Untapped Television Gems From Today's Top Hollywood Talent

Untapped Television Gems From Today's Top Hollywood Talent

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets & Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas

Television Treasures Come to DVD May 23, 2006 From Universal Studios Home Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- See the shows that were cancelled before their time as five critically acclaimed but rarely seen gems from the small screen return on May 23, 2006 in two extraordinary DVD collections from Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE). Hailing from the critically acclaimed Trio network series "Brilliant But Cancelled," these first installments of the Brilliant But Cancelled DVD series spotlight undiscovered television programming featuring an unmatched array of acting, directing and producing talent. USHE's Brilliant But Cancelled DVD releases coincide with the BRAVO cable network's major broadband initiative which includes the launch of BrilliantButCancelled.com.

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets revisits an edgy, innovative series from Academy Award(R)-winning writer-director Paul Haggis ("Crash", "Million Dollar Baby") that delighted critics with its unique style of storytelling. Featuring the original two-hour pilot plus two episodes of the show critics deemed "simply too good for TV," Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets stars Ken Olin ("thirtysomething"), Joe Pantoliano ("The Sopranos," "The Matrix") and Jason Gedrick ("Boomtown") in a tale of greed and treachery told from three widely differing points of view.

Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas features some of smartest and most original detective shows ever seen on television, with episodes of four classic series from the producers behind "Hill Street Blues," "Columbo" and "Law & Order." "Johnny Staccato," "Delvecchio," "Gideon Oliver" and "Touching Evil" boast sterling television pedigrees and celebrated actors including Judd Hirsch ("Taxi"), Jeffrey Donovan ("CSI: Miami"), John Cassavetes ("Rosemary's Baby") and Oscar(R) winner Louis Gossett Jr. ("An Officer and a Gentleman", "Stargate SG-1"). These gems span forty years of television history, from the smoke-filled jazz clubs of 1950s Greenwich Village to the disaffected international intelligence community of the 21st century, seen through the eyes of a brilliant university professor, a cop studying law, a jazz pianist who moonlights as a P.I. and a renegade FBI agent. Each DVD is priced at $19.98 SRP. Additionally, beginning May 23rd, episodes from each of these shows will be available to download via iTunes.

BrilliantButCancelled.com Launch

On Tuesday, May 23rd, TV-philes across the country will rejoice with the launch of BrilliantButCancelled.com, a new broadband service from Bravo that celebrates the small screen's best-loved but short-lived series. BrilliantButCancelled.com will be anchored by a critically acclaimed line-up of some of television's most daring programs, described by Bravo as "too smart, too edgy or too hip for TV" when they hit the airwaves. Devotees of series including "the cancelled-before-it-ever-aired" "The Jake Effect" (starring Jason Bateman in a role that foreshadowed his character on Arrested Development), "EZ Streets," "Johnny Staccato," "Delvecchio," "Touching Evil," and "Gideon Oliver" will be able to see their "hard-to-find" favorites as streaming on demand options on the website. In an unusual twist of promotional support, the broadband premiere of "The Jake Effect" on Tuesday, May 23rd will be followed by an exclusive Thursday, May 25th airing of series episodes on Bravo's analog channel from 8:00 - 11:00 pm ET/PT to help drive viewers to the new website.

Synopsis: Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets

Critics deemed this gritty urban crime drama as "simply too good for TV," and The New York Times hailed it "one of the season's exciting new series." Journey to the criminal underworld with three fiercely independent men: Jimmy Murtha (Joe Pantoliano, "The Sopranos"), a charming but ruthless mob boss who rules the E Street gang by whatever means necessary; Detective Cameron Quinn (Ken Olin, "thirtysomething"), an undercover cop determined to find the truth no matter where it takes him; and ex-con Danny Rooney (Jason Gedrick, "Boomtown"), a recent parolee who finds himself unwillingly drawn back into a life of crime. As the story unfolds from each of their perspectives, this innovative series from director Paul Haggis ("Crash", "Million Dollar Baby") proves that on the shadowy streets of compromise there's only one way to survive: trust no one.

Synopsis: Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas

Johnny Staccato -- "Tempted"

Independent film pioneer John Cassavetes starred from 1959 to 1960 in this hip drama about a jazz pianist who moonlights as a private detective. Set in New York's ultra-cool Greenwich Village, this detective series was filmed in black and white and features smooth musical numbers to accentuate its smoky, sultry narrative tone.

Delvecchio -- "Licensed to Kill"

From legendary producer Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue"), Delvecchio aired from 1976 to 1977 and starred Emmy winner Judd Hirsch as Dominick Delvecchio, an honest and courageous LAPD detective who is studying to pass the legal bar exam. Assisted by his tough-as-nails boss and his wisecracking partner, Delvecchio finds himself torn between a life of action and danger and his dreams of a prestigious career in law.

Gideon Oliver -- "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver"

A brilliant Columbia University professor of anthropology (Louis Gossett, Jr., "Stargate SG-1") finds that his unparalleled knowledge of human behavior is applicable in some of the world's most puzzling crimes. Produced in 1989 by Wolf Films, the award-winning development team behind the highly successful Law & Order franchise.

Touching Evil -- "K"

Touching Evil originally aired in 2004 and followed the exploits of the FBI's Organized and Serial Crime (OSC) Unit, a rapid-response, elite crime squad. The OSC brings back renegade agent David Creegan (Jeffrey Donovan), who pushes the law to the limit to track the criminals no one else can find

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets
Street Date: May 23, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $19.98 SRP
Selection Number: 30128
Running Time: 3 Hours 2 Minutes
Layers: DVD-9
Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (1:33:1)
Rating: Not Rated
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, English SDH

Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas
Street Date: May 23, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $19.98 SRP
Selection Number: 30312
Running Time: 3 Hours 29 Minutes
Layers: DVD-9
Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (1:33:1)
Rating: Not Rated
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, English SDH

For artwork or screeners, please log on to our Web site at www.ushepublicity.com or fax your request to Universal Studios Home Entertainment Publicity at (818) 866-0226.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

CONTACTS

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Vivian Mayer
Senior Vice President, Publicity
(818) 777-3594

Lea Porteneuve
Vice President, Publicity
(818) 777-1391

Craig Radow
Senior Manager, Publicity
(818) 777-4572

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Vivian Mayer, Senior Vice President, +1-818-777-3594, or Lea
Porteneuve, Vice President, +1-818-777-1391, or Craig Radow, Senior Manager,
+1-818-777-4572, all of Universal Studios Home Entertainment Publicity

Web site: http://www.ushepublicity.com/

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

Web site: http://www.brilliantbutcancelled.com/

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