Must Own TV on Blu-ray

When you think of the best of Blu-ray, you might only think of blockbuster movies with eye-popping visuals and wall-shaking sound. If so, you'd be overlooking some of the best available entertainment in high definition. There are lots of great television titles out there, both highly entertaining and technically solid, that also deserve a place on your shelf. Just take a look at this list of our favorite shows available on Blu-ray. Not only do they look terrific in HD, they're also ideal for providing hours of entertainment during a long viewing marathon.

Got your own picks for the best TV on Blu? Let us know in the comments!

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Band of Brothers

It took a while for HBO's landmark World War II miniseries from 2001 to find its way to high definition, but we can only assume it's because the producers were working on getting it just right. And boy did they succeed. Despite a desaturated, washed-out palette, the picture brings the history to life. A stark contrast and limited use of color are effectively woven into the episodes, making for some unexpected moments of greatness. As for the sound, it stands out especially during the battle sequences, but there are subtle atmospheric effects too, like the muted sounds of fighting in the distance or the quiet, natural setting of the Belgian forest.

Based on true events as chronicled in the book of the same name by Stephen Ambrose, this Tom Hanks-produced miniseries gives viewers an intimate portrait of the brave men who fought the last great war, and the toll it took on them. Over the course of 10 episodes we come to know the soldiers of Easy Company, from their early training to the final days of the war. Just watching this film makes you feel like a better, more patriotic citizen.

It doesn't hurt that the casting was spot on, either, with standout performances by Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes and Matthew Settle. Also keep an eye out for cameo appearances by Simon Pegg, Jamie Bamber and James McAvoy, still years away from becoming familiar names on this side of the pond. It may take a few viewings to get the many character's sorted (they're all dressed alike, after all, and often fighting in the mud), but that's a burden we'll gladly undertake.

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Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series

Shaky-cam space battles and Cylons with spines like KITT's scanner don't seem like the ideal things for Blu-ray to show off, but frakkin' A if the format doesn't make it work. Like Lost, BSG was a rule-breaking series, with a final season providing plenty of fodder for debate.

The last survivors of the Cylons' nuclear holocaust gave us great hours of television, the kind made for marathon viewing sessions in one or two sittings. As complete series sets go, BSG's is made for the superfan in mind, right down to the Cylon box packaging, that is as cool as it is unfriendly to standard placement on shelves. The set includes every episode of the show, including the two-hour special mini-movie Razor. Want commentaries with executive producer and head writer Ronald D. Moore? Behind-the-scenes specials? Interviews and select episode commentaries with Adama and Starbuck? A life-size Raptor? Yep, this set's got them. (But the Raptor doesn't fly. It's just for show. Sorry, BSGeeks.)

The production values were modest compared to other shows on cable, and yet the sets and special effects managed to get more bang for their buck. The Blu-rays show off the impressive achievements, both on the creative and physical production sides. If you don't own this, then you risk being Leoben'd out the airlock.

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Doctor Who: The Complete Specials

David Tennant's last few adventures as the tenth incarnation of the iconic Doctor were shortened down from a full 13-episode season and broken up into three standalone mini-movies and an epic two-hour finale. The second of these, "Planet of the Dead," represented the first time Doctor Who was filmed in HD. The remainder of the series would all be shot in that format, making for an easy transition to Blu-ray.

Tennant seems to relish every minute of his lengthy swan song, though his looming departure it is relentlessly and unsubtly teased throughout the specials. In "The Next Doctor," the producers play with that notion (and the public's keen awareness of it) by introducing a man (played by David Morrissey, making for a little Blackpool reunion) who might very well be the 11th Doctor (or some other future regeneration). This cyberpunk-styled Victorian tale kicked off the specials in the U.K., airing on Christmas in 2008.

It would be followed by the aforementioned "Planet of the Dead," and "The Waters of Mars" before returning the action to Earth for the epic two-part final showdown between the Doctor and his old nemesis, the Master (played once again with manic intensity by John Simm). We defy anyone with any attachment to Tennant's tenure as the Time Lord to keep a dry eye during the last 10 minutes of "The End of Time." Otherwise you just might be a Cyberman.

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Firefly: The Complete Series

The only problem with this set is that it ends. And you're gonna want more than the 14 hours included in a set that was given more care and attention by Fox Home Entertainment than the network that originally aired it.

Joss Whedon's show is more than just "Space Cowboys and Indians" that put "y's" at the end of a lot nouns. It's a brave, fun and endearing take on a sci-fi staple: A crew of mixed personalities – all made out of various shades of moral and ethical grey – aboard a ship making way across the galaxy. The crew of Firefly, captained by Malcolm Reynolds (that's Nathan "Cooler that Shaft" Fillion), manage to find the perfect mix of drama and Whedon-esque wit, in between all the River Tam free-verse crazy poetry and things being described as "shiny".

The set carries over extras from the DVD but includes a special feature that has Fillion, Whedon, Alan Tudyk (Wash) and Ron Glass (Shepherd Book) having breakfast and talking their experiences making the show and weathering its cancellation. The featurette runs longer than your standard extra and is almost as fun as the series. If you have yet to catch up with this show, take off life for a few days and watch it.

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Fringe: The Complete First Season and Fringe: The Complete Second Season

Of the two seasons that have come out on Blu-ray so far, the consensus among the IGN editors is that Season 2 of Fringe is the better one. After a slow start, the series doesn't start really coming together until the concept of parallel worlds is introduced at the end of Season 1 (who can forget that last shot of the twin towers?). While there are still the occasional monster-of-the-week episodes, that simple narrative device became the driving force behind the mythology of the show, and it has been all the better for it.

Now, we wouldn't go recommending that you buy the second season without also owning the first one. And going by what we've seen of the third season so far (all two episodes of it), we anticipate that it won't be a bad purchase when it comes out on DVD either. Fringe has yet to let us down in any category, from pristine visual quality to flawless, immersive sound to comprehensive special features that take you behind the scenes and help explain some of the more complex ideas at work in the show. This is one of the best science-fiction-themed shows on TV right now, and it makes for some of the best content on Blu-ray too.