ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT has released the entire first season of “HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES” as a dvd boxed set.

Adrian Paul assumes the role of Duncan MacLeod,(Christopher Lambert played him in the film series) an Immortal doing battle with other immortals, but not without taking on other weekly adventures in the popular television series which premiered a decade ago.
As in the film series, Immortals can’t die unless decapitated.  Needless to say, there’s plenty of swordplay in this series.

There is more than one television series which viewers can begin watching at any season, without feeling lost.  Unfortunately, “HIGHLANDER” is not one of them.

The writers of the series have created layers upon layers of sub-plots, and numerous characters and myths, all with the goal of creating a “Tolkien-like” text for the show.  Missing one show or two shows won’t necessarily lose the viewer, but there will probably be references to characters and situations that seem unfamiliar.

The entire first season is spread out over 8 discs.  Episodes include:

1)“The Gathering”, “Family Tree”, “The Road Not Taken”.
2)“Innocent Man”, “Free Fall”, “Bad Day in Building ‘A’”.
3)“Mountain Men”, “Deadly Medicine”, “The Sea Witch”.
4)“Revenge Is Sweet”, “See No Evil”, “Eyewitness”.
5)“Band of Brothers”, “For Evil’s Sake”, “For Tomorrow We Die.”
6)“The Beast Below”, “Saving Grace”, “The Lady and the Tiger”.
7)“Eye of the Beholder”, “Avenging Angel”, “Nowhere to Run”.
8)“The Hunters”.

While the storylines to individual episodes vary in quality, the production values are consistently impressive.  The show is supposed to take place in locations over two continents, and the locations made up of various manors, castles, and more are visually enticing and believable, even though productions notes reveal the series was filmed in Canada.

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT has preserved the series’ original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.  While there’s a lot of grain present, the image is generally pleasing, with rich colors.  Contrast is excellent Fleshtones appear natural throughout.
The stereo mix has been remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1, and it’s a welcome enhancement.  The front soundstage has a modest amount of directional effects, but surrounds are reserved mostly for the music track.  Like the original film, music from the rock group “QUEEN” helps in adding a sense of mythic proportions to the series’ atmosphere.

A variety of extras has been added for individual episodes.  The series’ producer William Panzer provides interviews and production tales.  “THE WATCHER CHRONICLES” offers trivia as well as historical information about characters and weapons from each episode. An option to go directly to the “QUICKENING” sequence of each show is also provided.

The final disc in this boxed set offers bloopers and a 30 minute promotional featurette.