Old TV shows like 'Hero,' documentaries land on DVD

New DVDs of old TV shows lead off this collection of current releases.

• "The Greatest American Hero" (Anchor Bay, 1981, not rated, $29.98, three discs). This "Superman" spoof, which aired on ABC, stars curly-haired William Katt (with very big hair in this first season) as a special-education high school teacher who, in the two-hour pilot, is given a super-powered suit by aliens.

Katt and by-the-book FBI agent Robert Culp are told that the suit's powers work only for Katt, and both are charged with "making things better" in the world. In that first episode they go after white supremacists, which leads them to a plot to overthrow the U.S. presidency. But since Katt has lost the book of instructions, he has to learn the suit's powers on the job, if you will, which results in his crashing into buildings as he tries to fly, etc.

Other characters are Katt's lawyer-girlfriend (Connie Sellecca) and his hoodlums-with-hearts-of-gold students, led by Michael Pare ("Eddie and the Cruisers") and Faye Grant ("V"). The show is a fairly enjoyable piece of fluff, but it would be miles better if it was funnier.

Also here is an episode titled "The Greatest American Heroine," a spinoff pilot that never aired. When Katt's identity becomes known and his celebrity status goes to his head, he is "fired" by the aliens and told to find a suitable replacement. He chooses a do-gooder (Mary Ellen Stuart), passes the suit to her and Culp takes over training her.

Extras: Full frame, eight episodes (including two-hour pilot), un-aired pilot for "The Greatest American Heroine," new interviews (with creator Stephen J. Cannell, Katt, Culp, Sellecca and Pare), chapters.

• "The Commish: Complete Second Season" (Anchor Bay, 1992-93, not rated, $59.98, six discs). If you had any doubts about Michael Chiklis' talent, compare this early '90s series with his current work on the cable show "The Shield." His characters couldn't be more different.

This one has Chiklis as a kinder, gentler cop, a police commissioner in upstate New York who uses street smarts; the role earned him an Emmy. Theresa Saldana plays his wife, and these episodes are just as solidly entertaining as the first season. Guest stars include Ray Walston, Scott Wolf, Pat Sajack, Stella Stevens and, in a three-episode story that marked his final TV performance, Telly Savalas.

Extras: Full frame, 22 episodes, Spanish-language scenes, photo gallery, DVD-Rom applications, chapters.