By Diane Werts
We've been so spoiled by the recent flood of TV series DVD sets that we can't cope now when releases don't arrive in the time or form we think they should. The first season of The WB hit "Smallville" was released in Canada last year (the series shoots in Vancouver), but it's only now out on DVD in the States. And instead of rejoicing about its special features - two episode commentaries, seven deleted scenes, storyboard-to-screen comparisons - we're disappointed there aren't more of them.

Picky, I know. But, hey, these sets don't come cheap. Taking us comprehensively behind the scenes with production documentaries or script breakdowns isn't such an unreasonable demand for those fans dedicated enough to track down these sometimes-elusive releases and drop the money it takes to take them home.

"Smallville" does at least come in widescreen format to go with its Dolby stereo transfer and four-language subtitles (first time we've seen Portuguese). Its six discs are neatly boxed in the hinged book- page trays that prove less unwieldy than those foldouts that keep folding out forever. Included is a 16-page booklet describing the separate episodes and their different chapters.

Its pages also promote the producer-director commentary tracks appearing as optional audio for the first two episodes. Nice to know they're there. Nicer if they actually said something. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (abetted by director David Nutter) mostly call out various crew members to say they "did an amazing job ... extraordinary" ... blah, blah. It's becoming clearer by the day that most casts and crews need directing through their DVD commentary to shape it into something succinct, informative and entertaining, rather than run-on, repetitive and self-serving. Hope it becomes a growth industry.

DVD REVIEW

SMALLVILLE. The first season is finally on DVD. Twenty-one episodes on six discs, $65 list price, Warner Bros.