MI-5: Volume 1

Putting most American TV dramas, with their newfound obsession for terrorism, to shame, the 2002 BBC series MI-5--which aired in the U.S. on A&E--follows a cadre of elite agents from "Section B" of the UK's top spy shop. Experts in counterterrorism, these funny, flawed people--the spot-on ensemble cast is led by charismatic Matthew MacFadyen--juggle messed-up personal lives (in which they must lie even to the people they love) with a covert war on the streets of London. Tense, timely, and eloquent, the series takes on hot-button issues including abortion, race relations, political protest and revolution, and even governmental scandal, with a smart, sophisticated attitude that is uncompromising in its refusal to see anything in simple black-and-white. Each of the six episodes on this three-disc set (sporting one of the cleverest DVD-menu schemes I've encountered--using manila folders and white binders) contains 15 extra minutes of footage unseen on American television, as well as audio commentaries for each episode, featurettes, interviews, and more. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)