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Gay-fave series come out ... on DVD

Chris Azzopardi

After years of watching us draw more attention than Britney Spears, networks – kudos GLAAD-approved ABC! – are finally catching on: Yep, queers like TV, too. And so this month, just as the fall season begins, ABC rolled out its uber-gay shows on DVD, which means now you can watch these characters repeatedly without feeling like they're from another planet.

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season
Ending with a "whoa!" flash-forward, this return-to-debut-season awesomeness – with the arrival of Bree arch nemesis, Katherine Mayfair, and a tasteless gay couple – made it easy to erase the Betty Applewhite nonsense. And that nail-biting tornado episode? Fierce! So much so that the creators gave it its own bonus feature: "Getting Desperate: From Beginning to End," a peek at creating the very-pricey natural disaster (from the use of wind machines to turning Wisteria Lane into a war zone without CGI). Bloopers aren't so funny, but "Spare Time: Hanging with the Men of Wisteria Lane," which takes place in a bowling alley – well, Eva Longoria's onto something when she says, "Boys and balls; that's great." Amen sister! (New season: 9 p.m. Sept. 28)

Brothers and Sisters: The Complete Second Season
Who wasn't sniffly when Sally Field's Nora genuinely embraced her gay son's hubby on "Brothers and Sisters" finale? Throughout 16 thumps-up episodes, the sophomoric season with the progressive Walkers was like an ongoing guessing game: Who's Rebecca's father? Is Saul really gay? And why the heck did Robert use Lyle Lovett to lure Kitty into marriage? One thing wasn't a mystery: The yummy food, which looked like something Martha might whip up. And as part of the special features, you can find out secrets from the show's chef. Seriously! (New season: 9 p.m. Sept. 28)

Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete First Season
Dirty? Yep. Sexy? Hell yeah. Money? Duh. Its 10-episode debut season teased us – in a way a hot love interest might – with scandalous storylines involving the rich Darlings – boozy daughter gets married (for the fourth time!) and son is seeing a smokin' tranny (Candis Cayne) – and during all of this, family attorney Nick George ("Six Feet Under"'s Peter Krause – mmm!) must keep their secrets from becoming their fate. The three-discer is a bank of bonuses, including a Darling mansion tour and how to look like a million bucks. Without having the Darlings' account balance. (New season: 10 p.m. Oct. 1)

Ugly Betty: The Complete Second Season
Storylines were slammed for being duller, but season two – with glowing cameos from Betty White and Gene Simmons – was so gosh-darn adorable (and even without the debut season tranny saga, gay!) that the show's still stylin'. And with accessories – the venomous Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) feature, "Love to Hate Her," and cute bloopers involving, for instance, Betty actress America Ferrera getting her lip stuck on her braces – there's no question: Gays should still heart "Betty." (New season: 8 p.m. Sept. 25)

Samantha Who?: The Complete First Season
The series might just be as forgettable as its coma-recovering main character, and the extras – solely lousy bloopers and deleted scenes – would definitely not stick in anyone's mind. Let alone an amnesiac's. Thanks be, then, to gay-adored Christina Applegate's spunky shtick the show gets away with more than it should. But she can only be the show's crutches for so long before we'll be asking, "'Samantha,' who?" (New season: 9:30 p.m. Oct. 13)

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