tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post1229576320567712268..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Reader mail: TV shows not on DVD & reality show teasesAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74742833239182885582009-07-18T21:22:07.634-04:002009-07-18T21:22:07.634-04:00Many people in here are referencing music rights a...Many people in here are referencing music rights as the reason why Ed is not on DVD. While there may be some difficulties there, it has been said frequently that the real reason why it is not on DVD is that there are legal wranglings over who retains the rights to the show, World Wide Pants, NBC, or some other production company which I believe is now defunct.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60341296364841284892009-07-14T13:18:26.622-04:002009-07-14T13:18:26.622-04:00TVshowsonDVD has some news that indicates Daria mi...TVshowsonDVD has some news that indicates Daria might, in fact, be released on DVD in 2010: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Daria-DVDs-Planned/12236<br /><br />The real Holy Grail of Unreleased TV shows? Max Headroom, of course.<br /><br />--a fanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57394804738624830982009-07-09T06:27:49.795-04:002009-07-09T06:27:49.795-04:00Having seen what they did with WKRP and Quantum Le...Having seen what they did with WKRP and Quantum Leap on DVD-- both of which had music replacement so heinous that I ended up paying the extra money to buy the Region 2 DVDs which still had them-- I'd much prefer that they not release Ed on DVD until they can guarantee the music is intact. I love Ed but I couldn't imagine it without the soundtrack, right down to Yo LA Tengo's "My Little Corner of the World" during the last three minutes of the series finale.<br /><br />But this does bring up to me an interesting point about the paradigm for TV on DVD. Maybe it's time we had something like Criterion does for film releases-- a (much more) expensive than mass market DVD release that releases it in original format with a raft of good extras. It means selling it to a more niche market, but perhaps there is enough people who would spend, say, $75-$90 for a DVD Box set of Ed (or Quantum Leap or Northern Exposure) with full music plus great extras. (Or do it like Benjamin Button and have a 'Criterion' version and a mass market version. <br /><br />To a certain extent Shout Factory and Acorn are doing that (and as a result we're getting thirtysomething on DVD which I gather has minimal music replacement) but I wonder if they should be going even more nichey and pricing it accordingly.Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874622261770189776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-29541452748666466942009-07-07T23:15:14.982-04:002009-07-07T23:15:14.982-04:00The Muppets would indeed be no fun with all those ...The Muppets would indeed be no fun with all those bits cut, but I agree: the real abortion is WKRP.<br /><br />And to make it *6* times worse: the episodes that have been airing on Retro Sunday Nights on WGN?<br /><br />The original syndie package. Original music.<br />Uncut from network air, as near as I can tell.<br /><br />*That's* gonna help the DVD sales, yeah buddy.<br /><br />Thanks to my sis for DVRing them and burning them (manually, because I can't get her slightly older MythTV box to build working DVDs directly, darnit).Baylinkhttp://baylink.pitas.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10597337410547771772009-07-04T23:03:19.259-04:002009-07-04T23:03:19.259-04:00Ditto what Beth said. I would love to see "I&...Ditto what Beth said. I would love to see "I'll Fly Away" on DVD.Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-46253548717665619762009-07-03T00:07:31.221-04:002009-07-03T00:07:31.221-04:00The worst "reality show" about recaps is...The worst "reality show" about recaps is House Hunters. After each commercial, the host does a recap of why the person wants to move, what they want to get and what they've already seen. The recap just keeps getting longer and longer. Does she think that the audience has all had lobotomies during the commercial break?Sharinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54648538271765952922009-07-01T20:44:02.522-04:002009-07-01T20:44:02.522-04:00I was a big LA Law fan, but I caught a rerun on ca...I was a big LA Law fan, but I caught a rerun on cable about a year ago and it was kind of funny and kind of painful to watch, so dated and soap opera-y. The only episodes that stand out now are from the Rosalind Shays arc.Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5924195442818646012009-07-01T14:39:35.329-04:002009-07-01T14:39:35.329-04:00I would snap up "Ed" DVD's in one ho...I would snap up "Ed" DVD's in one hot minute. Also, Daria was one of my favorite shows back in the day. And why was Season 1 of Huff released but not Season 2? <br />I, too, only buy show DVD's that I know will forever remain my favorites.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27618323215767075892009-07-01T13:10:16.294-04:002009-07-01T13:10:16.294-04:00Actually, the show that was a nightmare on DVD bec...Actually, the show that was a nightmare on DVD because of music rights was The Muppet Show. As I recall from my childhood, half of the show (the best half) was Muppets doing popular songs of the time. Because it was a sketch show, they were able to simply cut out the bits that gave them problems with the rights, but you get a very strong sense of something missing throughout. They added additional material from other sources to fill out the shortened episodes, but it just wasn't the same. I bought the first season DVD, but I don't think I would buy any others. What's the point of watching The Muppet Show if you don't get to see Viking pigs singing "In the Navy"? Or birds on a telephone wire singing "Take a Chance on Me"? ("if you're all alone when the <i>pretty birds</i> have flown...) Or Scooter struggling to play Harry Chapin's Six String Orchestra?Traceynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3689975421650091692009-07-01T12:35:19.501-04:002009-07-01T12:35:19.501-04:00Speaking of music rights, The "WKRP in Cincin...Speaking of music rights, The "WKRP in Cincinnati" DVDs are nearly unwatchable because of the absence of the original tunes. Dr. Johnny Fever does not rock out to musak...<br /><br />So does this mean the remaining Hill Street Blues seasons will never get a proper DVD release? Amazon was selling the season three episodes individually in their on demand service, but I was holding out for a proper release.Pandyorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14443878083667539708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26817538869395220772009-07-01T12:25:32.924-04:002009-07-01T12:25:32.924-04:00Still waiting for I'll Fly Away (Regina Taylor...Still waiting for <i>I'll Fly Away</i> (Regina Taylor & Sam Waterston), which was re-broadcast on PBS once, then never seen again.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122934646158331635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-72488847663107488472009-07-01T09:27:45.882-04:002009-07-01T09:27:45.882-04:00I seem to remember Quantum Leap being a nightmare ...I seem to remember Quantum Leap being a nightmare to get on DVD because of music rights issues. Is it still unavailable, or is there a complete set now?Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05821524840819117719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-67063893887768730392009-06-30T22:07:50.759-04:002009-06-30T22:07:50.759-04:00And something else that might be holding some show...And something else that might be holding some shows off DVD... I've got a restored edition of the BBC's 1996 'Pride and Prejudice', and there's an interesting special feature on the restoration -- I wasn't aware how complicated, and expensive, a process it was scrubbing up the image for HD/Blu-Ray. Probably a no-brainer for a massive hit like P&P -- or Paramount determinted to wring every penny out of the Trek franchise --, but I can see a lot of shows where satisfying a more tech-literate (and demanding) market could be a very marginal proposition indeed.Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8001192435583834612009-06-30T22:06:46.257-04:002009-06-30T22:06:46.257-04:00My wife told me she was a fan of The John Larroque...My wife told me she was a fan of The John Larroquette Show from before we were married so I decided to purchase it for her as a birthday gift a few years ago. It was never released on DVD so I found it @ one of those bootleg outfits and it took about 8 weeks to get the DVDs. We now have every aired episode in poor to average quality with, in some cases, advertisements left inserted.<br />You can tell some rabid fan taped them on VCR and then the company transferred them to DVD.<br />We don't regret buying them because there literally was no other outlet. And the show holds up. But we won't use that service again.Armynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53790080698972928682009-06-30T22:03:18.996-04:002009-06-30T22:03:18.996-04:00The holy grail of TV on DVD is the Wonder Years. ...The holy grail of TV on DVD is the Wonder Years. That show used not just a lot of music, but probably the most expensive music on the planet as far as licensing goes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9644802040701274462009-06-30T21:54:40.308-04:002009-06-30T21:54:40.308-04:00As Alan touched on in the column, I feel kind of s...As Alan touched on in the column, I feel kind of sorry for reality show editors because even sociopathic attention-seekers are pretty boring 99% of the time, and never more so than when they're playing up for the camera.Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73163996570577715322009-06-30T18:49:32.072-04:002009-06-30T18:49:32.072-04:00My holy grail of TV on DVD is "Daria." I...My holy grail of TV on DVD is "Daria." I'm guessing the problem there is music rights; the show used a lot of music.Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09390803531207217559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-669499839988396962009-06-30T18:36:22.495-04:002009-06-30T18:36:22.495-04:00I also hate those VH-1 reality shows where they tr...I also hate those VH-1 reality shows where they try to take 20 minutes of actual footage and stretch it out to an hour. The most awful one, that a friend of mine recently made me watch, was Celebrity Rehab. The same teasers repeated over and over before each commercial break. Not one interesting thing happened in that show. Theory is a long drawn out process and should be private, not broadcast to millions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81139672103369916802009-06-30T16:09:19.906-04:002009-06-30T16:09:19.906-04:00My TV on DVD hobby horse is "The Chris Isaak ...My TV on DVD hobby horse is "The Chris Isaak Show" from Showtime. I can't imagine it'd be hard to get the music rights to that one. Right?TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06542160924795802592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74259115524438377112009-06-30T15:50:44.607-04:002009-06-30T15:50:44.607-04:00I wonder if music rights holders will ever figure ...I wonder if music rights holders will ever figure out that 50% of their initial asking price + sales from exposure > 0% of replacement music.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18351452512636422112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31540178051908974882009-06-30T15:33:31.844-04:002009-06-30T15:33:31.844-04:00I don't watch a lot of reality TV, but I occas...I don't watch a lot of reality TV, but I occasionally catch an episode of Mythbusters, and the pre- and post-commercial wrap of what the current myth is, what they've already done, and what they still plan to do has to account for at least 10% of total running time of the show. At first I assumed it was filler, but it doesn't seem to depend on the complexity of the myth. Maybe all these shows have a contract with the announce for a certain number of "voiceover" minutes?pgillanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627255978843800751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24517868271093307172009-06-30T15:26:46.111-04:002009-06-30T15:26:46.111-04:00Looking at what happened to the DVD releases Hill ...Looking at what happened to the DVD releases Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, it really is kind of a miracle that all seven seasons of Homicide managed to be released on DVD. I never would've guessed that Homicide would sell better than those two much more popular and equally adored series.alynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686727482333798391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61546949965736184822009-06-30T15:11:29.553-04:002009-06-30T15:11:29.553-04:00Well, Netflix lets you watch the seasons on DVD fo...Well, Netflix lets you watch the seasons on DVD for a decent price, so that's what I do. I BUY the shows that I am pretty sure I'd want to keep forever, but I don't feel obligated to plunk down $40-60 for a show that I turn out not to like all that much in the end, just because it was on cable and I am curious about the premise.<br /><br />Also, the sci-fi shows tend to be really effing expensive to buy in DVD sets.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16906089927390662087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59874188115347744362009-06-30T14:25:17.872-04:002009-06-30T14:25:17.872-04:00There's a site called TVshowsonDVD.com that do...There's a site called TVshowsonDVD.com that does a pretty good job of tracking status, and will even send you an e-mail if there's a development regarding a show in which you've expressed an interest. I asked there about the British version of Life On Mars and got a note when they finally worked out their music-rights issues.Adamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88940516621011363912009-06-30T14:17:12.675-04:002009-06-30T14:17:12.675-04:00Count me in as one who would buy the "Ed"...Count me in as one who would buy the "Ed" DVDs as soon as they came out. Kind of hard to believe that at the time of the series, they didn't figure out that music rights for DVD would be key. They even changed their theme song in the second season because NBC wanted to own rights to all of their theme songs (and changed it back to Foo Fighters for the 3rd season).<br /><br />The whole music rights thing seems like another case of shortsightedness on the part of the music industry. As rkex said, "Ed" (like so many other shows) introduced people to a lot of great music. It could still be doing that on DVD, if they'd just clear the rights, already.DJRnoreply@blogger.com