The weeks go flying by, and it’s with great alarm that I note we’re already to May. Where has this year gone? Why does it seem like it should still be January? Why is the sky blue? Why ask why?

When Red Dwarf began coming out on DVD, I bemoaned the fact that they were being released at the rate of only two series per year – which meant it would take four years for the entire eight series run to finally make it out. Well, here we are, four years later, and I’m holding Red Dwarf: Series 8 (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) in my hands… well, metaphorically. Right now, obviously, I’m typing. Stop being so literal. Either way, the final series is out, and with the film still in limbo, this may be the last adventures of Lister, Rimmer, Cat, Kryten, and Kochanski that we’ll ever see. In addition to the 8 regular episodes, the 3-part premiere, “Back in the Red,” is also presented as a feature length film. As far as bonus features go, you’ve got the usual cast commentaries on every ep, a massive documentary encompassing the entire 8th series, the RD episode of Comedy Connections, deleted scenes, music cues, smeg-ups, trailers, the children in need sketch, easter eggs, and more. So, Doug… Where’s the film?

I think the fourth season of 3rd Rock From the Sun (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is my favorite of all, and it can be summed up in 2 words – William Shatner. The great one steps in to personify the heretofore unseen alien leader, The Big Giant Head, and can you think of a better choice? This is also the season whose premiere resolves Phil Hartman’s guest role in the preceding season, after he kidnapped Harry. The 4-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus a featurette spotlight on Jane Curtain and bloopers.

I was happy to hear of Fox’s recent coming to the senses on the future of King of the Hill, renewing it for another season instead of letting a great series die due to their nonsensical apathy towards it. While you’re waiting for the new season to begin in the Fall, dig into the complete 6th season (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). From Ren-Faire’s to naked grilling, it’s all here courtesy of the Hill clan’s Texan misadventures. One thing, tho – where are the bonus features, Fox? These sets should be as feature-laden as the Simpsons sets

There’s an electricity to the art of comics legend Jack Kirby, which is why I get such a kick out of every volume of The Collected Jack Kirby Collector (Twomorrows, $24.95 SRP) from Twomorrows Publishing, the fifth volume of which is now available. Packed with rare art and copious articles, it’s a must-have for and fan of “The King.”

It’s hard to believe that such a ground-breaking, beloved series as I Love Lucy only lasted an all-too-brief 6 seasons (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). I suppose it’s a testament to just how well-crafted the series was that, 50 years later, it’s still just as beloved – if not more so. The final DVD set features all 27 fully remastered episodes across 4 discs, plus the 1956 Christmas special, lost scenes, audio commentaries, bloopers, original commercials and promo spots, and much more.

Just in time for the release of I Love Lucy’s final season, Warners has pulled the only three films starring Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz from their vaults and packaged them together in the Lucy & Desi Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Newly remastered and sparkling, those flicks are The Long, Long Trailer, Forever Darling, and Too Many Girls. It’s still odd to see the pair in their prime in glorious color, and the films themselves are fun romantic comedies of the period, if not the laugh-fests of the couple’s sitcom. The set includes vintage cartoons, shorts, and the original theatrical trailers, plus a vintage behind-the-scenes segment for Forever Darling.

If you’re looking to stage a unique mini-marathon this weekend with a decidedly southern flair, how about a run of big screen Tennessee Williams classics, fully restored by the fine folks at Warners and loaded with bonus features? Leading the pack is the much-desired 2-disc special edition of A Streetcar Named Desire (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$26.98 SRP), featuring an audio commentary (with Karl Malden and film historians Rudy Behlmer & Jeff Young), outtakes, Marlon Brando’s Screen-test, a feature-length profile of director Elia Kazan, 5 new documentaries (“A Streetcar on Broadway,” “A Streetcar in Hollywood,” “Censorship & Desire,” “North and the Music of the South,” and “An Actor named Brando”), and a trailer gallery. Rounding out your simmering marathon are Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Night of the Iguana, Sweet Bird of Youth, and The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). The discs feature commentary (on Cat), new documentaries, vintage featurettes, and trailers. Get a cool glass of lemonade, a piece of cake, and depend on the kindness of cinema.

With Memorial Day fast approaching, now’s the time to stock up on all of the war films currently hitting stores, including the extended cut of Brian DePalma’s Sean Penn-Michael J. Fox Vietnam flick Casualties of War (MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$19.94 SRP), which includes an interview with Fox and a new making-of documentary, and the director’s cut of John Woo’s Windtalkers (MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$19.94 SRP) – featuring audio commentary from Woo & producer Terence Chang, audio commentary from Nicholas Cage & Christian Slater, and audio commentary from Roger Willie and Navajo Code talker advisor Albert Smith.

Crikey, I thought Saw was hard to stomach, but it looks like The Wizard of Oz next to Eli Roth’s Hostel (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$28.95 SRP), a sadistic little romp about a pair of American backpackers who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong people doing very, very wrong things… So very, very wrong. This is not a flick for the faint of heart… or the faint of anything, really. The DVD features a quartet of audio commentaries, a multi-art behind-the-scenes featurette, and a multi-angle feature on one of the scenes.

Sir David Attenborough’s incredible series of nature programs continues with a look at the immense world of the invertebrates in Life In the Undergrowth (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). Bugs, beetles, worms, spiders, centipedes, and more all get the spotlight, as the cameras capture breathtaking footage that left my mouth agape through most of the 4 hour program.

At the time Kate & Allie (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) premiered, it was still groundbreaking to do a show featuring a pair of divorced women sharing a house in New York City with their three kids… Even if there was no shenanigans going on. It helped that it was Jane Curtain and Susan Saint James, and that the writing was mostly snappy. A mid-season replacement, the single-disc first season contains all 6 episodes, plus a conversation with Susan Saint James and Bill Persky, a gag reel, and a bonus episode from the second season.

If your anticipation is building for the big screen adaptation of Dan Brown’s controversial best-seller The Da Vinci Code, you can pass the time listening to Hans Zimmer’s score album (Decca, $18.98 SRP) and contemplating if there’s anything hidden within the notes.

If the seasonal Friends box sets are a little too intimidating, you can now get snack-sized themed single-discs, each one focusing on a cornerstone of the Friends mythos and containing 5-6 episodes. The first three training wheels releases are The One With All The Birthdays, The One With All The Weddings, and The One With All The Babies (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). Surprisingly, they’ve even put a single audio commentary on both Weddings and Babies, pulled from the box sets.

Remember – when in doubt, always, always, ALWAYS just Leave It To Beaver (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Never, ever trust Eddie Haskell… that’s just not smart. The complete second season features 39 classic Cleaver kerfuffles. Even though there’s no bonus materials, it’s nice just to have these episodes uncut.

The whine and cheese returns with the complete second season of Fran Drescher as The Nanny (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The 3-disc set features all 26 episodes, but nary a bonus feature.