This is just a loose estimate, but roughly 95 percent of reality television serves no purpose other than brainless, boorish entertainment. There's little to no redeeming value gleaned from sitting through "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," "The Mole" or "The Bachelorette." Conversely, programs like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Little People, Big World" or, possibly, even "The Dog Whisperer" reward viewers with a look at lives and people that would otherwise remain hidden or hardly publicized.

A series like Intervention is at the extreme end of the spectrum, but for those who can stomach the often unflinching glimpses at lives torn asunder by all manner of addictions, it can be some of the most riveting, emotionally charged television on the air. Intervention, created by Sam Mettler, premiered in March 2005 on cable network A&E and quickly drew praise for its brutal honesty, along with criticism from those who felt that these naked portraits of persons in crisis veered into exploitation.

There's no denying the power inherent in these stories, made all the more compelling by the fact that, for the most part, the filmmakers shy away from portentous narration, maudlin soundtrack cues and judgment of those suffering from addiction. In an age of crass, fiendishly manipulative reality shows, Intervention is remarkably even-handed and seems to strive to convey as much positive, helpful information as it can.

This inaugural disc of three-and-a-half episodes culled from the debut season of Intervention (there are 14 episodes altogether; there are still segments missing from the episodes on this disc) are equally harrowing, powerful and overwhelmingly poignant. All four episodes -- most of which run for about 45 minutes -- are playable separately or all together.

The first episode (which originally aired with a separate segment about an addict named Tommy) deals with Alyson, a former White House intern and daddy's girl, is addicted to morphine, heroin and crack; her problems are putting a strain upon her family, causing her father's health to rapidly deteriorate. This is a full episode devoted to Alison. The second episode explores Gabe's gambling addiction, which has cost his family and friends thousands of dollars and caused him to contemplate suicide, alongside Vanessa's compulsive shopping and its effect on her various psychological ailments. (Vanessa is Vanessa Marquez, an actress who had a role in the first three seasons of "E.R."; she's not the first famous face to pop up during the series' run.)

The third episode here (fifth in series order) follows Sara, a meth addict and young mother as she struggles to get a handle on her addiction. The fourth episode (sixth in series order) tracks former Days of the New front-man Travis Meeks, a meth addict, and Matt, a crack addict living at home. What is most fascinating about each story is the unpredictable nature -- those addicts viewers might expect to embrace recovery do not and those who might run away fall into it gladly. Not all the interventions go smoothly nor do all have the intended impact -- it's an uncomfortable reality, but one that Intervention does not shirk.

The Video:

Presented as originally broadcast on A&E, these four episodes of Intervention arrive on DVD in a passable 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer. Since these episodes are shot on the fly in less than optimal conditions, the visual quality ranges from adequate to abysmal, but despite the video noise and harsh lighting, the image never degrades to the point of unwatchable.

Again, as originally broadcast, so it shall be delivered unto DVD: These four episodes are outfitted with Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks that get the job and fare a bit better than the visual side of things, simply because there's really only dialogue (some of it shouted, slurred or muffled, sure) to contend with and a fleeting bit of score. The unintelligible portions are helpfully subtitled in English.

The only bonus features are brief updates on four of the six subjects -- Alyson, Gabe, Sara and Travis -- playable separately or all together for an aggregate of 20 minutes (presented in fullscreen). Each segment is illuminating and reveals each participant's thoughts on the filming and recovery processes.

A series like Intervention is at the extreme end of the reality TV spectrum, but for those who can stomach the often unflinching glimpses at lives torn asunder by all manner of addictions, it can be some of the most riveting, emotionally charged television on the air. Recommended.