The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margret: Series One

Originally created for IFC by American actor-writer-comedian David Cross and British TV producer Shaun Pye, this series stars Cross as the titular office temp who tries to bluff his way through the consequences of a sudden promotion to overseas sales director of an American corporation (with predictably disastrous results). Sent to London by his blustery, equally incompetent boss (Will Arnett) to sell a North Korean energy drink that's treated as toxic waste in the rest of the civilized world, Todd fabricates one story after another to prop up his fictional résumé. The show melds its originators' two comic sensibilities into a culture-clash comedy of brash, brainless Americans blundering through Britain without a lick of professional experience or common sense, serving up gags laced with sexual innuendo and blithely offensive comments while reveling in the humiliation and desperation of its hapless hero. Compiling six episodes from the 2010 debut season plus an extended version of the first segment, DVD extras include episode commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)