The third season of the Fox series Fringe gets the full-on, high quality treatment with this terrific collection of the entire third season's 22 episodes plus a boat load of special features that will unquestionably please virtually any fan of the under-rated series. In this season, the Fringe team escapes from the parallel universe except for Olivia. If you're familiar with the series, then you already know the storyline. If you're not familiar with the series, then you're in for truly compelling and endlessly creative television.

Special features include: Four featurettes exploring "The Other You," "A Machine of Destiny," "The Psychology of Duality" and "Visualizing an Alternate World"; Animating the Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Episode; Constructing an Extra-Sensory Soundscape; 2 episodes with commentary; Gag Reel; Secrets of Fringe: The First People; and Network Promos.

In all, you get nearly 1,000 minutes of entertainment. Mind-boggling and a must have for fans of the series!

---

This CW series Season One DVD features over 3 hours of Bonus Features, including: Unaired Scenes, Inside Division 2, Creative Team Commentary on 2 Episodes and Profile Galleries of Nikita, Alex, Michael and Percy.

Starring the sexy and talented Maggie Q, Nikita is a spy series with plenty of action and thrills. This Season One DVD features 22 episodes on 5 discs and is available on both Blu-Ray and DVD. It was surprising when CW announced it would be carrying Nikita, a show that skews to an older audience than is typical for the comedy heavy, younger skewing network. Nikita is more mature and far more serious than we typically find on the network, and it's modest first season audience ran counter to the fact that most critics have acknowledged the series as one of the best things on CW and one of the best new series during its rookie year.

While the typical CW fan may not fully appreciate the series, fans of intelligent and exciting spy and action dramas will find much to appreciate here including the consistently solid performances of Maggie Q and Shane West.

---

If your child is of the Sesame Street age (I still am!), then Elmo's Music Magic will captivate them. In this 45-minute Elmo release, Elmo turns everyone into singing sensations with Abby's wand. What happens when they can't stop singing? The DVD is filled with 13 songs, including a never before seen Cookie Monster song that I'm still humming, "Come Back Cookie." Features also include "One Small Voice" with Elmo and musical guests include Adam Sandler, Sugarland, John Legend, Diana Krall and quite a few others.

In the DVD, children learn about rhyming, dance/movement and opposites. The DVD also includes a karaoke feature for hours upon hours of sing-along fun! There are musical activity tips for parents and 10 downloadable coloring pages.

Seriously, even a hardcore critic can't bash Sesame Street.  This Warner Home Video release hits the streets on September 6th, 2011. Pick it up for your young one!

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic