Upcoming Spy DVDs: Luck And Leverage

On March 16, Acorn reissues the long out-of-print British show Wish Me Luck: Series 1.  Based on the true stories of female intelligence agents behind Nazi lines, Wish Me Luck boasts "strong female characters, tension-filled plots, and historical authenticity."

Honestly, I'm not at all familiar with this show (but I'm intrigued!), but here's Acorn's description:

At the height of World War II, France is occupied and all of England is in peril. Col. James “Cad” Cadogan (For Your Eyes Only's Julian Glover) will use any means necessary to get the intelligence he needs—even sending civilians to work undercover behind enemy lines. Based on the real-life stories of women recruited by Britain’s Special Operations Executive, this suspenseful drama series follows wife and mother Liz Grainger (Kate Buffery) and half-Jewish factory girl Matty Firman (Suzanna Hamilton) from training in England through the terror of their daily lives in Nazi-occupied France. Created by Jill Hyem and Lavinia Warner (BBC’s Tenko), Wish Me Luck aired on ITV for three series (1988-90) and broadcast on U.S. public television in the 1990s. Jeremy Northam and Jane Asher co-star.

Besides all eight episodes of the first series, this two-disc set also includes historical background on the real operation that inspired the series and a photo gallery. Retail is $39.99, but naturally it's available to pre-order online for cheaper than that...

TV Shows On DVD reports that Paramount will unleash Leverage: The 2nd Season on May 25.  While not quite a "spy show" per se, Leverage remains the closest thing on television to the original Mission: Impossible.  In fact, in its second season it's more Mission than ever!  (In one episode, for example, they convince a phony psychic that one of their team is a real psychics.  How many times did Jim Phelps's team pull that one?)  Besides including all fifteen Season Two episodes, the set also contains copious extras.  Among them: commentary on every episode, a Q&A with the show's creators, a set tour with executive producer John Rogers, a "Behind the Boom" featurette, a music featurette, a gag reel and a spoof video entitled "The Hand Job."  (Every episode is called "The [Something] Job.")