A&E has begun to release yet another popular tv series on dvd.  “PROFILER” stars Ally Walker(UNIVERSAL SOLDIER) as Dr. Samantha Waters,  a detective gifted with more than just a high degree of intelligence.  While she utilizes her education and intuition at crime scenes, she also has some sort of extra sensory ability to visualize the events leading up to the murder. Unfortunately, she’s also shut herself down for some time, following the murder of her husband by an elusive serial killer known as “Jack of All Trades.”  Robert Davi, co-stars as Bailey Malone, the head of a violent crime task force, burdened with solving the most heinous crimes.   After some coaxing, he manages to get her to join his team, and the adventures begin.

While some episodes are much better than others, “PROFILER” is generally excellent. The storylines, even when seeming a bit predictable, play out in an entertaining fashion due to some of the show’s inherent twists.  Those who are fans of “C.S.I” will undoubtedly enjoy the show’s focus on alleged forensic science techniques.  Both shows present scientific information in a highly stylized, engaging manner.  However “C.S.I” does it minus the supernatural element.

21 episodes are featured here, but unfortunately the season’s fourth episode, “I’LL BE WATCHING YOU,” isn’t included, apparently because the “POLICE” song, “EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE” was featured in that episode and the rights for it on dvd made it cost-prohibitive.

A&E has presented the series in its correct 1.33:1 aspect ratio.  The image is sharp and colors are solid.  There’s excellent detail and contrast is excellent, offering deep blacks and grays. Fleshtones appear natural.

A&E has included a Dolby 2.0 Surround mix for this release.  It’s surprisingly more engaging than most “2.0” television mixes, and has enough of an active surround environment to stand up to many 5.1 mixes.

A&E has provided a commentary track for the pilot episode, featuring Walker and Davi.  It’s a highly entertaining and insightful commentary, and leaves one wishing there were more featured.

To make the boxed set even more complete, A&E has included an episode from their popular “AMERICAN JUSTICE” series about profilers.  The episode, “PROFILE OF EVIL: INSIDE THE CRIMININAL MIND” is quite good and worth viewing.