Early in the second season of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon (Emmy nominee Jim Parsons) asks Penny (Kaley Cuoco), "When did we become friends?" For a smart guy, Sheldon misses a lot. But for the record, season 1 answered the question of whether or not an adorkable group of geniuses can become friends with the hot girl next door (yes!). Season 2 shows us what that friendship looks like, and it's awesome, especially when it includes a rousing game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock." Sheldon's roommate Leonard (Johnny Galecki) wants to be more than friends with Penny, but the richest relationship of the show is that of Penny and Sheldon. He uses the "covenant of friendship" to get Penny to give him rides, he engages in an over-caffeinated business venture with her, and in the excellent Christmas episode, they exchange gifts and share a surprisingly touching moment. (Sheldon's midseason efforts to befriend a colleague can't compare.) Penny is forever changed by the guys, even telling a date about Schrodinger's cat and delving into online gaming. The extras, including a gag reel and interviews with the cast and crew, reveal the stars to be as appealing and connected to each other as their characters. --Stephanie Reid-SimonsPrice: $44.98
Sometimes, change is good, as evidenced by Matt Smith's assumption of the mantle of Britain's beloved science-fiction hero, Doctor Who, in this stellar series. Replacing David Tennant, who was arguably the most popular incarnation of the Time Lord since Tom Baker, was an unenviable task for any actor. But relative newcomer Smith--the youngest performer to play the Doctor--makes the role his own within the first few moments of the series opener, "The Eleventh Hour," which introduces his puckish interpretation, as well as companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan). The pair, whose banter is a terrific mix of screwball humor and light sexual tension, are later joined by Amy's fiancé, Rory (Arthur Darvill), who is not quite whom he appears, as revealed in "The Pandorica Opens." Old enemies such as the Daleks ("Victory of the Daleks"), the Silurians ("The Hungry Earth"), and the formidable Weeping Angels ("The Time of the Angels") test the Eleventh Doctor's mettle, as does the series' central adventure, in which a host of the Doctor's foes, including the Cybermen and the Sontarans, unite to seal him in the fabled Pandorica, an inescapable prison located within Stonehenge. The 13 episodes of Series 5 are thrilling, thoughtful, humorous, and altogether addictive--in short, as good a series of Doctor Who as any that's been produced. 
The most realistic depiction of family life since Roseanne returns! The Middle captures the weirdness underneath the façade of what people think lower-middle-class life should be--at least what Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton) thinks her family life should be. Frankie desperately wants her gawky teenage daughter Sue (Eden Sher, delightfully awkward) to fit in, her eccentric youngest son Brick (Atticus Shaffer) to make a friend, and her truculent oldest son Axl (Charlie McDermott) to do anything remotely helpful or responsible. Her husband Mike (Neil Flynn) is a solid guy who's pretty much given up trying to make their life anything other than the chaotic mess that it is, but he gamely does what he can to support Frankie's schemes and struggles. (On the periphery floats Chris Kattan as a coworker of Frankie's; the writers still haven't figured out what to do with him.) The Middle's second season follows the progress of a year, with episodes built around holidays and major school events, like prom or sports meets. It's a bit formulaic, but the scripts and cast rise above expectations, even though everything's a little less subtle than before--Heaton, who was wonderfully sly in the first season, plays everything more broadly this time around. Even so, Frankie is an engaging character, full of comic contradictions and suppressed emotions just aching to be released. Flynn is the standout this season; Mike's stolid, unruffled presence has become an even stronger foil for Frankie's floundering. And some satirical bits hit home: Mike's construction-site workers would almost rather have free pretzels than health insurance and Sue's attempts to join a higher-ranking table in the school cafeteria makes a clean but not overstated comment about yearning for status. The Middle: The Complete Second Season is a solid follow-up to the first season. Extras are meager, just a few deleted scenes and a gag reel. --Bret Fetzer
