…It turns out that the Get Smart Season 1 DVDs released last week (the original series, not any of the crummy revivals) are actually not as bad a deal as the HBO press release suggested. The press release and the box suggested that this set would be without any of the extras from the spectacular Time-Life set, but in fact it does retain the audio commentaries on the pilot by creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry — each one did a separate commentary — and a Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) commentary on another episode.
What it doesn’t have is the fifth additional disc of extras. But while the Time-Life set is worth the money, the retail set is clearly a good alternative, a low price for one of the show’s two best seasons (season 2 was probably the very best, then Buck Henry left the show and it never completely got back on track) with good A/V quality and some extras. Why HBO didn’t advertise this fact, I don’t know, but then again I don’t know why they waited to release this to stores until after the movie came out.