'Liza's at the Palace' leads pack of new DVDs

A performance by Liza Minnelli leads off this look at TV shows that have landed on DVD this week.

"Liza's at the Palace" (MPI, 2010, $24.98). Minnelli pays tribute to her mother, Judy Garland, and her godmother, Kay Thompson (a singer-dancer-songwriter at MGM in the 1940s), in this two-hour spectacular that was filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during a special midnight, invitation-only performance on Oct. 1 last year, which later aired on PBS.

This is the same show that was a smash on Broadway, and Minnelli throws herself into it with everything she's got — which is a considerable amount of talent and pizzazz — performing songs by the Gershwins, Comden & Green, Sammy Cahn and, of course, showstoppers from Kander & Ebb's "Cabaret."

Extras: widescreen, featurette

"The Complete Inspector Lewis" (PBS, 2005-09, eight discs, $69.99). Well, not really "complete," as the show is ongoing. Low-key Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whatley) rebuilds his life after his wife's death (in a hit-and-run) by throwing himself into his investigations of the Oxford elite, along with his young, brilliant but aloof assistant Sgt. Hathaway (Laurence Fox). This set includes the pilot and the first 11 feature-length episodes.

Extras: widescreen, 11 episodes

"Mister Ed: The Complete Second Season" (Shout! 1961-62, four discs, b/w, $39.97). Alan Young and Connie Hines return as Wilbur and Carol Post, contending with the title character, a talking horse (voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane). Guests include George Burns, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Donna Douglas (in two episodes as different characters) and, believe it or not, Clint Eastwood playing himself (during his early "Rawhide" years)!

Extras: full frame, 26 episodes, audio interview with Young and Hines, vintage commercials; eight-page booklet

"Dynasty: The Fourth Season, Volume Two" (CBS/Paramount, 1984, three discs, $39.99). John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins provide the fireworks in this prime-time soap about the oil-rich, with Diahann Carroll making her arrival and Pamela Sue Martin's character bowing out.

Extras: full frame, 13 episodes, trailers

"A Mind to Kill: Series 1" (Acorn, 1994, three discs, $59.99). Philip Madoc stars as a Welsh detective at odds with modern police technology in this gritty series. He's also a workaholic and has a teenage daughter. Beyond the cliches, however, the show is well written and full of colorful characters. (It's also quite adult, with violence and nudity.)

Extras: full frame, six feature-length episodes, text production notes/filmographies, trailers