patty duke show

New Year's Eve episodes have never been as plentiful as those about Christmas. Television writers, it seems, figure most viewers would rather be out sipping champagne and kissing strangers on December 31 than watching TV.

But a few of these holiday-themed gems were made, and they're a great way to get ready for your midnight celebration. Here are some of the best.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

This might not be the biggest DVD release day in history, but it's certainly one of the business. There's something for everyone this week, including a bunch of "Fan Favorites" DVDs for various sitcoms, including NewsRadio, All in the Family, and I Dream of Jeannie. That's a neat idea, though I wonder, if you're a big fan, wouldn't you already have the DVDs?

Oh, and remember Day Break, the ABC mystery series from a couple of years ago? You can get the Complete Series. I don't think I ever saw the end of that show. You can watch it on SlashControl, so maybe I'll start there before buying the set.

• All in the Family - Fan Favorites
• Ax Men - Season 2
• Barney Miller - Fan Favorites
• Bewitched - Fan Favorites

I couldn't quite place the name, but Byron played Patty Duke's mom on the mid-60s sitcom The Patty Duke Show ("They're couuuuuusins...identical cousins!"). She was also a semi-regular on The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis before that, and was once married to Michael Ansara, who was also once married to Barbara Eden.

Byron died on February 3 in Mobile, AL, after getting an infection from hip replacement surgery.