New on DVD

On television are several new offerings, all variations on a crime wave.

First up is the fast-moving first season of “Burn Notice,” in which Jeffrey Donovan’s Michael Westen returns home to Miami to fight crime while trying to find out why he was fired from his previous job, and by whom. The show is obnoxious to the point of being glib, but it does have wit and energy, a good performance by Donovan, and for those reasons, it’s worth a look.

Those who prefer their crime shows stripped of humor should turn to the seventh season of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” with this season including a noteworthy, Emmy Award-nominated guest appearance by Marcia Gay Harden as one tough, very Southern FBI agent fighting ecoterrorism. Don’t mess with her.

A different form of sleuthing is found in “Witchblade: The Complete Series,” which successfully melds elements of science fiction with the police procedural. The parallels to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” are obvious, sometimes unfortunate, but by its second season--naturally, just before it was candeled--the show seemed to shake off its influences and grow into its own.

On Blu-ray, look to the BBC’s release of “Ganges,” which explores India’s sacred river and reveals how it worked to shape India’s culture. If you’re into the high-definition movement, it’s a must--the cinematography sells it. The insight into India’s culture doesn’t hurt, either.

Finally, from Fox comes the high-definition release of 1991’s ridiculous surfing cop cartoon “Point Break,” with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze riding their boards and jumping out of airplanes as Reeves’ Johnny Utah(ahahaha) launches into one heroic effort to fight crime. It’s a stupid movie, but let’s face it--it does stupid reasonably well.