In 1836, the Texas frontier was a perilous place, crushed from the outside by Mexican armadas, attacked from within by Comanche tribes. Directed by Roland Joffé, this 10-hour miniseries chronicles the rise of Texas from the Battle of the Alamo to San Jacinto and the creation of the Texas Rangers. With Bill Paxton as Sam Houston, Olivier Martinez as Santa Anna, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife) as Deaf Smith. Seen on the History Channel. 10 hrs, 3 DVDs.