he perhaps the hero of this saga? Sadly, we'll never know: ABC canceled the show, leaving Underlay with one last, cliffhanging act. The DVD set's skimpy extras -- a short featurette, deleted scenes and a gag reel -- don't help, either.