Holiday Gift Guide for TV Lovers

Downton Abbey: Seasons 1, 2, 3 & 4: Imagine owning every episode of the first four seasons of the Brit sensation that Variety aptly dubbed "compulsively watchable" so you can relive the romance, scandals, blackmail, along with the gay underbutler Barrow and the bisexual Duke of Crowborough, all in the home of the Earl of Grantham. $89, ShopPBS.org

True Blood: The Complete Series: There were no less than 10 LGBT characters on this fantastic and hugely allegorical vampire series as well as a couple of out LGBT actors (notably main star Anna Paquin, who gave face to female bisexuality in Hollywood this decade). This massive 33-disc set on Blu-ray and DVD has tons of bonus material, behind-the-scenes features, a Snoop Dogg music video, Tru Blood beverage ads, and 40 audio commentaries making for the perfect gift for die-hard Truebies. Even better: The Blu-ray set also includes the digital HD copy of all 80 episodes, True Death (a backstage peek at the show's final days), and True Blood Lines (a wonderfully packaged interactive guide slash archive about all the relationships past and present on the show). $250, Store.HBO.com

The Office: The Complete Series: Boo-ya! America's favorite mockumentary offered a hilarious look at the 9-to-5 world. This new set combines all 201 episodes with bonus Webisodes, blooper reels, 15 solid hours of deleted scenes, and your favorite moments with Oscar (played by the hilariously improvisational Oscar Nunez), your favorite gay Latino to hit TV since Wilson Cruz. Oh and those actors who became famous on the show (Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson) and guest stars (Kathy Bates, James Spader) who brought even more star power to the series. Power plays, anger management, off-color humor -- no workplace would have been complete without 'em. $200, NBCUniversalStore.com

Psych: The Complete Series: This underdog of a comedic crime-solving mashup follows a faux psychic, Shawn (played by the adorbs James Roday), and his boyhood BFF, Gus (even more adorbs Dule Hill,) who become detectives relying mostly on goofy luck and Shawn's powers of both observation and persuasion. Sure, there are women crushes, occasional girlfriends, and a lady cop (the charming Kristen Nelson) but rest assured through much of this series the real relationship is between these two men (er, overgrown boys?). Bonuses are bloopers, commentary, deleted scenes, Webisodes of the cartoon Lil' Shawn and Gus, and the Psych After Pshow! (a live one-hour special with the cast). $85, Amazon.com

Daniel Boone: The Complete Series: Available for the first time, this DVD set celebrates the 50th anniversary of the frontier family TV series that, for gay men of a certain age, served up their first real exposure to a bear (er, Bear), even if Fess Parker's titular character wasn't actually gay. It's high in camp value now. In the final season, for example, Daniel Boone forms an alliance with Johnny Appleseed, who helps maintain peace with the Native Americans, and then steps in to help Benjamin Franklin preserve free speech and autonomy. (Hint: Your grandparents will also love this set.) $115, ShopTCM.com

The New Normal: The Complete First Season: Cocreator Ryan Murphy's groundbreaking gay parenting comedy starring Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha as a gay couple with a baby on the way from Goldie, their surrogate, may have been before its time or, as one critic agued, "too gay" (i.e. stereotypical), but watch it again and you'll remember why the show won the 2013 People's Choice Award before it was canceled. Bonuses: Guest appearances from Matt Bomer and John Stamos and every single episode with Ellen Barkin as a surrogate-in-law. $25, Amazon.com

Above Suspicion: Set 3: The finale series of one of the U.K.'s best police procedurals since Prime Suspect reunites detective inspector Anna Travis (played by Kelly Reilly) with her old boss (DCS James Langton, played by Game of Thrones' Ciaran Hinds) to solve the murder of a young actress. Reilly should be a familiar face now: She was the main character on ABC's Black Box, and in 2015 she's one of the main characters in True Detective season 2. Based on Silent Scream, the best-selling novel by Lynda La Plante, Above Suspicion: Set 3 is the conclusion to this British TV series that even "foreign TV" haters will love. In fact, you might just want to buy the set, out now, if you haven't seen the first two sets. $25 and up, AcornOnline.com

Vicious: Season One: This deliciously biting British comedy tells the story of a nitpicking gay couple, Freddie and Stuart, who have built 50 years of love and resentment together. The wickedly funny codependent partners are played by gay superstars Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, and their supporting cast is wry and wonderfully dry as well. $26, ShopPBS.org

Search: The Complete Series: If you were a teenager in the 1970s, you probably remember this show: It was the coolest spy-fi (i.e. science fiction detective) show on TV and it was about three decades ahead of its time. It centers on agents who are wired to and monitored by a room full of mission control-type officers (think NASA), and a whole lot of their dream tech is now available in stores (like wearable video cameras and GPS). It wasn't gay per say, but it's cool Logan's Run-era nostalgia with no frills or bonuses on the MOD DVDs. $48, WarnerArchive.com

American Dad: Vol. 9: SThis show is an animated ode to the televisons best pansexual TV character ever: Roger the alien. Sure, there's plenty about Haley to love (I think she's bi) and mom Francine (who we know is bi, have seen in previous epsides), or even dorking Steve (he joins a boy band this season). But it's Roger (and his occasionally homoerotic relationship with Stan, and gay neighbors Greg and Terry) who brings us back every Sunday night. Better yet, in some households, this counts as family programming. Check it and buy that boundary-free family this DVD set. $24, Amazon.com

The Blacklist: The Complete First Season: On Blu-ray and digital HD as well as DVD, this intro to the hit TV series is a must for lovers of drama, mystery, and James Spader. The former star of everything from The Office to Pretty in Pink, Spader plays Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former government agent turned most wanted fugitive. When he turns himself in, the "concierge of crime" has an offer for the FBI: He'll help catch elusive criminals using his insider info but only if he can work with Liz Keen, a new profiler straight out of Quantico. Turns out there's a link there, and the mysteries surrounding Keen (played expertly by Megan Boone) help fuel this intense action series. $35 and up, Amazon.com

Spiral: Season 3: One of the crime shows on isn't even American, but fans of The Wire who don't mind subtitles will love it. You can start at season three or buy the whole set of this gritty French police thriller, each season stands on its own well. At the beginning of this one, the mutilated body of a young woman is found on an abandoned railway track and police captain Laure Berthaud sees the case as an opportunity to restore a tarnished reputation and leads her squad on the hunt for what she believes to be a deranged serial killer. Meanwhile, Judge Roban investigates a bribery scandal involving a prominent political figure. You'll see how differently French justice works (there judges are involved in every case long before the trial) and how steeped in corruption politics can be as well. And yes, there's a gay element along the way. (In French with English subtitles.) $45, MHZNetworks.org

Spenser for Hire: The Complete First Season: Robert Urich plays Spenser, the Boston gumshoe of author Robert B. Parker's imagination, who has a smart, feminist Jewish girlfriend named Susan (Barbara Stock), streetwise muscle backup, Hawk (played by Avery Brooks), and a whole underworld to investigate. Some first season guests include William H. Macy and Shirley Knight. Parker's writing evolved to be some of the most inclusive contemporary crime fiction (in part because both of his sons were gay), but this '80s series only hints at greatness to come. $39, WarnerArchive.com

Dynasty: The Eighth Season: This highly addictive prime-time soap opera that made top ratings in the 1980s lets you return to explore the greed, drama, and passion of the megarich oil tycoons the Carringtons. (And if you watch American Dad, you probably remember the hilarious Dynasty-themed episode.) This is the show that gave a stage to Joan Collins and John Forsythe and big, big '80s hair. $28, Target.com

Jack Irish: Set 1 and 2: Guy Pearce, the handsome star of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, is wonderfully downtrodden lawyer turned private detective Jack Irish in this brilliant Australian noir meets PI series. Set 2 follows Jack, a widower, as he helps his former father-in-law, the well-respected Justice Loder, find a book of photos that link Loder and a young gay man with whom he was having an affair; the man ends up dead and the book becomes fodder for blackmail. Bonus: Barry Humphries, who plays Justice Loder, is know for his drag alter ego, Dame Edna. $34, AcornOnline.com

Line of Duty: Series 2: BBC Two's number 1 drama in the last 10 years, this breathtakingly nerve-racking and addictive police thriller is a twisty, bumpy ride, and the finale to this season will leave you guessing for days (seriously, there are online posts detailing it with dozens of spoilers -- don't say I didn't warn you). $21, Amazon.com

Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season: Think badass women, pulp stories, and graphic novel inspiration and you've got this cool chick-centric Cinemax After Dark series, which boasts stars like Vivica Fox, Eric Roberts, and Casper Van Dien. There's tons of bonus content (audio commentary on every episode, making-ofs, and a Lilith: Daughter of Darkness featurette). Our fave: the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con Panel. (It's nerdvana with sexy hot babes.) $12, Amazon.com

Borgen: The Complete Series: There's a reason Stephen King called Denmark's blockbuster political drama Borgen (The Castle) his favorite television series of the year. Going inside the insular world of high-stakes Danish politics and the press corps that covers it in instantaneous, relentless news cycles. Birgitte Nyborg becomes prime minister of Denmark through a political fluke and has to learn the ways of power, quickly. (In Danish with English subtitles.) $90, MHZNetworks.org

Mork & Mindy: The Complete Series: Starring Robin Williams in his best-known television role, the whole series is available for the first time ever on DVD. This includes the show's fourth season, never-before-released on DVD, a favorite for many fans as it includes unforgettable performances from Williams's idol, legendary comedian Jonathan Winters. In addition to all four seasons being restored, it also includes the two episodes from the TV series Happy Days, which "hatched" the Mork character. Campy goodness, nostalgia, and Pam Dawber. $106, Amazon.com

The Harry Potter Hogwarts Collection: Fans of the decade's coolest gay character, Dumbledore, as well as, you know, Harry, Hermione, and all the others will adore this giant collectible boxed set that includes all eight Harry Potter films, plus a whopping 45 plus hours of previously released bonus material that contains the complete eight-part documentary series, Creating the World of Harry Potter. All this on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD with UltraViolet. $149 and up, Amazon.com

Extant: The First Season: This Blu-ray (or DVD) set lets you relive actress Halle Berry and producer Steven Spielberg's stunning new sci-fi series, which played out like a movie a week on TV. There are tons of features, including The Mythology Of Extant in which creator Mickey Fisher introduces key words, characters, and items that constitute the show's futuristic setting. The very handsome Goran Visnjic as Berry's scientist husband is a bonus too. Pre-order before December 9. $39, Amazon.com

The Simpsons: Season 17: There's a reason it's the longest-running scripted show in television history and this season's Blu-ray offers fan all 22 outrageous episodes, a vast repertoire of Springfieldian special features, and a panoply of celebrity guest voices, including Lily Tomlin Alec Baldwin, Larry Hagman, William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Rob Reiner, and Susan Sarandon. Some of those guests also provide commentary, such as Richard Dean Anderson, Ricky Gervais, Michael York, and Kelsey Grammer. Pre-order before December 2. $49.98, FoxConnect.com

Penny Dreadful: The Complete First Season: There was a moment so buzzworthy during the fourth episode of the first season of Showtime's new hit series that they were still talking about it at Comic-Con. The gothic mystery show, which juxtaposes horror icons from 19th-century literature with new storylines, showed two of its male leads making out. Without any warning Josh Hartnett (who plays Ethan Chandler) kissed Reeve Carney (who portrays Dorian Gray) so passionately, viewers were stunned (happily so), especially given that neither character had been known to be gay or bi. And Hartnett is so central a star he's right there on the Blu-ray cover. The whole season, which is absolutely captivating and delightfully creepy, has had plenty of male nudity, an orgy, some lesbian subtext, and omnisexual Dorian Gray (and we think, an ample dose of queerness thanks to its out gay creator and showrunner John Logan). $31, Amazon.com

Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery: Hands down one of the 10 best TV shows of all time, Twin Peaks was the original Freak Show. In a quaint but odd northwestern town, the denizens of Twin Peaks are stunned who are stunned when homecoming queen Laura Palmer is suddenly found murdered. As investigator Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) comes into town to unravel the mystery (speaking on his recorder to an always unseen "Diane"), a series of events transpire that show just how many secrets the town's teens have (this was the launching pad for Sherilyn Fenn, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Madchen Amick), the criminality that lives below the surface of this albeit-eerie suburban facade, and what isolation and time can engender in a person. Bonuses: This collection includes every episode from the television series; both the U.S. and international versions of the pilot; the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; and a new featurette with creator David Lynch and the actors who portrayed the Palmer family that looks at the lives of their characters today. Don't miss Peggy Lipton, the log lady, and David Duchovny's portrayal of Denise, a transgender woman. $109.99, Amazon.com

Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Complete Series: One of biggest cult classic TV shows ever is back with all 45 wacky episodes remastered and in hi-def. Find out why Pee-wee and his pals won 22 Emmy awards. Bonus: Several hours of never-seen, behind-the-scenes footage and brand-new interviews with the cast and crew (including Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson (Reba the mail lady) and Blackish star Laurence Fishburne (Cowboy Curtis). $94, ShoutFactory.com