McCallum: The Complete Series [Koch Vision – $59.98]
Stateside, wildly popular forensic dramas like CSI and the Law and Order franchise are fast-paced, glossy affairs even when dealing with the gravest of subjects. But McCallum, which ran in the UK from 1995-1998, is a grittier yet more thoughtful take on the forensic “whodunit” show; more dependent on building atmosphere and brooding suspense than continuous scenes of kicking down doors and chasing down suspects. The McCallum: The Complete Series is host to a gamut of bizarre if not unlikely plot twists similar to those found in the Law and Order series, where every murder is more complicated than it seems. But in each slow-burning episode of McCallum, there is as much existential contemplation as there is action surrounding the untraceable poisonings, murderous widows, and seamless frame-up jobs. [Amazon]