'Poldark' among TV shows on DVD

A British costume drama from the 1970s and several follow-up seasons to beloved series lead off this look at TV shows new to DVD.

"Poldark: Series 1" (Acorn, 1975-76, four discs, $69.99). This historical soap opera, based on a series of novels by Winston Graham, is one of those sweeping epics at which the British excel.

Robin Ellis stars as the title character, an English captain who returns home to Cornwall after fighting in the American Revolution, only to find his life in upheaval. As his rivals play their hands, it becomes a sort of costume "Dallas Across the Pond."

But that's not meant to trivialize the strong storytelling and appealing characters, all played by a first-rate cast.

Extras: full frame, 16 episodes, text filmographies/history of Cromwell, trailers

"Designing Women: The Complete Third Season" (Shout! 1988-89, four discs, $44.99). Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts, Jean Smart and Meshach Taylor return for another Southern-fried helping of feminist laughs at Sugarbaker & Associates. Funny stuff. Hal Holbrook shows up in a couple of episodes as a recurring character.

Extras: full frame, 22 episodes, trailers

"Matlock: The Fourth Season" (CBS/Paramount, 1989-90, six discs, $54.99). Andy Griffith continues to trip up bad guys by employing his good-ol'-boy act as a respected criminal-defense attorney in this easygoing comfort-food series. Guests include Samantha Eggar, Lynn Whitfield and David Carradine (in a two-parter), and Don Knotts appears in four episodes as Matlock's neighbor Les Calhoun.

Extras: full frame, 23 episodes, trailers

"Have Gun — Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume One" (CBS/Paramount, 1960-61, b/w, three discs, $42.99). Richard Boone returns as good guy gunslinger Paladin in this vintage Western fan-favorite. Sadly, after three full-season sets, the DVDs have now relegated to half-season sets. Guests include Robert Blake, Harry Carey Jr. and George Kennedy (playing different characters in two episodes each), Ben Johnson, Martin Balsam, Peter Falk and Sydney Pollack (who went on to become an Oscar-winning film director).

Extras: full frame, 19 episodes, trailers

"The Beiderbecke Connection" (Acorn, 1988, two discs, $39.99). The second and last sequel to "The Beiderbecke Affair" has our intrepid schoolteachers-turned-amateur detectives becoming suspected criminals. Easygoing humorous mystery series that tries to echo "The Thin Man."

Extras: full frame, four episodes, trailers

"We Live in Public" (IndiePix, 2009, $24.95). This documentary is a cautionary tale about how modern society is affected by the virtual world — and how it will be affected in the future.

Extras: full frame, audio commentaries, featurettes, trailer

"Olivia Takes Ballet" (Nick Jr./Paramount, 2010, $16.99). The cartoon pig, a stand-in for preschoolers, learns ballet, runs a carnival and goes camping, among other things, in this collection of TV episodes.

Extras: full frame, four episodes, featurette, trailers

e-mail: hicks@desnews.com