"The Mod Squad" had the dubious honor of being both the most earnest television program of the late '60s and, arguably, the most ridiculous. Only the interracial high school melodrama "Room 222" comes close in its pursuit of heavy-handed social relevance at the expense of entertainment. Both shows are creatures of their times in ways that make them excruciating, but fun, to watch today.

Three troubled "kids" are recruited by the cops to become undercover detectives in exchange for having their records expunged. Pete Cochran (Michael Cole), a scion of Beverly Hills wealth, Lincoln "Linc" Hayes (Clarence Williams III), the afro-wearing firebrand from Watts, and beautiful Julie Barnes (Peggy Lipton), the prostitute's daughter searching for love among the flower children. They're cardboard caricatures of rebellious '60s archetypes in this Aaron Spelling series ($38.99, CBS DVD) and they're even more unlikely cops. Still, these 13 of the original 26 episodes from the first season provide unintentionally hilarious commentary on the big issues of the day. Their captain, Adam Greer (Tige Andrews), is the obligatory stand-in for the establishment. He also happens to be the only guy who knows what's going on half the time.

But CBS DVD really skimped on the extras. There are interviews with Lipton and Barnes about the making of the series but neither has anything particularly interesting to say. Clarence Williams III is nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that he's been working steadily in recent years. Unless you're inclined to want to know what it was like to work with Leslie Ann Warren and Louis Gossett Jr. when they were young, the extras will be disappointing, to say the least. Still, it's nice to see even a corny old crime show every now and then. The music the show used was consistently horrible, but it had its charms, too.

-- Tony Norman, Post-Gazette staff writer

He was the James Bond of the small screen -- suave and sophisticated, with a bevy of glamorous women and an arsenal of gadgets and guns. He was Napoleon Solo, aka the "Man From U.N.C. L. E.," who, along with his blond and boyishly handsome partner, Ilya Kuryakin, battled Cold War enemies to make the world safe for democracy and all that good stuff.

The entire "Man from U.N.C.L.E." (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) series, which ran for four seasons in the '60s and made heartthrobs of stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, is $249.95 and only available through Time Life at www.TimeLife.com.

That's 105 episodes on 41 DVDs plus hours of special features on everything from the creation of the series to its special guest stars to the guns and gizmos that helped make the show a hit. And it all comes in a cute little attache case.

There are also interviews with producers, crew members and of course, the stars, Vaughn and McCallum, who attracted hordes of screaming girls whenever they made public appearances.

-- Monica Haynes, Post-Gazette staff writer

"Dirt" is an acquired taste, but for viewers who stuck with the first season of FX's dark dramedy, it was addictive. The adventures of tabloid magazine editor Lucy Spiller (Courteney Cox) and her schizophrenic best friend, paparazzi photographer Don Konkey (Ian Hart), offers a story that keeps you under the covers and on top of the gossip. As the machinations and manipulations multiply with each episode, it brings to mind Sir Walter Scott's line, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" Spiller is relentlessly ambitious with dead daddy issues, which stifle her emotional life just enough to be interesting without being another warmed-over TV dinner. Her only real connection is to Konkey, whose psychotic episodes when he's off his medication make for one of television's most unique viewing experiences.

The best of the first season's four-disc set ($59.99, Buena Vista Home Entertainment) includes interviews with the writers about how the plot developed as well as interviews with Cox's husband, David Arquette. The idea for the show came to the couple while Cox was pregnant with their daughter, Coco. There's also a quick interview with celeb blogger Perez Hilton. The outtakes weren't all that compelling and there were not enough details about the upcoming season in what was billed as a "preview." But, with all the filthy fun of the first season, the extras are just that. You can take them or leave them.

-- Patricia Sheridan, Post-Gazette staff writer