TV/American

The name is Bill Bittinger. Bittinger, not "Bittinjer"--even the syllables of the name are slippery. He's a venal, self-serving, double-talking, pusillanimous, hypocritical, male-chauvinist, bigoted, quintessentially sleazy varmint, and a TV talk-show host besides. He could inherit the title "The Man You Love to Hate," except that that would connote too much stature. Make it "The Man You Love to Be Appalled By." Buffalo Bill was, if not the best sitcom ever, indisputably the most brilliant, outrageous, exquisitely detailed and nuanced.

From its charming and angst-ridden first season to the darker, apocalyptic final one, Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeeds on many levels, and in a fresher and more authentic way than the shows that came before or after it. How lucky, then, that with the release of its boxed set of seasons 1-7, you can have the estimable pleasure of watching a near-decade of Buffy in any order you choose. Buffy is sixteen years old and is the "chosen one" . She gets to kill vampires because it is her destiny to do so.

As the epic second season begins, the fight to save humanity rages on. Relive all the intensity and excitement aboard the Galactica as the ongoing battle of President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Commander WIlliam Adama (Edward James Olmos) continues in theri heart-pounding crusade to save humanity from the deadly robot Cylons - even as civil war looms within the fleet between their followers. Featuring an extended version of the cliffhanger episode "Pegasus" and packed with special features, including deleted scenes, podcasts and Producer David Eick's video blog.

Battlestar Galactica's Edward James Olmos wasn't kidding when he said "the series is even better than the miniseries." As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the "reimagined" BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica's militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot "Apollo" (a.k.a.

The final run of Babylon 5 found Claudia Christian departed and Ivanova replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins), who in a soap-opera twist turned out to be Sheridan's first wife. Sheridan was promoted to President of the Interstellar Alliance and the action moved to a group of telepaths seeking sanctuary from the PSI-Corp on B5. Giving a prominent role to Patricia Tallman's Lyta Alexander, a love story for her was woven with the leader of the telepaths, Byron (Robin Atkin Downs).

Season 4 began on a high point with the Centauri Prime in the grip of the insane Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer) and a run of six shows leading to the climax of the war against the Shadows in "Into the Fire." If this colossal narrative was resolved a little too easily and the ultimate aim of the Shadows turned out to be a tad disappointing, it still proved to be the most powerful slice of space opera to ever grace the small screen.

"Matters of Honor" launched Babylon 5's third season with the introduction of the White Star, a spacecraft added to enable more of the action to take place away from the station. Also introduced was Marcus Cole (Jason Carter)--in another nod to The Lord of the Rings, a Ranger not so far removed from Tolkien's Strider. In "Voices of Authority" the show finds an epic scale as Ivanova seeks the mysterious "First Ones" for allies against the Shadows, and evidence is discovered pointing to the truth behind President Santiago's assassination.

Delenn's future love interest, Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) arrived on Babylon 5 in the first episode of season 2, "Points of Departure." The show marked the handing over of command of B5 to Sheridan from Commander Jeffery Sinclair, actor Michael O'Hare becoming a victim of studio politicians who wanted a bigger star in the leading role. This excellent installment also revealed more about why the Minbari surrendered to Earth at the Battle of the Line when they were on the verge of victory.

The epic sci-fi series Babylon 5 was a unique experiment in the history of television. It was effectively a novel for television in five seasons, consisting of 110 episodes with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first season introduces the main characters, headed this year by Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), and familiarizes the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257.

Jennifer Garner returns as secret agent Sydney Bristow to settle the score once and for all. Experience all the stunning action of the show's final year as Sydney discovers that she is pregnant with Agent Vaughn's baby, and tragedy strikes before he can reveal more about his secret past. From the mind-blowing opening episode, through each twist and turn, join Sydney as she completes the journey she set out on five years ago. This sensational set contains every heart-stopping episode of season five plus hours of bonus material you can't see anywhere else.