FOX

CHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up is back to do some catch-up around the HollywoodChicago.com office of a few titles that either arrived a bit past their fresh-by date or we couldn’t find time to cover with full reviews. We still think you might want to know the details about these releases as you begin your holiday shopping, and so the DVD Round-Up returns. We hope you didn’t miss us too badly.

CHICAGO – It’s funny to me that there’s probably going to be an entire generation that sees Mel Gibson as a message-leaving lunatic and won’t fully understand how he became one of the biggest stars in the world. In the ’80s and most of the ’90s, he was at the top of the celebrity game and it all started with Max Rockatansky, the actor’s breakthrough role in “Mad Max,” now available on Blu-ray for the first time.

CHICAGO – What’s the best animated program on Sunday nights? Sadly, it hasn’t been “The Simpsons” for years and the most-recent reigning champ, “Family Guy” has been like a tire with a pinhole leak over the last few seasons, slowly becoming less creative with each passing episode. No, the most consistent and creative cartoon on the evening is the spin-off “The Cleveland Show” and the show’s first season is now available on DVD.

CHICAGO – After realizing that “Human Target” was not going to be their next “24,” FOX has moved the program to Friday nights, starting November 17th, where it could easily reside as a guilty pleasure for years to come. The program is a throwback to the action series escapism of the 1980s but with modern production values that make it a very-enjoyable thrill ride in HD. It’s not going to win awards or change the TV landscape, but it works on its own terms.

CHICAGO – “Modern Family” is the funniest comedy on television. The winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series (over highly-acclaimed programs including “Glee,” “30 Rock,” “The Office,” and more) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Eric Stonestreet) is now available on Blu-ray and DVD and not only is it a program that everyone should see at least once but, like the greatest sitcoms, it holds up remarkably well to repeat viewing.

CHICAGO – We at HollywoodChicago.com have reviewed dozens of HD season TV sets and the one for the first season of FOX’s beloved “Glee” is easily one of the best yet released. It plays perfectly to both fans of the show and those who have never seen it before, making it the collector’s item that it should be along with expanding the audience of its program. Other studios should take notes (no pun intended).

CHICAGO – FOX hit “Glee” returns tonight, hoping to not only keep the rabidly-loyal fans it earned in its critically-acclaimed first season but even pick up a new ones curious about what this Emmy-winning show has to offer. Will “Glee” continue its pop culture rise, plateau as so many second-year shows do, or take a dive?

CHICAGO – I love Will Arnett, Keri Russell, David Cross, and Mitchell Hurwitz. And yet, I don’t love “Running Wilde.” If you need any proof that quality television takes something more intangible than just getting talented people together, look no further than this sporadically-entertaining FOX sitcom, a show with more-than-enough talent to get over the common growing pains of the first few episodes of a sitcom if the ratings are strong enough to give it time to do so but is undeniably disappointing at the start.

CHICAGO – Like the last show from its creator (“My Name is Earl”), the new FOX sitcom “Raising Hope” too-often feels like its underlining and pushing its jokes through the screen in desperation for a laugh but the cast of this new comedy entry is the best of the season and their talent alone should overcome the occasional bit of flop sweat.

CHICAGO – Last season of “House” opened with a divisive episode in which our beloved doctor (Hugh Laurie) spent some time away from Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in a “Cuckoo’s Nest”-inspired tale of potential madness. Once again, the writers of one of the most successful shows of the last decade have chosen to start the new season of “House” with something a bit left-of-center in “Now What?,” premiering tonight on FOX, but this episode may have longer-lasting repercussions.