In the third season of Grey's Anatomy, one medical intern will get married to a superior while another is left standing at the altar. Two interns will lose their parents. And one main character will try to commit suicide--or not fight very hard to save her own life. There will be multiple hook-ups, infidelity, and trust issues. In between the soap opera-style drama that attracts millions of viewers each week, interns Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), and George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) will also perform some medical miracles.

At the end of season 2, Izzie was distraught over the death of her fiancé, Denny. Now she finds that her very rich boyfriend has left her millions of dollars. Instead of putting the money into the bank and allowing it to accrue interest until she decides what she wants to do with it--as sensible Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) suggests--Izzie mopes around the house in an irritating stupor. Actually, irritating is an apt description for several of the main characters. It takes a leap of faith to believe that sexy, spectacular, and rich orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) would be even vaguely interested in wishy-washy George. Previously, he'd convinced himself that he was in love with Meredith. Now he's pining for his other roommate, Izzie, even though he's already got Callie. And rather than welcoming her into their fold, Izzie and Meredith (and to a lesser extent Cristina) give Callie the mean-girls treatment. They may have rebuffed him at one point, but they don't want Callie to have him, either. There is something very needy about this group of interns who have no one to turn to but each other when a crisis occurs.

Viewers get some insight into "dark and twisty" Meredith's upbringing, as she spends more time with her cold and demanding mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, and her milquetoast father, who didn't fight very hard to have contact with her as a child after her mom kicked him out of their house. It's no wonder Meredith ended up emotionally damaged and unwilling to completely open up to Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) ... a.k.a. McDreamy. Though the show's title implies that Meredith is the most important character, it's not true. The ensemble cast, which also includes James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber (who had a long and complicated affair with Meredith's mother) and Kate Walsh as Derek's ex-wife Addison, is fantastic. And it's difficult to outshine Oh, who has some of this season's funniest and emotional moments as she navigates a relationship with Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who is far more romantic and traditional than she is. Though not as compelling as the show's debut season, this third year still packs a strong emotional punch. -- Jae-Ha Kim

Be a part of a television phenomenon, and experience America's #1 drama. Capturing a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series-Drama in its scintillating third season, Grey's Anatomy is the rare show that makes fans of both audiences and critics. It's "all pleasure and no guilt," lauds USA Today. They are doctors, lovers and friends. Join the staff of Seattle Grace Hospital as they learn there are no easy cures for life's challenges and that each choice comes in shades of grey. Get more Grey's in this sensational seven-disc DVD box set - more secrets, more personal stories and many more McSteamy moments. Bring home Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Third Season-Seriously Extended, complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including uncut and extended episodes available only on DVD. It's addicting entertainment that you can't get enough of. Seriously.

Arguably the most talked-about television show of the 2006-2007 season, the Emmy-nominated fantasy Heroes gives viewers blends comic book-style adventure with plotting and characters as rich and layered as any graphic novel or drama series.

Creator Tim Kring's premise is deceptively simple - ordinary individuals in locations around the globe discover that they have, for lack of a better term, super powers, and wrestle with this reality while facing challenges both global (the destruction of New York City, for one) and personal (indestructible cheerleader Hayden Panetierre has family issues - serious ones, as the true identity of her adoptive father reveals; Milo Ventimiglia's Peter Petrelli, who absorbs other powers, must overcome his own insecurities). Add to this mix a terrific villain - Zachary Quinto's Sylar, who hunts and kills people with extraordinary powers like our heroes - and viewers have a riveting series that exhibits an almost-perfect balance of cliffhanger thrills (the action and special effects are truly impressive for a network program) and genuine drama that sets the show apart from most speculative fiction (save, perhaps, the revived Battlestar Galactica, which it compares too favorably).

The seven-disc set of Heroes: Season One offers a wealth of extras for fans, who may be familiar with some of them through the NBC.com website, especially the cast commentaries, which are featured on half of the episodes. Kring is featured on the 73-minute uncut pilot episode, which for some viewers, may be even better than the network version; the main difference is the degree of character development, including an entire storyline for D.L. Hawkins that isn't featured in the broadcast version.

Also on deck are some 50 deleted scenes from the episodes, several by-the-books making-of featurettes, including coverage of the special effects and stunt work, and a profile of artist Tim Sale, whose illustrations are used for Isaac Mendez's prophetic artwork. Prospective buyers should note that while all of these supplemental features are included on the HD-DVD version of this set, the special Web-connectivity elements are not available here. -- Paul Gaita

By the end of Season 3 of The Office (US), we get the sense that the series has finally established its independence from its European ancestry. Throughout Season 3, the BBC series continues to serve as a very basic template for the NBC series: the awkward merger, the upper management restructuring, the romantic role reversal (boy-chases-girl becomes boy-gets-new-girl/original-girl-now-chases-boy). The one major plot development from the UK original that has yet to be explored is the regional manager's slow, painful march toward termination as he clashes with a new corporate supervisor. Could Season 3's final scene been an ominous sign that a similar fate is in store for Michael Scott down the road? The popularity of this series, and the apparent commitment of all involved to keep it going for at least a couple more seasons suggests this doom will be postponed, at least for a while. In the meantime, much cheerier things seem to be on the horizon.

And, it is on this issue that The US version of The Office is finally transcending its English heritage. Are we actually going to witness the development of a (presumably) healthy, happy relationship between two people who belong together, free from any melodramatic roadblocks? To follow such a path would represent not only a significant departure from the British series (which actually ended when the two romantic leads finally got together, after a similar last second change of heart based on a parting "gift"), but it would also be a risky move for a TV comedy of any kind. People think they want to see romance on TV, but they don't. What they want is romantic tension. Remove the tension, and it's just a couple of people hugging, kissing, shopping, sometimes arguing over mostly trivial things, and occasionally going out to dinner. Those are real relationships, right? Maybe we'll have some "Meet The Halperts" style wackiness to keep things interesting, featuring guest director Ben Stiller.

Sarcasm aside, if there is any show in the history of TV comedy with the talent and insight to delve headfirst into a realistic relationship - avoiding predictable TV contrivances in favor of delighting in the subtle nuances of ordinary human interactions - it will be this group of writers and performers. Even the other office relationships on the show, which are all deeply insane, provide charming and hilarious little character moments that defy expectations and manage to surprise (e.g. Kelly infantilizing Ryan by feeding him French fries on a double-date and insisting that he does, in fact, love ketchup). This sort of thing is, of course, one of the two main aspects of The Office that make it so endearing. The other is, obviously, cringe-inducing embarrassment.

When I think and talk about The Office, I find that I'm usually most impressed with the subtle aspects of Jim and Pam (whose evolution throughout Season 3 was nothing short of inspiring). But, Michael and Dwight are really the anchors of the show, and the reason most people watch in the first place. If "The Office" was a rock song, I think that Michael and Dwight would be the rhythm section, and Pam and Jim would be the vocals and lead guitar. Yeah, it's a silly analogy, and oversimplified. But, my point is that Jim and Pam provide those rare, soaring moments that really stand out, but that Michael and Dwight keep the show grounded, ironically enough, with their madness. It's their indulgences and whims that keep the show's pace, and advance the plot on an episode-by-episode basis. I've read other reviewers point out that, if this were a traditional sit-com, the "normal" characters of Jim and Pam would be the focus, and the "oddball" characters of Michael and Dwight would be the ones that pop in for the occasional zaniness (think Laverne, Shirley, Lenny & Squiggy). I think that this perspective shift from traditional sitcom formulas, coupled with the dry, documentary-style presentation, is the key to the success of "The Office".

Another impressive aspect of the US version of the show is the fleshing out of the secondary characters, which really began taking shape in Season 2, and expanded in Season 3 to include the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin, which was eventually assimilated (decimated?) by the Scranton Branch. The contrast of the seemingly more professional Stamford office with the Scranton office offered some really significant insight into this show. I can point to two specific moments where this contrast was used to make an important point: The first is when the "talented" Josh uses his upcoming promotion at DM to land himself an executive position at Staples instead, prompting Jim to note that "Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he would never do that!" The second is when Andy's constant sucking up to Michael reaches toxic levels, eventually leading to Dwight's resignation and rehiring, inspiring Michael's epiphany that "I don't want somebody sucking up to me because they think I'm going to help their career [Andy]. I want them sucking up to me because they genuinely love me [Dwight]." The point is that Stamford was the more professional of the two offices. Stamford did better business. Scranton is a better family.

This family theme is the emerging element of Season 3 that distinguished it from Season 2. How else can one possibly explain a group of workers willing to tolerate a "boss" like Michael Scott, unless they no longer think of him as a boss at all, but just some crazy uncle, or a 10-year old boy in a (bisexual) suit that they're babysitting, who forces them to watch movies and throw parties? The women in the office, especially, can only be excused for allowing themselves to be subjected to such disrespectful and inappropriate behavior because they clearly have more pity for Michael than fear. If they were even the least bit intimidated by him, his transgressions would be a very serious problem. But, his obnoxious antics are born from profound immaturity, not a desire to dominate them. Sex is something to giggle about for Michael, not something used to wield power... unless you're trying to withhold sex from a female superior in order to receive a modest, scheduled pay raise, as Toby explained it.

By the way, Jan's downfall this season was indeed as spectacular as a dying star collapsing on itself (although a supernova may have been the better analogy, given her explosions in the... chesticles... region). She became the Rebecca Howe of "The Office", as her carefully constructed executive facade slowly crumbled and turned to dust.

The family theme played itself out in another, completely surprising way this season with regards to Ryan, the former temp. I wonder how long, exactly, the writers have known what his corporate fate would be. Early in the season, I got the sense that he was beginning the process of reluctantly settling into his new family at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. The episode where Dwight "hazed" him seemed to suggest this was the direction he was headed. Ryan's continuing failures as a salesperson also seemed to hint that he was going though a necessary humbling process on the road to becoming part of the group. But, then... everything changed within the last 10 seconds of Season 3, as I realized that this was not at all the point behind Ryan's character arc. He wasn't being groomed as a new member of the family. He was being set up to become just another, talentless, clueless executive with a fancy degree. This miserable kid who has never made a single sale will now be giving orders to Michael, his former mentor. Again, I wonder if the conflicts that emerge from this dynamic ultimately lead to Michael's firing, echoing the British series once more. But maybe, on a more hopeful note, Ryan's training may be the factor that saves Dunder Mifflin (at least for a while), and all of his scholarly insights into the problems facing this "dying" company lead to some real positive changes. Despite all of his shortcomings as a salesman and a human being, maybe the guy actually knows what he's talking about.

And, then there's Pam. Her story is the heart and soul of Season 3. The risk of putting her in a relationship with Jim in Season 4 is less significant than the risk it took to change her character in the first place to get her to that point. This is another sitcom taboo, where reliable, predictable characters are part of the comedy formula. How is Pam going to remain a meek receptionist after everything she went through this season? She walked through fire! Will she even be capable of being a receptionist now? Again, the family dynamic will probably ensure that she remains in place in spite of the obvious professional suicide that it signifies. I don't know how Pam views Michael - as a friend, a little kid? But, I do know that she sees him as someone to protect, in a bizarre sort of way. Think back to the eulogy at the bird funeral, one of the most touching moments this show has ever produced. And, Pam has gone out of her way to protect Angela and Dwight, both as a couple and individually, on many occasions, two people who clearly irritate her. She's not a pushover at all. A pushover doesn't defend her family members - even the irritating ones - with such devotion. A pushover doesn't stick up for people. Anyone who thinks Pam has ever been weak has not been paying attention, or doesn't really understand the definition of strength to begin with.

So, Season 4 should be fascinating, with big changes on the horizon and lots of questions to be answered, both corporate and romantic, and in all of the places where they mingle. Or, should I say, "merge"? -- Chuck Barstow "clusterchuck" (USA)