tv shows on dvd AKA somebody please shoot me
it's a trend. i have learned to deal with that. in some cases, it's a great trend. in most cases, it just makes me want to see if i can play a tupperware lid of soy sauce in my dvd player.
here's the lowdown.
the good:
dramas like 24, lost, desperate housewives and the sopranos make perfect sense. they're popular, addictive and would struggle to fit (in my opinion) into any syndication situation. good idea, but for every one of these shows, there are a dozen boomtowns. just sayin'.
sitcoms. friends (a little known show from the '90s) started this whole thing off. the greats have followed suit: (seinfeld, cheers, m.a.s.h.) and i, for one, am thrilled to see shows like newsradio, scrubs and of course arrested devolpment make their way to my shelves. yes, sitcoms are a gold mine...IF THEY WERE GOOD TO BEGIN WITH. my big fat greek life only lasted 7 episodes for a reason. we don't need to watch it over and over.
also, classic sitcoms are a brilliant idea. i love lucy. the mary tyler moore show. happy days. all of the nick at nite fare. the built-in audiences are there...
the bad:
...just make sure there IS an audience. if no one watched the show while it was on tv, why would you release it on dvd? to make back the money it cost to make? i guess that would make sense, but will the $17 trillion an episode father of the pride sell even a hundred units? we shall see.
shows that were cancelled. especially after less than a season. i've mentioned my big fat greek life and father of the pride. unless there was a HUGE outcry for a dvd (see: family guy or freaks and geeks,) they shouldn't even bother. anyone taking bets on whether the deluxe edition of life on a stick is here in time for christmas? i thought not. although i would pay top dollar for a dvd copy of all 5 episodes of the $treet, there are some things that even my obsession with jennifer connelly can't overcome.
poorly made/terrible mini-series'. my favorite, revelations comes out this summer. while there are some that are worth seeing again, there are also dinotopia and 10.5.
stupid studio decisions. i'm as excited as anyone about the office (american version) coming out, but they should have waited until they had more than six episodes to put on the dvd. this is the kind of rush-to-market over-saturation that will make us all sick of this trend VERY quickly. it's only a matter of time before less worthy mid-seasoners follow. what's next? stacked: the first 2 1/2 episodes? (sorry pam.) by the way, kansas' own, kirstie alley, just released the unforgivable fat actress to the tagline: "the weight is over." what wait? didn't it just premiere?!
and that's the perfect lead-in for...
the unacceptable:
this is easy: reality shows. answer this question to yourself. now that i know who wins, do i REALLY care enough about these "people" to watch this train wreck again? if your answer is "yes," there's a special aisle for you at best buy. it's in the alley out back. the clerk's name is eddie. he'll take care of you.
it's no secret that i hate reality shows (with the exception of the amazing race, which is less reality than a kick-ass game show.) and there is NO reason i would ever pay money to watch one...especially if i knew the outcome of each episode already. even typing this, i am without words to describe my true feeling for this phenomenon.
reality shows on dvd. i'd rather watch matt leblanc play baseball with a monkey in that...baseball...monkey...movie with matt leblanc...in it.
the only thing worse than reality shows on dvd, is this.
i guess my big problem is that shows like ally mcbeal and the practice have yet to see the light of day yet t.j. hooker comes out in august. great sketch comedy series' like the kids in the hall (stalled at season 2) and upright citizens brigade (ditto season 1) are not being completed because they "don't sell well." yet alf is a "go" for seasons 2 & 3.
who is responsible for these decisions and why are they allowed to leave their houses?
here's the lowdown.
the good:
dramas like 24, lost, desperate housewives and the sopranos make perfect sense. they're popular, addictive and would struggle to fit (in my opinion) into any syndication situation. good idea, but for every one of these shows, there are a dozen boomtowns. just sayin'.
sitcoms. friends (a little known show from the '90s) started this whole thing off. the greats have followed suit: (seinfeld, cheers, m.a.s.h.) and i, for one, am thrilled to see shows like newsradio, scrubs and of course arrested devolpment make their way to my shelves. yes, sitcoms are a gold mine...IF THEY WERE GOOD TO BEGIN WITH. my big fat greek life only lasted 7 episodes for a reason. we don't need to watch it over and over.
also, classic sitcoms are a brilliant idea. i love lucy. the mary tyler moore show. happy days. all of the nick at nite fare. the built-in audiences are there...
the bad:
...just make sure there IS an audience. if no one watched the show while it was on tv, why would you release it on dvd? to make back the money it cost to make? i guess that would make sense, but will the $17 trillion an episode father of the pride sell even a hundred units? we shall see.
shows that were cancelled. especially after less than a season. i've mentioned my big fat greek life and father of the pride. unless there was a HUGE outcry for a dvd (see: family guy or freaks and geeks,) they shouldn't even bother. anyone taking bets on whether the deluxe edition of life on a stick is here in time for christmas? i thought not. although i would pay top dollar for a dvd copy of all 5 episodes of the $treet, there are some things that even my obsession with jennifer connelly can't overcome.
poorly made/terrible mini-series'. my favorite, revelations comes out this summer. while there are some that are worth seeing again, there are also dinotopia and 10.5.
stupid studio decisions. i'm as excited as anyone about the office (american version) coming out, but they should have waited until they had more than six episodes to put on the dvd. this is the kind of rush-to-market over-saturation that will make us all sick of this trend VERY quickly. it's only a matter of time before less worthy mid-seasoners follow. what's next? stacked: the first 2 1/2 episodes? (sorry pam.) by the way, kansas' own, kirstie alley, just released the unforgivable fat actress to the tagline: "the weight is over." what wait? didn't it just premiere?!
and that's the perfect lead-in for...
the unacceptable:
this is easy: reality shows. answer this question to yourself. now that i know who wins, do i REALLY care enough about these "people" to watch this train wreck again? if your answer is "yes," there's a special aisle for you at best buy. it's in the alley out back. the clerk's name is eddie. he'll take care of you.
it's no secret that i hate reality shows (with the exception of the amazing race, which is less reality than a kick-ass game show.) and there is NO reason i would ever pay money to watch one...especially if i knew the outcome of each episode already. even typing this, i am without words to describe my true feeling for this phenomenon.
reality shows on dvd. i'd rather watch matt leblanc play baseball with a monkey in that...baseball...monkey...movie with matt leblanc...in it.
the only thing worse than reality shows on dvd, is this.
i guess my big problem is that shows like ally mcbeal and the practice have yet to see the light of day yet t.j. hooker comes out in august. great sketch comedy series' like the kids in the hall (stalled at season 2) and upright citizens brigade (ditto season 1) are not being completed because they "don't sell well." yet alf is a "go" for seasons 2 & 3.
who is responsible for these decisions and why are they allowed to leave their houses?
posted by cade at 5:50 PM
8 Comments:
I too am pining for great shows from my childhood while enduring commercials for the entire first season of "American Chopper" on DVD. I want to see Alex P. Keaton!!!
Would you consider "The Real World" a reality show and would it be ok to own, say, the LA, SF, London seasons?
real world=gray area.
it was the original...but as for me and my house...not a chance.
The release of Golden Girls on DVD makes this girl pretty happy. I'm not gonna lie.
The things I want to get but haven't yet: Wonderfalls because I loved the four episodes I saw before FOX cancelled it-at least I'll get to see the ones that were done, but never aired. And Northern Exposure but that's because when it was originally on, it was on late enough where I fell asleep sometimes and missed a lot. Plus it's the kitsch factor. Anyway, either of those I'll probably watch once or twice then sell back to Newbury Comics or Electronics Boutique for store credit on something else.
You need some give some love up to Buffy, right quick, sir!
wonderfalls is one of those "cancelled but has a large following" kind of shows. i totally agree.
as for buffy. again, i agree, but there was enough headache-inducing italicizing and bolding going on in this post to really cut the list shorter than it could have been. notice i didn't even mention perenial cadeland faves like the simpsons moonlighting and night court.
Did you like Wonderfalls? (No italicization, ie your comment.) That and Firefly-again a FOX cancellation. But I hear they are making a movie-again, strong following though cancelled. I think both shows were too smart for FOX viewers (Simpsons notwithstanding).
i actually never saw wonderfalls or firefly. they came out in the middle of thick of my traveling, so i didn't even know they existed until they were canceled. but i understand the popularity thing.
and the italicizing wasn't a "to look at" thing. it was a "to type in code over and over" thing.
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