'30 Rock: Second Season'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

With its hilarious send-up of the TV business, multiple Emmy winner "30 Rock" has always seemed like the kind of sitcom that's as much fun for the cast to make as it is for viewers to watch.

Sure enough, "30 Rock: Season 2" ($39.98, Universal Home Video) provides the proof. A revealing set of extras takes viewer behind the scenes of the behind-the-scenes parody, from an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Q&A to an episode "table read" to a live performance of an episode at a New York improv stage. Throughout, the actors look like they're having a blast, maybe even more fun than you'll have watching the show.

The deleted scenes are short, but funny, but not so much the audio commentary. Other than Tina Fey's, they plod along. But that's only fitting, as this is show creator Fey's baby, and the 15 episodes here of TV's freshest comedy lose no shine with repeated viewings, from secret Teamster sandwiches to Jack McBrayer's naivete, from Alec Baldwin's careerism to Tracy Morgan's delusions, and, of course, to Judah Friedlander's hats.

'The Munsters: The Complete Series'

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

There is no ghoul like an old ghoul. The residents of 1313 Mockingbird Lane expired following a two-season run (1964-66) on CBS, then found new life in syndication. Their four-decade return from the dead now extends to this DVD release ($69.98, Universal Home Video).

The Munsters' humor, of course, is campy, juvenile and predictable -- but still delightful. This 12-disc set includes the 39 shows from the first season and 32 from the second, all in black-and-white and previously released in 2004 and 2005. The unaired pilot, one colorized episode and two feature-length films, "Munster, Go Home!" and "The Munsters' Revenge," are in this set as well.

There also are four extras: an overview of the show, and profiles of actors Fred Gwynne (Herman), Yvonne DeCarlo (Lily) and Al Lewis (Grandpa). Among the nuggets: Gwynne was Harvard-educated; Gwynne and Lewis previously co-starred on "Car 54, Where Are You?"; and both were initially wary of working with a high-profile star, DeCarlo, who rose from childhood poverty to become a movie siren.

-- Rick Shrum, Post-Gazette East editor

'Robot Chicken: Season Three'

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

As the free market freefalls before our eyes, "Robot Chicken Volume Three" ($29.98, Turner Home Entertainment) takes us back to simpler times, when Superman caught falling objects before impact and no one thought about the equity in Barbie's beach house, let alone its high-risk coastal locale.

The stop-motion animated series' third DVD release features 20 episodes of comedic shorts, eight deleted scenes, 22 deleted animatics (including the self-explanatory "Al-Qaeda Suicide Hotline") and a series of shorts aptly named "Chicken Nuggets." It also features gag reels, video blogs, alternate audio, a studio tour and commentary from creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich over each episode.

Although jokes about She-Ra's menstrual rage or aroused robots may not appeal to everyone, "Robot Chicken Volume Three" provides a reasonable alternative for many adults wishing these days to hide under their covers and play with their old toys.

-- Deborah M. Todd, Post-Gazette staff writer

• More TV on DVD: "Backyardigans: Escape From Fairytale Village"; "The Beverly Hillbillies," season 2; "Martin," season 5; "Mission: Impossible," season 5; "The Naked Brothers Band," season 2; "The Sarah Jane Adventures," season 1; "The Simpsons," season 11; "The Smurfs," Season 1, Volume 2; "South Park: The Cult of Cartman"; "Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection."