Before American television gave birth to “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Surreal Life,” there was “The Truman Show.”

This darkly comic tale about an insurance salesman (Jim Carrey) who realizes he’s the unwitting star of a reality show became both a box office and critical success when it was released in 1998. At that time, the storyline seemed inconceivable. One man’s entire life – from his hometown to his wife to his best friend – is nothing but a phony existence dreamed up by Hollywood executives to entertain a privacy-invading public? Not possible.

But fast-forward a few years, and the plot of “The Truman Show” seems both possible and downright prescient. “It really is a relevant conversation today, if not more relevant than it was eight years ago,” says co-star Roland Emmerich during one of the bonus features on the new, special-edition DVD, which was released Tuesday with a list price of $19.99.

The Truman Show

It’s terrific to see “Truman,” one of the best mainstream Hollywood releases of the 1990s, finally receive the special-edition treatment, particularly in light of the extras-lacking version Paramount previously issued. Though the supplemental material on the single disc isn’t as abundant as it should be, the DVD does include the two-part documentary “How’s It Going to End: The Making of ‘The Truman Show'”; four deleted/extended scenes; a featurette on the film’s production design; and the industry-standard photo gallery, trailers and TV commercials.

Particularly noteworthy: Part two of the documentary provides an interesting exploration of the film’s genesis, including how the film crew turned Seaside, Fla., into a set and how Ed Harris was cast as Christof after the original actor (no one mentions his name, but it was Dennis Hopper) dropped out.

The DVD could have risen to a higher level by including a second disc with more features; say, a commentary track by director Peter Weir, or Jim Carrey outtakes (I have to believe those exist somewhere). As it stands, the movie remains the star of this “Show,” and in some ways, that’s as it should be. With its on-point satire of our TV nation, materialism and the eerie cuteness of suburban planned communities, revisiting “The Truman Show” is a reminder that some truly great movies are more than timely. They’re ahead of their time.