As a critic for Digital Trends, a large part of my job is to watch countless TV shows every year. It’s a big reason why friends and family ask me what new or classic shows to watch. Is that latest Netflix show worth a binge? Is it worth going back and watching that classic sitcom from the ’90s?
With the holiday season now upon us, it’s even more important to know what TV shows you should devote your time and dollars to and which ones you shouldn’t. This year, Best Buy has some terrific Black Friday deals on new and classic TV shows like Friends and The Sopranos. The below Blu-ray sets have such low prices that it’s impossible for anyone to ignore them for too long.
Friends
The recent untimely passing of Friends star Matthew Perry a month ago served as a reminder of not only how well-liked the actor was, but just how beloved the series still is in 2023. The hit NBC show, which ran from 1994 to 2004, is still watched by millions worldwide via syndication and on the Max streaming service.
For those who want to physically own one of television’s greatest sitcoms, they’re in luck. The Friends Complete Series Blu-ray set, which contains all 10 seasons and 236 episodes of the hit show, is on sale for only $62. You can save nearly $40 and relive some of your favorite moments from the show that starred Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc. Own it now and you can finally decide which episodes of Friends is the best.
Cowboy Bebop
Relax, I’m not recommending the awful 2021 Netflix live-action Cowboy Bebop remake, which died a very quick death due to scathing reviews and low streaming viewership. No, this four-disc Blu-ray set collects the original groundbreaking anime series that ran from 1998 to 1999 and inspired hordes of teenage boys to dress and act like Spike Spiegel. (I confess that I was one of those boys. I will not provide photographic evidence.)
Even though it’s well over two decades old, Cowboy Bebop still feels so modern, so stylishly with-it, that it will instantly make you seem cooler than you actually are if you gift it to someone. And at $32, it won’t break the bank. What else can give you status points at such a low price?
Yellowstone
If you were to guess what the most popular show on both streaming and broadcast is, you’d probably answer with Stranger Things or some CBS comedy. You’d be wrong! The Paramount Network’s Yellowstone TV show, starring Kevin Costner as the patriarch of a Montana cattle ranch family at war with outside forces and each other, has proven to be massively popular across broadcast, cable, and streaming channels, which is a bit odd since it’s not really that fashionable to admit to watching it.
While Yellowstone is currently on hiatus during its fifth and final season, that hasn’t stopped Paramount from putting out an almost complete collection for home viewers who can’t get enough of the Dutton family. Yellowstone: The First Four Seasons assembles all the completed seasons for the first time, and is a good way to pass the time while the final season is still being filmed. The Blu-ray set is only $66, which is a small price to pay for such juicy, overwrought family drama.
