This year’s big screen offerings brought big numbers for theaters. The problem is that the majority of those big numbers were the result of Hollywood’s (and audiences’) seemingly insatiable appetite for prequels, sequels, and remakes. It’s a sad statement when one really sits down and thinks about it. And thankfully more audiences are coming to their senses about it each year and staying home instead, taking in the variety of alternatives being offered on television and online. Given, far too many of those alternatives were (and still are) serials, dramas, and some mixture thereof. But for all of the serials and dramas out there, they were just a drop in the bucket in terms of just how much was offered to audiences this year in the way of home entertainment. Shout! Factory released two more volumes of episodes from the cult classic series Mystery Science Theater 3000 this year. It also released the final two seasons of the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, the complete series run of The Saint, and much more. PBS has released all three current seasons of its hit reality/cooking show A Chef’s Life, and partnered once again with itv to release the third season of Mr. Selfridge. Timeless Media Group even gave audiences a good scare this year with the release of A Haunting: Season Seven. And for all of the conspiracy theorists out there, Lionsgate and History channel offered up the seventh season of Ancient Aliens. These are just some of the alternatives offered to audiences this year from the home entertainment realm. And they are all on the Phil’s Picks list of 2015’s Best New Box Sets for Grown-Ups. That is in comparison to box sets for the whole family. That is a whole other list. That list will be presented tomorrow. In explaining the choices for the list of this year’s top new box sets for grown-ups, the overall packaging of each set was taken into consideration alongside each set’s bonus materials (or lack thereof) and the writing that went into each presentation. The combination of each element in each set went into coming up with this list. Not every set had bonus material such as with Welcome Back, Kotter’s third and fourth season. But the writing behind each season made each season entertaining enough that they each stand quite well on their own merits. The bonus material featured in both volumes of MST3K played a big role in their presentations deserving them their own spots as did the bonus material in Time Life’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts box set and that of Hell on Wheels’ fourth season. That should hopefully give at least some background on why each title was listed where it was listed. Keeping that in mind every title listed here is fully deserving of its spot on this list. So enough rambling. Without any further ado, I offer for your reading pleasure dear readers, the Phil’s Picks 2015 Top 10 New Box Sets for Grownups. As always, the Top 10 make up the main body of the list while the bottom five each receive special mention as they deserve to be on the list just as much. Here you go!
PHIL’S PICKS 2015 TOP 10 NEW BOX SETS FOR GROWN-UPS
- A CHEF’S LIFE: SEASON 1
- A CHEF’S LIFE: SEASON 2
- A CHEF’S LIFE: SEASON 3
- WELCOME BACK, KOTTER: SEASON 3
- WELCOME BACK, KOTTER: SEASON 4
- MR. SELFRIDGE: SEASON 3
- THE DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROASTS: STINGERS AND ZINGERS
- HELL ON WHEELS: SEASON 4
- MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XXXIII
- MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XXXIV
- THE SAINT: THE COMPLETE SERIES
- BROADCHURCH: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
- HALT AND CATCH FIRE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
- A HAUNTING: SEASON 7
- ANCIENT ALIENS: SEASON 7
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