TV on DVD: 'Futurama' and other gift sets

And this holiday season's new TV gift sets just keep on comin' out. Here are some more options we can recommend. (Prices are list; many discounts can be found.)

FUTURAMA: THE COMPLETE SERIES. It's no Bender head -- the life-size plastic shelf collectible that enclosed 2009's Complete Collection -- but this plainer-packaged Complete Series box of Matt Groening's animated spacefest offers its own colorful thrills. In addition to the earlier set's original four Fox seasons (and four feature-length adventures), the new embossed double-width slipcase box adds the four "volumes" of Comedy Central's widescreen revival -- all with the usual commentaries, deleted scenes and backgrounders, all in bright comics-inspired cardboard cases (some embossed, one lenticular). Unfortunately, discs sit loosely in and fall easily out of their cardboard slots. But Bender's supercool robot head wasn't exactly scratch-free, either. The only new collectible is a one-sheet reversible 2014/3014 calendar; $200 list price for 124 episodes and four films on 27 DVDs (sorry, no Blu-ray), out Tuesday from Fox.

HAWAII FIVE-0: THE COMPLETE SERIES. As much as CBS' current hot-bod revival is focused on flash, this 1968-80 original concentrates on character. Guest stars get plenty of time to flesh out their victims, perps and bystanders, while Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett defines The Man who must not be messed with. And what stars: Andy Griffith, Ricardo Montalban, Buddy Ebsen, Helen Hayes, Hume Cronyn, Sal Mineo, Nancy Wilson, Ross Martin, Nancy Kwan, Yaphet Kotto, Patty Duke, John Ritter, Geraldine Page, Kurt Russell, Christopher Walken, dozens more. Scant bonus disc has poor-quality half-hour '70s docufilm, other brief vintage remnants (sales short, talk shows, etc.). The attraction here is the packaging -- plastic "wave" slipcase over solid treasure chest box, holding two photo-filled double-width books where discs are easily removed from page-front slots; $350 for 283 episodes on 72 DVDs (discounts to $250), CBS.

30 FOR 30: SEASON 2, VOL. 1. Former Islanders' owner John Spano gets a documentary here ("Big Shot"). So do athletes' money woes ("Broke"). Many familiar faces ("The Book of Manning") give way to fascinating little-knowns ("Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" profiles the surfer/cultural icon). And so ESPN's "30 for 30" project continues to grow and deepen. Hard red box holds individually cased discs, with bonus outtakes, extended interviews, director's statements; $75 for 15 films on six DVDs, Team Marketing.

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: ABSOLUTELY ALL OF IT. Which is, yes, more than 2008's silver-quilted DVD "book" "Absolutely Everything," which preceded last year's 20th anniversary specials with comic fashionistas Edina and Patsy. In addition to adding those three badly behaved reunions, "Absolutely All's" pink clutch-case delivers remastered video for Seasons 1-3, and new bonus features, too: producer's half-hour show history, visit with June Whitfield (Mother), "Comic Relief" sketch, "French and Saunders" bits. The clutch box uses an inner plastic case holding discs on hubs ("Everything" set had cardboard book-page slots); $160 for 10 DVDs, BBC.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Rod Serling's black-and-white classic of irony and twist endings drops all extras here to lower the price for bare-bones standard-def episodes. (Extras-lovers should grab the loaded "Complete Definitive Collection" DVD box while they can, or the gorgeous high-def "Complete Series" Blu-ray, both of which can be found at discount for little more money); $170 for 156 episodes on 25 DVDs, Image/RLJ.