Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

It's hard not to fall in love with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The concept is similar to other television programs such as American Chopper and Monster Garage—i.e., a handful of squabbling designers and craftspeople work 'round-the-clock to make something quite unique and special in a short amount of time—but the difference here is that the results truly matter to real people in the real world, namely homeowners in sorrowful circumstances, whose properties are in desperate need of renovation. Led by the friendly and appealing reconstruction guru Ty Pennington, the EM team rapidly descends on unsuspecting families who submitted video applications for help, whisking them away on weeklong vacations before setting to work tearing down walls, ripping out kitchen installations, replacing roofs, or even knocking down entire houses and starting from scratch. Along the way, teammates bicker or annoy outside contractors (those mini-dramas are all part of the fun), but nothing compares with the inevitable joy of returning families, especially those who have dealt with a lot of heartache, such as family illness or natural disaster. Presenting nine episodes from the 2004 first season of this Emmy-winning show, this double-disc set also includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and a bloopers reel. Recommended. (T. Keogh)