Relive the good old days of family TV, now on DVD

These newly released DVDs of television programs are dominated by nostalgic family fare.

— "The Waltons: The Complete First Season" (Warner, 1972-73, not rated, $49.98, five double-sided discs). Here's a lovely family show like they just don't make anymore, with Richard Thomas in the lead as John-Boy Walton. Actually, the episodes are often ensemble in nature, focusing on various members of the Walton clan — including the parents (Ralph Waite, Michael Learned), the grandparents (Will Geer, Ellen Corby) and each of the seven kids.

John-Boy wants to be a writer, which allows retrospective narration by Earl Hamner, and the show is set during the Depression in rural Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountain area. And it holds up quite well, with good people who care about each other and life lessons learned in each episode.

One introduces an arrogant young preacher who gets his comeuppance, played by youthful John Ritter, who then shows up in later episodes as the local minister. Other familiar guest players include Sissy Spacek, Billy Barty and Ned Beatty.

Trivia note: The pilot, the Christmas-themed TV movie "The Homecoming" (with only Thomas, Corby and most of the children in the same roles), is not included here but is available on DVD. Also available elsewhere is "Spencer's Mountain," the theatrical film with Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara that was based on the same material.

Extras: Full frame, 24 episodes, etc.

— "The Jetsons: The Complete First Season" (Warner, 1962-63, not rated, $64.92, four discs). I always enjoyed "The Jetsons" more than "The Flintstones," though it was not as popular and had a shorter run. The space-age gimmicks that often misfired and the characters in the 21st century were more appealing to a kid enamored of all things futuristic.

Today, some of the gimmicks seem quaint, especially data-processing cards, huge computer "brains" and reel-to-reel tapes. (Hey, cartoonists can't foresee everything!) But they also invented the treadmill and came up with gadgets that foreshadowed the Internet and cell phones!

The show's charm is intact, with good-natured humor and an appealing cast of characters — George, his wife Jane, their kids Judy and Elroy, Astro the dog and Rosie the Robot. (Note that Astro talks like Scooby-Doo, who would come some years later from the same company, Hanna-Barbera.)