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 ith the writers' strike continuing in perpetuity (talks between the guild and studios broke down again this past Friday), come January viewers will be left with no new episodes of their favorite shows "for the foreseeable future," according to the Times. But there's still plenty of great TV to experience on DVD. Here are a few of our favorites.
If you haven't become acquainted with last year's deserving winner of the Best Comedy Emmy, now is the time. 30 Rock's deprecating self-reference, surreal plotting and expansive cast create a perfect storm whose only match is Curb Your Enthusiasm. Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, head writer of a struggling fictional NBC sketch-comedy show which meddling executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) transforms into a vehicle for psychotic actor Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). On the first-season DVD, start with "Tracy Does Conan", an episode that finds Liz trying to coax Tracy onto her ex-lover's late-night show while Tracy suffers horrific visions of Amy Poehler dressed as an enormous blue gumdrop. — John Constantine (Click here to buy.)
Like the Seinfeld crew, the gang on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia finds itself in many a pickle, but the problems are often alcohol induced and far less couth. Elaine may have worked herself into a tizzy deciding if a man is "sponge-worthy," but Philadelphia's Sweet Dee, the token lady-amongst-dudes, dates a crippled priest, a high-school senior, and a white rapper who might be mildly retarded. Check out these clips, then check your Netflix queue: seasons one and two are available on DVD. — Lauren Belski (Click here to buy.)
On one level, this HBO drama is great entertainment, a tightly plotted serial about a Baltimore police detail investigating a gang of inner-city drug dealers, each episode filled with hard-drinking cops, cap-popping thugs, and — "It's not TV, it's HBO" — tits and ass. On another level, it's a lyric documentary of a failing city. Either way, it's the best drama on TV. David Simon, who created the show after twelve years as a Baltimore crime reporter, is a perfect-pitch writer of dialogue and a novelistic observer. There are heroes on both sides of the law, and what they have in common is their futile attempt to make good in a broken system. The performances are phenomenal, especially Dominic West's reckless, irreverent Detective McNulty and Andre Royo's addict-turned-snitch, Bubbles. In the hands of lesser actors, their flaws would be either invisible or unredeemable. Instead, self-destruction in its many varieties — senseless, quixotic, noble — is the heart of the show. — Ben Van Heuvelen (Click here to buy.)
The SciFi Channel may be the last place you'd expect to find an intelligent critique of the "war on terror," but Battlestar Galactica comments on page-one themes — suicide bombing, occupational authority and religious fanaticism — with surprising agility and compassion. The show pits humans against the Cylons, zealous humanoid robots who've rebelled against their human creators. In a brilliant move, the Cylons look like humans, creating an enemy within — anyone could be a sleeper agent. For action fans, almost every episode features hand-to-hand combat or spaceship battling, while characters face romantic entanglements and tests of faith (the Cylons are a deeply religious group who believe in one God, while the humans are polytheistic). Start with the three-hour miniseries (available on Netflix), then move on to season one. — Sarah Harrison (Click here to buy.)
Fans of well-written shows may be frustrated by the strike, but we already knew TV was unfair. Case in point: the cancellation of Firefly after only half a season. Conceived by Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon, this sci-fi Western is sexy, funny and thought-provoking. It's also one of the most cinematic shows ever produced, with its fascinating future world (equally influenced by the Old West and the ancient East) augmented by a sweeping score and super-smooth space effects. The show's fourteen episodes are well worth watching on DVD. Chase them with a viewing of the follow-up feature film Serenity, and curse Fox for robbing you of the opportunity to see megahot Gina Torres kick more asses. — Gwynne Watkins (Click here to buy.)
This twelve-hour miniseries can satisfy a good week of manifest-destiny-craving entertainment. Produced by Steven Spielberg, this wholesome, sweeping portrayal of the American frontier manages to touch on every piece of western expansion, from the Union Pacific to Custer's Last Stand, and successfully maintain a feasible plot thread. If you like cowboys or just watching men do long-lost manly deeds like hunting and building, this is your show. In one scene protagonist Jacob Wheeler is reunited with his wife after a ten-year absence, and, after saving her from a scuffle with a toothless, gold-hungry man, he fires his gun in the air and says something like, "I'm Jacob Wheeler and anyone with a problem better answer to me." Independent lady I am, I still swoon. — LB (Click here to buy.)
If you're pining for Saturday Night Live, this ludicrous BBC series will provide a generous sketch-comedy fix. Comedic chameleons Matt Lucas and David Walliams play several dozen outrageous characters from all corners of the UK. Most of the recurring sketches revolve around a single gag of questionable taste — the ghetto-fabulous teenager who talks too fast, "the only gay" in a tiny hamlet, the inept leader of a weight loss group — yet somehow, the joke keeps getting funnier. You may even find yourself (shudder) repeating catchphrases. — GW (Click here to buy.)
Only a superhuman breed of comic like Dave Chappelle could morph into endless caricatures of society — from politicians to rap stars, black and white — and remain good-natured enough that the butt of the joke can laugh too. Crack heads, white people dancing, a black member of the KKK — whatever the content, these skits maintain a PG innocence that anyone should be able to enjoy. And, while the Chappelle love is alive and your Netflix are being queued, add Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Featuring The Roots, Dead Prez and The Fugees, it's not only a tribute to Brooklyn and hip-hop, but also a look at what a compassionate, free-thinking, naturally funny guy Chappelle is when he's not center stage. — Lauren Belski (Click here to buy.)
Also known as The Only Show My Man and I Could Agree On, Coupling is a British gem that ran four seasons on the BBC. All are available on DVD; thanks to Netflix, you can watch the entire series in four compulsive sittings. Coupling focuses on an incestuous group of six friends — three male, three female — with apparently one thing on their minds. Aside from hours of laughs, this show will provide you and your significant other with the secrets of the opposite sex. Watch it to learn about the nudity buffer, the sock gap, and the melty man. — Steph Auteri (Click here to buy.) [See also: our reviews of the complete Twin Peaks box set, Beverly Hills 90210 seasons one and two; Dolly Parton and Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection.] n° 
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