Saved by the Bell -- Seasons 1 & 2
If you want a flashback to 1989, look no further than the halls of Bayside High in Pacific Palisades, CA.
This five-disc set is a must-have for anyone who remembers Elizabeth Berkley before the nipple tassels as gawky, brainy feminist Jessie Spano, with tapered jeans and -- in one episode -- an addiction to caffeine pills.
Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is still the suave, charming blonde hottie you remember from those posters that covered your walls at age 10.
Looking back on this Saturday morning classic now, the storylines seem trite and the sets cheesy (booth at the Max, anyone?).
But who can resist a blast from the past like Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), with a daddy so rich and outfits so ridiculous she could be a Penn Girl in training?
Six Feet Under -- The Complete First Season
Based on the lives of the Fisher clan, the owners of a Los Angeles funeral home, this HBO hit brings new meaning to the word 'quirky.'
From the often outlandish death scenes at the start of each episode to the members of TV's most eccentric family, including artsy drug dabbler Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and stern, emotionally unstable mom Ruth (Frances Conroy), Six Feet Under represents a departure from staid, stereotypical depictions of life in the Golden State.
While the premise is morbid, the show manages to be both deeply sad and hilariously funny. Oscar-winning American Beauty writer Alan Ball set the bar high for Six Feet Under, and it shows: the pilot episode is easily the best of the season.
Rachel Griffiths steals the show as Brenda, the sexual predator who we first meet when she sleeps with Nate (Peter Krause) in an airport. That's our kind of girl.
The L Word - The Complete First Season
This show is Sex and the City transported to Los Angeles, except that these ladies aren't on the hunt for the perfect man. In fact, Showtime bills its edgy series as "same sex, different city".
The season starts as na*ve young writer Jenny (Mia Kirshner) moves to L.A. to live with her boyfriend. Their new house is next door to that of lesbian couple Bette (Flashdance's Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman). Jenny is drawn into Bette and Tina's circle of friends, and begins to question her sexuality, particularly after meeting beautiful, exotic cafe owner Marina (Karina Lombard). The best episode sees resident heartbreaker Shane (Katherine Moennig), a hairdresser, paying a visit to a bisexual client (the typically loopy Rosanna Arquette) and giving her more than a blow-dry.
This show is not for everyone, but frat boys who enjoy hot women making out should run to rent this. Available November 9.
