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Sitcom set about a preachers family is on DVD
Sitcom about a preacher and his family leads new TV shows on DVD
Cedric the Entertainer and Niecy Nash star in "The Soul Man," a sitcom about a Vegas singer who is "called" to serve the ministry at his father's church in St. Louis. Season 1 is now on DVD. - photo by TV Land/Shout!

You may have seen Cedric the Entertainer hosting “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” but he also has a sitcom, “The Soul Man,” which leads these TV shows that are new to DVD.

“The Soul Man: The Complete First Season” (TV Land/Shout!/DVD, 2012, two discs, 12 episodes, featurette, music video). Cedric the Entertainer plays Boyce “The Voice” Ballentine, living the high life as a Las Vegas singing star when he receives the “call” to become a preacher in his father’s St. Louis church. Naturally, his wife (Niecy Nash) and daughter aren’t crazy about giving up their rich-and-famous lifestyle.
This is a spinoff of “Hot in Cleveland,” and if you’ve seen that show, you have a sense of what this one is like, an old-fashioned filmed-before-a-live-audience sitcom with loud jokes and over-the-top performances.
But it’s funny in places, and the church backdrop is certainly a unique setting for a TV series in the 21st century.

“Hidden Kingdoms” (BBC/Blu-ray/DVD, 2014, three episodes, extended scene, featurettes). This BBC documentary miniseries narrated by British actor Stephen Fry gets up close and personal with some of the smallest creatures on Earth in far-flung places ranging from Africa’s savannah to the urban jungles of Rio and Tokyo.

“Prisoners of War: Season One” (Shout!/DVD, 2009, three discs, in Hebrew with English subtitles, 10 episodes, audio commentaries, featurette). Israeli TV series about three soldiers returning home after 17 years in captivity, dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and trying to reconnect with their families. (This was the basis for Showtime’s “Homeland” series.)

“Rugrats: Reptar Returns” (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014, three episodes).

“Rugrats: Outdoor Shenanigans!” (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014, four episodes). These two discs include episodes from the Nickelodeon cable channel’s “Rugrats” cartoon series about adventurous toddlers, the first dinosaur oriented and the second about summer activities.

“Robot Invasion” (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014, five episodes).

“Heroes in Action” (Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2014, five episodes). Each of these collections has episodes from the Nick cartoon series “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Sanjay and Craig,” with episodes related to the respective disc titles.

“French for Kids: On Va Jouer (Let’s Play)” (Whistlefritz, 2014/DVD; translation guide). This latest in the interactive “French for Kids” series attempts to make learning a second language fun for children ages 1-7 by combining live action, animation, interactive skits and music.

Chris Hicks is the author of "Has Hollywood Lost Its Mind? A Parent’s Guide to Movie Ratings." He also writes at www.hicksflicks.com and can be contacted at hicks@deseretnews.com.