Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season One

Post-Dances with Wolves, liberal reinterpretations of the settling of the West by Europeans were never more popular or family-friendly than this earnest if unchallenging CBS TV series. Just after the Civil War, patrician lady doctor Michaela "Mike" Quinn (Jane Seymour) heads west from Boston to Colorado Springs to ply her then-unlikely trade on the wild frontier, and her adventures--in medicine and of the heart--garnered a devoted fan following during the show's 1993-1998 run (prompting a spirited protest when it was cancelled). These first 17 episodes follow Quinn as she adjusts to frontier life, finds herself saddled with a passel of motherless kids, and goes about the business of winning over a town skeptical of a woman doing man's work. Will this woman, who is not only uppity but a new friend to the local Cheyenne Indians, fall for the laconic Sully (Joe Lando), a white man gone native--with big blue eyes and chiseled cheekbones to boot? Of course she will. Rifts between folk will be mended, Indian wisdom will be dispensed, selflessness will trump prejudice, patience will overcome bitterness, and the importance of an open mind and a warm heart will be emphasized. Simple and profound in all its cornball sweetness, this Emmy-winning series is a gentle delight. Boasting good image quality and solid sound, this DVD boxed set also features an episode of A&E's Biography devoted to star Seymour. Recommended. (M. Johanson)