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There's no question this ABC comedy, back with new episodes late next month, is an entertaining diversion, thanks largely to the portrayal of its kid characters, but as a DVD release, ABC's "The Middle" ($44.98, Warner Home Video) is middling when it comes to bonus features.
The release does have some extras, but they seem like a half-hearted effort. A 12-minute featurette details the show's inspiration and casting, but it's filled with generic praise and platitudes from the show's creators. Why no details on the aborted first attempt that starred Ricki Lake instead of Patricia Heaton?
"The Middle" DVD includes some deleted scenes, two minutes of bloopers (but not enough of star Neil Flynn's cutting-room floor ad libs, although the few included here are hilarious) and cast members making faces in another short, "Sue's Best Shots."
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV writer
The CW drama series about vampires -- think "Twilight" with a much less annoying heroine -- is based on a book series, albeit one that's not as wildly popular as the "Twilight" juggernaut, and the extras on this DVD ($59.99 DVD, $69.97 Blu-ray; Warner Home Video) discuss changes made from the book series.
Executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson explain the practical considerations behind making Elena (Nina Dobrev) less of a mean girl, changing the character's hair color and altering the age and gender of her sibling. Their commentary in the 24-minute featurette "Into Mystic Falls" is generally candid and should have appeal to fans.
Other bonus features include almost four minutes of bloopers, audition tapes, webisodes and commentary on the series pilot.
-- R.O.
When you take an East Coast TV show and move it west, Los Angeles in particular, it seems to lose something in the translation and gain in the area of karate kicking action and cars from "Fast and Furious." And, unfortunately "NCIS: Lost Angeles" ($64.99, Paramount) is not the exception to the rule.
Set in sunny California, land of hype and apparently the "Big Brother is watching" land of surveillance cameras, this NCIS unit's specific mission is to chase threats to national security going deep undercover in most cases. Led by mysterious special agent G. Callen, played with a fair amount of cool by Chris O'Donnell, and Sam Hanna, none other than LL Cool J, the team members kick and chop their way out of most episodes. While the action is high, the story lines suffer from lack detail that mysteries need to carry viewers through the hour. High-tech toys and the security and street cameras do more to solve the crime than anyone else on the show, and that only goes so far. One mystery that threads its way through the episodes is why is "G" only known by his initial; what does it stand for and what is his real story?
The extras will be of interest to those who enjoy the technical side of television production. Viewers get an insider's tour of the show's Op Center and a behind-the-scenes look at how all the stunts are developed. The shame is you don't get to meet the people who control all those cameras around L.A., the real stars of this show.
-- Lizabeth Gray, Post-Gazette staff writer
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