The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers recently released the La Femme Nikita: The Complete Series DVD. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Framed for murder, Nikita (Peta Wilson) is forced into a covert life with Section One, a secret organization that takes on global threats with deadly precision. As she rises through the ranks, her loyalty is tested by betrayal, hidden agendas, and a complicated bond with her trainer, Michael (Roy Dupuis). Across five gripping seasons, Nikita fights to reclaim her freedom as the line between right and wrong blurs.

[ EPISODES ]

The 27-disc set includes all 65 episodes of the 1997-2001 five-season USA Network series. (I remember it being promoted a lot on WWF RAW in the late 1990s.) There isn't an episode list printed on the case interior, or on any of the disc faces, which makes finding an episode more of a chore than it needs to be. The original season sets came with booklets that provided an episode synopsis for each disc.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The show is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio in proper 4:3 fullscreen DVD format. The show is Not Rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH, Spanish, French.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the special features below can be found on the respective DVD discs. The deleted scenes are referred to as "cancelled scenes" on the discs.

• SEASON 1 DISC 1: Audio Commentary on "Nikita" - by executive consultant Joel Surnow, creative consultant Robert Cochran and episode director Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 1 DISC 1: Deleted Scenes - with optional Joel Surnow commentary from "Nikita" (2:19), "Friend" (1:31), and "Simone" (3:27).
• SEASON 1 DISC 2: Deleted Scenes - with optional Joel Surnow commentary from "Charity" (2:40).
• SEASON 1 DISC 3: Deleted Scenes - with optional Joel Surnow commentary from "Gray" (0:36) and "Choice" (1:33).
• SEASON 1 DISC 6: Audio Commentary on "Mercy" - by executive consultant Joel Surnow.
• SEASON 1 DISC 6: Section One Declassified: The Making of La Femme Nikita (12:23)
• SEASON 1 DISC 6: Deleted Scenes - with optional Joel Surnow commentary from "Nikita" (2:19), "Friend" (1:31), "Simone" (3:27), "Charity" (2:40), "Gray" (0:36), and "Choice" (1:33). These are the same scenes as on the other discs.
• SEASON 2, DISC 1: Audio commentary on "Hard Landing" - by executive consultant Joel Surnow, episode director Jon Cassar, and story editor Michael Loceff.
• SEASON 2, DISC 1: Deleted Scene from "Hard Landing" (4:05) - with introduction by Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 2, DISC 2: Deleted Scene from "New Regime" (1:41) - with introduction by Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 2, DISC 3: Deleted Scene from "Psychic Pilgrim" (1:49) - with introduction by Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 2, DISC 4: Deleted Scenes from "Not Was" (3:08) - with introductions by Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 2, DISC 5: Deleted Scene from "Last Night" (1:54) - with introduction by Jon Cassar.
• SEASON 2, DISC 6: Audio Commentary on "End Game" - by executive consultant Joel Surnow and story editor Michael Loceff.
• SEASON 2, DISC 6: Deleted Scenes - with introductions by Jon Cassar from "Adrian's Garden" (0:57) and "End Game" (1:38).
• SEASON 2, DISC 6: Deleted Scenes - with introductions by Jon Cassar from "Hard Landing" (4:05), "New Regime" (1:41), "Psychic Pilgrim" (1:49), "Not Was" (3:08), "Last Night" (1:54), "Adrian's Garden" (0:57), and "End Game" (1:38). These are the same scenes as on the other discs.
• SEASON 2, DISC 6: Gag Reel (2:33)
• SEASON 3, DISC 1: Audio Commentary on "Looking for Michael" - by episode director Jon Cassar and actor Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 3, DISC 1: Deleted Scenes - with optional commentary by Jon Cassar and Eugene Robert Glazer on "Looking for Michael" (1:44) and "Opening Night Jitters" (1:03).
• SEASON 3, DISC 2: Deleted Scene from "Love and Country" (1:31) - with optional commentary by Jon Cassar and Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 3, DISC 3: Deleted Scenes - with optional commentary by Jon Cassar and Eugene Robert Glazer from "Under the Influence" (3:12), "Walk on By" (0:57), and "Threshold of Pain" (2:07).
• SEASON 3, DISC 4: Deleted Scene from "Beyond the Pale" (1:33) - with optional commentary by Jon Cassar and Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 3, DISC 5: Deleted Scene from "Three-Eyed Turtle" (0:50) - with optional commentary by Jon Cassar and Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 3, DISC 6: Audio Commentary on "On Borrowed Time" - by writer/production consultant Peter M. Lenkov and actor Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 3, DISC 6: Designing Nikita (8:40)
• SEASON 3, DISC 6: Gag Reel (3:04)
• SEASON 4, DISC 1: Deleted Scenes - with optional commentary by Christopher Heyn, assistant to the executive consultants, from "Getting Out of Reverse" (3:44), "There Are No Missions" (2:32), and "View of the Garden" (3:15).
• SEASON 4, DISC 2: Audio Commentary on "Sympathy for the Devil" - by episode director Brad Turner and actor Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 4, DISC 2: Deleted Scenes from "No One Lives Forever" (3:29) - with optional commentary by Christopher Heyn.
• SEASON 4, DISC 3: Audio commentary on "Time to Be Heroes" - by writer Peter M. Lenkov and actor Eugene Robert Glazer.
• SEASON 4, DISC 5: Deleted Scenes - with optional commentary by Christopher Heyn from "Toys in the Basement" (4:53), "Time Out of Mind" (1:33), and "Face in the Mirror" (0:50).
• SEASON 4, DISC 6: Deleted Scene from "Up the Rabbit Hole" (2:16) - with optional commentary by Christopher Heyn.
• SEASON 4, DISC 6: Gag Reel (4:01)
• SEASON 5, DISC 1: Deleted Scenes from "Deja Vu All Over Again" (8:15)
• SEASON 5, DISC 1: Deleted Scene from "A Girl Who Wasn't There" (1:04)
• SEASON 5, DISC 3: Deleted Scenes from "Let No Man Put Asunder" (6:10)
• SEASON 5, DISC 3: Season 5: Declassified (6:29)
• SEASON 5, DISC 3: Season 5 Internet Teaser (9:08) - with an introduction by director Jon Cassar.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included. However, two thick, clear Epik Pak DVD cases fit inside a side-loading slipbox. These are the crappy cases where the inside part that holds the discs isn't attached to the outside, and the discs are hard to get out because the clasps that hold them in place have zero give to them.

[ NOTES ]

La Femme Nikita: The Complete Series is available on DVD. It is a Manufacture On Demand (MOD) repackaging/reprinting of the discs from the five individual season sets. Depending on when those sets were originally released, they may not be playable now. Although the packaging does not have the "DVD Video" logo, and has all of the usual DVD-R notices (such as "This disc is expected to play back in DVD Video 'Play Only" devices..."), I can confirm that the first print run are FACTORY-PRESSED DISCS. YAY! I suspect that may not be the case for future printings, so if you don't want DVD-R discs, get this NOW!

The series is based on the film La Femme Nikita (1990), which is available on 4K UHD Steelbook and Blu-ray. It was later remade as Point of No Return (1993) starring Bridget Fonda, which is only available on Blu-ray. There was another television series, Nikita (2010-2013), starring Maggie Q, which is available on Blu-ray (and UK Region-Free? Blu-ray).

This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.