Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
New This Week
Now this is slightly curious. The text on the “Breaking Bad” box set hitting shelves today 
“Major Crimes”
... Here’s one thing you don’t do: replace the star by making the dullest character from the old show the central figure of the new one. Yet that’s what TNT and the writer and executive producer James Duff have done … Pleasant in its details but hollow at its center, “Major Crimes” could argue in favor of a much-derided TV practice: the traditional network development process. It could have benefited from a year or two spent working on a pilot.
... this is substantially the same series, maintaining the tone and the pace and the places and many of the faces of its predecessor. As before there is a nice balance between social drama and personal business, the tragic and the comic, exaggeration and authenticity. … if "Major Crimes" lasts, and it ought to, I predict they'll come around. As should you.
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... By the end of the second episode sent to critics for review, I was beginning to accept the change at the top of the cast list. No matter how many seasons the new show lasts, though, Sedgwick made an unforgettable mark as Brenda Leigh Johnson. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... Fans of "The Closer" are likely to warm to "Major Crimes" as long as they don't pay too careful attention and get resentful. After all, by-the-book Raydor frequently slams the approach of loose cannon Brenda Leigh Johnson, noting, "Major Crimes has a history of ignoring LAPD policy and leaving others to deal with the consequences." …
... The first two cases, involving a gang of murderous thieves and the death of a personal trainer (Aug. 20), are ho-hum. McDonnell, a fine actress, finally has a chance to inject some dry wit into her stoic investigator. … Brenda cared about victims. Her replacement, despite being saddled with a teenage boarder who despises her, still seems like a bureaucrat with a badge.
... I’ve liked McDonnell on “The Closer,” with her aggressive purr. She makes Raydor so controlled in her demeanor, it’s both entertaining and unnerving. Is Raydor interesting enough to hold the center of attention? Is she more than just the killjoy we’ve come to know on “The Closer”? Will she get through the hazing by her crew as well as Brenda did? Will the writing of the crimes continue to be as strong as it was on “The Closer”? I’m cautiously optimistic.
... that's the problem: When you lose that star and that character, you lose what made The Closer special. … What threatens to remain a drag is the format itself, with its weekly focus on plea bargains — and, so far, weekly speeches defending the new focus. That real-world defense of plea bargains is quite logical; they are how many, if not most, cases are settled and they do save time and money. But dramatically, they're neither compelling nor emotionally satisfying, which is why Law & Order inserted them after the trial had started and The Closer generally avoided them. They were right. Major Crimes is wrong. And that's a fairly major mistake.
... the business questions related to "Major Crimes" (starting with whatever financial considerations went into tackling Sedgwick's departure by rebooting in this fashion) are generally more interesting than the show itself. Those who enjoyed "The Closer" will still find something, if probably not as much, to like about this closer, too. …
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
Annoying Orange 1.x
Beetlejuice 1.x
Beetlejuice: The Complete Series
Covert Affairs 3.x
Doctor Who 7.x Vol. 2
Doctor Who 7.x Vol. 2 (Blu-ray)
Doctor Who: The Snowmen
Doctor Who: The Snowmen (Blu-ray)
George Gently 1.x-4.x (Blu-ray)
George Gently 2.x (Blu-ray)
George Gently 5.x (Blu-ray)
Growing Pains 3.x
Longmire 1.x
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2.x Vol. 2
Red Widow 1.x
Suits 2.x
Superman: Bizarro
Superman: Brainiac
Superman: Metallo
Tiny Toon Adventures Vol. 4
This Week
All Dogs Go To Heaven 3.x
The Big C 3.x
Happiness Is Peanuts: 4 Kid Favorites
Ice Road Truckers 6.x
Littlest Pet Shop: Sweetest Pets
The Lone Ranger Collector's Edition
Wilfred: The Complete Australian Series
Next Week
All Dogs Go To Heaven 2.x
All Dogs Go To Heaven 3.x
Big Bad Beetleborgs 2.x Vol. 1
Burn Notice 6.x
The Dick Van Dyke Show 3.x (Blu-ray)
Doctor Who: Doctors Revisited 1-4
Doctor Who: Inferno
Doctor Who: The Mind Of Evil
Fairly Legal 2.x
Ghost Hunters 8.x Vol. 2
House of Cards 1.x
House of Cards 1.x (Blu-ray)
The Lone Ranger: 80th Anniversary Edition
Misfits 3.x
Necessary Roughness 2.x
The Newsroom 1.x
The Newsroom 1.x (Blu-ray)
Perry Mason 9.x Vol. 1
Power Rangers Super Samurai Vol. 4
Rizzoli & Isles 3.x
Transformers: Rescue Bots Energize
Tom & Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2
Tom & Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2 (Blu-ray)
Tom & Jerry In Space
Tom & Jerry: Magical Misadventures
Tosh.0 Vol. 3
Wagon Train 8.x
Wedding Band: The Complete Series
The Wild Thornberries 3.x
June 18
Austin & Ally Vol. 1
Body of Proof 3.x
Call The Midwife 2.x
Call The Midwife 2.x (Blu-ray)
Drop Dead Diva 4.x
Fraggle Rock 4.x
Golden Years: The Complete Miniseries
Good Luck Charlie: Enjoy The Ride
The Jungle Book: Adventures Of Mowgli - The Beginning
The Jungle Book: Adventures Of Mowgli - The Complete Collection
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness - Good Croc, Bad Croc
Lab Rats
The Langoliers: The Complete Miniseries
Rectify 1.x
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated 2.x Vol. 2
Shake It Up!
Slugterra Vol. 2
The Stand: The Complete Miniseries
Web Therapy 2.x
Wilfred 2.x
Wilfred 2.x (Blu-ray)
Workaholics 3.x
Workaholics 3.x (Blu-ray)
June 25
CSI NY 9.x
CSI NY 9-Season Pack
Fat Albert: The Complete Series
Green Lantern 1.x Vol. 2
Inspector Lewis 6.x
Inspector Lewis 6.x (Blu-ray)
Looney Tunes 50 Cartoon Collection
Mad TV 3.x
Peter Gunn 2.x
Todd and the Book of Pure Evil 2.x
Wizards Return: Alex Vs. Alex
July 2
The Dick Van Dyke Show 4.x (Blu-ray)
Last Resort: The Complete Series
The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis: The Complete Series
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 3.x
July 9
Ben 10 Omniverse Vol. 2
Bonanza 6.x
Dynasty 7.x
How the States Got Their Shapes 2.x
How The West Was Won 1.x
Kimba: The Complete Series
Last of the Summer Wine 1999
Portlandia 3.x
Portlandia 3.x (Blu-ray)
Quincy 6.x
Robot Chicken: DC Comics
Robot Chicken: DC Comics (Blu-ray)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enter Shredder
Unforgettable 1.x
Warehouse 13 4.x
July 16
Damages 5.x
Femme Fatales 2.x
George Lopez 3.x
Hell On Wheels 2.x
Hell On Wheels 2.x (Blu-ray)
Legend of Korra: Book One
Legend of Korra: Book One (Blu-ray)
Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series
Matlock 9.x
Matlock: The Complete Series
Orphan Black 1.x
Orphan Black 1.x (Blu-ray)
Power Rangers Samurai Vol. 5
Regular Show 1.x/2.x
Regular Show 1.x/2.x (Blu-ray)
Shameless UK 1.x/2.x
Smurfs to the Rescue
Tom and Jerry: No Mice Allowed
Young Justice 2.x Vol. 2
July 23
Dragons: Riders Of Berk Vol. 1/Vol. 2
Duck Dodgers 2.x
The Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXVII
Superjail 3.x
Super Friends 5.x
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3.x
July 30
The Angry Beavers: The Complete Series
Banshee 1.x
Banshee 1.x (Blu-ray)
Kendra On Top 1.x
Midsomer Murders 1.x-5.x
Power Rangers 4.x-7.x
Star Trek The Next Generation 4.x (Blu-ray)
Star Trek The Next Generation: Redemption (Blu-ray)
Touched By An Angel 8.x
August 6
Battlestar Galactica: The Motion Picture (Blu-ray)
The Borgias 3.x (Blu-ray)
The Borgias 3.x (Blu-ray)
Community 4.x
Fridays: Best Of
Gunsmoke 9.x
Midsomer Murders Vol. 22
Political Animals: The Complete Series
Ripcord 1.x
Ripcord 2.x
Smash 2.x
Strike Back: Cinemax 2.x
Strike Back: Cinemax 2.x (Blu-ray)
Taz-Mania 1.x Vol. 2
The Thick Of It 1.x-4.x
Top Gear 3.x
August 13
Amazing World of Gumball Vol. 3
Casper's Scare School 2.x
Combat 5.x
Enlightened 2.x
Family Ties 7.x
Girls 2.x
The Mindy Project 1.x
The Office 9.x
The Office 9.x (Blu-ray)
Once Upon A Time 2.x
Once Upon A Time 2.x (Blu-ray)
Perry Mason 9.x Vol. 2
Perry Mason: The Complete Series
Southland 5.x
Ultra Q: The Complete Series
August 20
Being Human 5.x
Being Human 5.x (Blu-ray)
Boardwalk Empire 3.x
Boardwalk Empire 3.x (Blu-ray)
CatDog 4.x
Donkey Kong Country
The Good Wife 4.x
NCIS 10.x
NCIS Los Angeles 4.x
Parenthood 4.x
Star Trek: Enterprise 2.x (Blu-ray)
August 27
Elementary 1.x
Grey's Anatomy 9.x
Sapphire & Steele: The Complete Series
Sons of Anarchy 5.x
Sons of Anarchy 5.x (Blu-ray)
The Vampire Diaries 4.x
The Vampire Diaries 4.x (Blu-ray)
September 3
Spartacus 3.x
Spartacus 3.x (Blu-ray)
2 Broke Girls 2.x
September 10
Arrow 1.x
Arrow 1.x (Blu-ray)
The Big Bang Theory 6.x
The Big Bang Theory 6.x (Blu-ray)
Homeland 2.x
Homeland 2.x (Blu-ray)
Mama's Family 2.x
Revolution 1.x
Scooby-Doo: 13 Spooky Tales Run for Your Rife
Supernatural 8.x
Supernatural 8.x (Blu-ray)
September 17
Nashville 1.x
September 24
American Horror Story 2.x
American Horror Story 2.x (Blu-ray)
Inspector Gadget 1.x
Inspector Gadget 2.x
October 1
The Middle 3.x
October 8
Totally Spies 2.x
White Collar 4.x
December 10
The Following 1.x
The Following 1.x (Blu-ray)
