TV Talk: From ‘Blue Bloods’ to ‘Bluey’ to ‘Seinfeld,’ there are plenty of gift ideas for TV fans
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Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers gift-giving ideas for the TV fan in your life.
Seeking a Christmas or holiday present for the TV fan in your life? This guide to new TV-themed gifts offers ideas by series titles:
“Blue Bloods” will end Dec. 13, but fans can re-live all 14 seasons with the complete series — all 293 episodes — in a new DVD box set ($99, Amazon.com) available Dec. 17.
Animated Disney+ family hit “Bluey” launches new toys this holiday season including a Tile Town playset ($70, Amazon.com) with a home, vehicle and figures. There’s also a 3-in-1 Airplane Playset ($60, Target) that converts from a plane to an oceanfront resort.
For the aunt or uncle who watches four hours straight of news every evening, “Connie: A Memoir” ($33, Barnes & Noble), by former “CBS Evening News” anchor Connie Chung, is a breezy, easy read that might be appreciated, especially since it contains juicy nuggets about how Chung felt unfairly treated by her co-anchor, Dan Rather.
Fans of Christmas-themed programming may enjoy “Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen” ($32, Amazon.com) by Herbie J. Pilato. The book explores TV’s history of Christmas-themed musical variety shows (Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams), sitcoms (“Julia” episode “I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas”) and cartoon classics such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” offers several new licensed products including Daniel’s Bungalow Shape Sorter ($20, Walmart.com) and a Calming Corner Kit ($95, Amazon.com) that includes tools for teaching calming techniques using fidgets, posters and more for use in homes, therapy or educational settings.
“Happy Days: The Official Cookbook: From Aaaay to Zucchini Bread” by Christina Ward ($30, Barnes & Noble) suggests recipes for Richie’s Favorite Sardine Sandwich, Potsie’s “Letchup” Freeze and Joanie’s Favorite Pork Chops and Applesauce. Wash it all down with a Thick Milwaukee Malt.
“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock,” Apple TV+’s sequel series to the 1983-7 HBO Jim Henson puppet classic, spawns plush creations of the show’s characters Gobo, Red, Wembley and Mokey ($10 each, Walmart.com, Amazon.com).
Know someone who wants to cook like a Targaryen or eat like a Dothraki? “The Official Westeros Cookbook: Recipes from ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’ ” ($35, Barnes & Noble) shares instructions for making Iron Islands Grog, Rat Cook’s Pie and Rhaenyra’s Lemon Cakes.
“Gilmore Girls” may have had viewers in stitches but now fans have the opportunity to knit their own “Gilmore” gear with “Gilmore Girls: The Official Knitting Book” by Tanis Gray ($35, Barnes & Noble). The book includes patterns that celebrate the characters and wardrobe from the show, from a Lorelai scarf to Lane Kim’s drumstick bag.
“Lost: Back to the Island” ($30, Amazon.com) by Emily St. James and Noel Murray offers a critical companion to the classic TV series timed to the 20th anniversary of its premiere. Spoiler alert: The authors didn’t hate the much-derided series finale.
“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” rolls down the tracks with a collection of Lionel O gauge train cars ($33-$130, Lionel.com). While Fred Rogers was not a fan of commercializing the “Neighborhood” by licensing toys, in his lifetime he did allow for the creation of a few puppets and wooden versions of Trolley. The Lionel cars include a red (Mister Rogers) box car and a yellow (Neighborhood of Make-Believe) box car, a blue boxcar that plays music from the show and an aquarium car with fish moving through the car.
“Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Watching ‘The Office’ ” by Trevor Coureen ($15, Amazon.com) offers life lessons and management tips inspired by Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in this unofficial guide, including the notion that “small victories deserve celebration.”
“Seinfeld” gets a Blu-ray ($150, Amazon.com) and 4K Ultra HD ($250, Amazon.com) complete series box set release on Dec. 17.
Coffee table book “Star Trek: Open a Channel – A Woman’s Trek” ($50, Barnes & Noble) by “Deep Space Nine” star Nana Visitor (aka Kira Nerys) contains chapters devoted to the women who acted in installments of assorted “Star Trek” series over the past 58 years. There are some interesting deep dives here and I learned new details about why Kes (Jennifer Lien) was written out of “Star Trek: Voyager” and I appreciated Visitor’s analysis of how “Enterprise” marked a step backward in the portrayal of “Trek” women.
“The Whitest Kids U’Know,” a cult classic sketch comedy series that aired on cable’s IFC from 2007 to 2011, is now available in a 10-DVD complete series box set ($50, Amazon.com), including new bonus content and seasons four and five, previously unreleased on DVD.
If your dog is a Kevin Costner fan mourning Costner’s exit from “Yellowstone,” maybe your canine pal can eat his feelings with “Yellowstone”-branded dog treats ($28, Walmart.com) in many varieties, including beef chuck, beef burnt ends, beef brisket, beef ribeye and beef crunch.