Busting out the last-minute DVD gift ideas

It's the week before Christmas and you just realized you forgot to shop for somebody. It could be a co-worker or a relative who's coming to town. Someone down the food chain, far enough that you don't want to waste a lot of time (or money) shopping for them, but not so far down that you don't fear retribution.

May I suggest giving the gift of Drebin.

Frank Drebin.

"Police Squad! The Complete Series" quietly rolled out on DVD last month, a lovingly slapped-together collection of six of the least appreciated, laugh-out-loudest half-hours of television ever made. It's one of a handful of DVDs I would give, without hesitation, to someone I loved, someone I liked, or frankly, anyone with a beating heart that I thought could use a pick-me-up.

Created by the madcap troika of Jerry Zucker, David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, “Police Squad” failed miserably in a brutal time slot on ABC. Then the directors took it down the street, where it was reborn as a movie, “The Naked Gun.” Who knew?

The funny thing is, they're practically the same show. Deadpan actor Leslie Nielsen starred in both TV series and movie as Frank Drebin, a coat-and-tie detective on a supposedly elite police force. Though inept, a bad driver and a terrible listener, Drebin always got his man. George Kennedy replaced Alan North as his superior Hocken, and O.J. Simpson replaced Peter Lupus as the sad-sack sidekick Norberg.

But all the crazy setups, all the background sight gags, all the groaners (“Cigarette?” “Yes, I know”) and double entendres (“Is this some kind of bust?”) are here, long before they made their way to the big screen. The Zucker brothers and Abrahams came up with “Police Squad” with Nielsen in mind, after the former straight man flexed his comedic muscles during the filming of their 1980 hit “Airplane!” They knew they had something good, even if ABC showed so little faith that it pulled the show after four episodes.

There's so much entertainment packed into “Police Squad,” you may decide some people further up your gifting food chain deserve it as well. At a street price under $15, why not?

The DVD includes two commentaries with the directors, which are revealing and hilarious. When you see how much effort went into each episode -- the scene where a kidnapper produces the victim's toaster, and a pair of waffles spring up right on cue, exemplifies their fanatical devotion to comic detail -- then you'll sympathize when one of the directors says on the commentary track, “If we were going to work this hard, we might as well make a feature.”

Other recent TV DVDs worth giving

For the fan left in suspense: "Invasion," "Surface," and "The Book of Daniel," three serial dramas from last season, are out on DVD for fans who missed the final episodes of those ill-fated series. Like the shows themselves, they're being quickly discounted. I found used copies of “Invasion” online for as little as $19.

For the documentary fan: "Off to War" ($45 new). Still the most complete and intimate program about the Iraq War experience, this includes all 10 episodes of the cable series, which followed an Arkansas National Guard unit for its 18-month tour of duty.

For the sports nut from across the state: "The St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series Collector's Edition" ($64). At a whopping eight discs containing full-game widescreen telecasts of the Cards' championship run, plus a bonus disc of interviews and extras, this should keep them happy until Opening Day.

For cartoon buffs: "Saturday TV Funhouse" ($15). Robert Smigel's biting satirical cartoons were often the only reason to watch “Saturday Night Live” in recent years. The DVD includes the best-of compilation that aired earlier this year on NBC as well as unedited cartoons, including a devastating rip job on NBC's parent company GE that hasn't been seen since it first aired.

For old timers: "Edward R. Murrow: The Best of Person to Person" ($32). Sure, you admired “Good Night and Good Luck.” But if you remember Murrow at all, it's for his dropping into the homes of JFK, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe and Ol' Blue Eyes in this unique remote-camera interview show.