TV

Because if you're not, you're missing the best show on television, says Sara Mosle over at Slate.com:

Friday Night Lights is also Texas as it's seldom been seen--which is to say, as it really is. ...It's more like The Last Picture Show, 60 years after the cinema closed, without the sexual repression and filmed in sensuous color.

The second season of FNL just came out on DVD, so it's the perfect time to catch up. Our advice: Start with Season 1 so you don't miss anything. We promise you will not be sorry.

I've been surprised by how many people are requesting boxed DVD series as gifts this year (including my own kids!). Of course now that I think about it, many of these series are better written than most of the movies out there, offer more longlasting enjoyment, are divided into watchable segments (you may not have 3 hours to devote to a movie, but you can always find a half hour or so to watch an episode) and, of course, no commercials. I bet the Seinfeld boxed set and the King of Queens boxed set will be big hits. I have a friend who is asking for Curb Your Enthusiasm. My kids are also asking me for the first season of Heroes...

Seinfeld: The Complete Collection is new on DVD. And we have to ask: What’s your favorite Seinfeld espisode?

The beloved puffy shirt (Sony)

"The Junior Mint" (Nov. 12) -- Elaine’s interest in an old boyfriend is rekindled when he loses weight.

"The Puffy Shirt" (Nov. 13) -- Jerry is coerced into wearing a ridiculous "puffy” shirt designed by Kramer’s girlfriend when he appears on the Today show.

"The Yada Yada" (Nov. 14) -- Jerry doubts his dentist’s religious conversion; Kramer and Mickey fight over a double date as Elaine undermines a couple’s chances at adoption.

"The Contest" (Nov. 15) -- Jerry challenges George, Kramer and Elaine to pool their money in a contest of self-denial.

"The Marine Biologist" (Nov. 16) -- Romance starts to blossom between George and his former college classmate Diane, after Jerry falsely tells her that George is a successful marine biologist.

"The Bubble Boy" (Nov. 19) -- Jerry agrees to make a side trip to visit a sickly fan -- who must live in a protective plastic tent -- while he and George drive up to a mountain cabin with their dates.

"The Sponge" (Nov. 20) -- Elaine's favorite birth control device is discontinued.

"The Little Kicks" (Nov. 21) -- Elaine’s strange dancing loses her employees’ respect.

"The Soup Nazi" (Nov. 22) -- A demanding soup stand chef bans Elaine from eating his wares.

"The Hamptons" (Nov. 23) -- Jerry and his friends take an ill-fated trip to the beach.

So what say you? Did the voting viewers get it right? For my money, "The Contest" is maybe the smartest episode ever. To do an entire episode about something your really couldn't talk about on television and all the smart euphemisms they came up with to get around that issue was pure genius.