Not just another how-to, Discovery Channel's Mythbusters features the scientific knowledge and construction prowess of two veteran special-effects artists, now dedicated to testing the practical viability of outrageous urban myths. The almost comically stoic Jamie Hyneman and the puckishly enthusiastic Adam Savage have become cult heroes for the ingenuity and wit they apply to finding out if, say, a penny dropped off the Empire State Building could kill a person, or if a Civil War soldier could get shot through the scrotum and inadvertently impregnate a woman standing across the battlefield. The dozen episodes included on the four-disc Mythbusters: Collection 1 set capture the show's irresistible hook: Hyneman and Savage grab the audience with their clashing personalities and over-the-top stunts, but by the end of the hour, they've made a real case for scientific evidence over pure conjecture.
