'Samantha Who? The Complete First Season'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

"Samantha Who?" hooks you on the adventures of Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate) from the first scene. Awakening from an eight-day coma with an itchy nose and a case of retrograde amnesia, Samantha is confronted by two rather odd people claiming to be her parents, one "BFF" who admits she hasn't seen her since fifth grade and the distinct impression she was not the nicest of people prior to being hit by a car.

The combination of quirky sensitivity, comedic timing and smart writing makes Samantha's hunt for herself and her past a clever comedy. I only wish this DVD ($29.99, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) had extras that live up to the series. With a couple of deleted scenes, a few outtakes and the series pilot being hashed over by two of the creative team and Applegate, the extras were the opposite of the series: a big letdown. Five stars for the show and only one for the DVD extras.

-- Liz Gray, Post-Gazette staff writer

'Cashmere Mafia'

1 star = Awful
Ratings explained

If you're nostalgic for "Sex and the City," the flop knockoff "Cashmere Mafia," which debuted in January, will only disappoint. It employed the original's winning formula: a quartet of female friends (including one played by Lucy Liu), driven, beautiful and stylish who, in spite of rising to the top of their fields, always have time for cocktails (except now they're armed with BlackBerries and Gawker). It was even created by "SATC" producer Darren Starr." Cashmere Mafia" ($29.95, Sony Pictures) is not a complete "SATC" clone -- half the quartet, investor Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor) and hotel COO Juliet Draper (Miranda Otto) -- are married and have children. But the characters come off as composites of stale "SATC" stereotypes, and the plot, fast-paced and unrestrained, only serves to bore and marginalize what would otherwise be major life events.

You won't find redemption in the DVD's bonus material, which includes four "featurettes," one for each woman, which are montages of the characters' revealing moments interlaced with interviews with the actresses. They only reinforce the fact that even the show's better moments were not all that good.

-- Moriah Balingit, Post-Gazette staff writer

'Brothers & Sisters: Second Season'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

The extras in the "Brothers & Sisters" box set ($59.99, Buena Vista Home Entertainment) are more "inside baseball" than anything. Most intriguing is "Open House: Designing the Brothers & Sisters Set." Production designer Denny Dugally takes the viewer on a tour of the Walker home, the Ojai Food Company and the Winery. Set materials are revealed and the process behind the set design is laid bare. Equally interesting is the "TV Dinners: Food From Season 2," where viewers get to see how the food is prepared and written into every aspect of the script. Deleted scenes are not that revealing except for a some involving Justin when he returned from Iraq that fill in a few holes.

Like season one's audio commentary, I vote to just leave it off. It's full of jokes and giggles between cast members and writers and doesn't reveal anything about the new direction of the show.

--Rosa Colucci, Post-Gazette staff writer

Also new this week

"Boston Legal," season 4; "Friday the 13th: The Series," season 1; "This American Life," season 1; "Two and a Half Men," season 4.