Cancelled TV Shows DVD Release Dates (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

How can the Beverly Hillbillies not do well? Problem with CBS is that alot of DVD Collectors do not want to start a series with them untill they see that they will follow it thru, their 1 or two and Done releases are really pissing people off. Maybe Paramount could explore Digital Downloads if it does not pay to release them on Disk, they'd still have to remaster the shows but there would be less overhead with packaging etc. Get them onto Itunes and I'll buy them.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

Or do what Shout Factory is doing and offer them as direct to consumer and avoid the B&M stores all together. Or an Amazon exclusive or something.

 

[Tim Tucker]

I'm amazed that The Beverly Hillbillies, one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, didn't sell well.
It's unfortunate that CBS didn't take a chance on a S1 Beverly Hillbillies, because, unlike the previously mentioned examples, its first season was one of the best in the show's run. But I don't know if it would have changed anything. Such a set would have had even more competition with the PD sets, and consequently we may have never have gotten S3.
It's too bad that CBS is abandoning both BH and Petticoat Junction. I was hoping that we would at least get one color season out of each show. Plus the next releases would have been from the same year that Green Acres debuted, and I wanted to see just how much crossover there was among the three shows.
And, Dave, I can understand the attitude of fans being cautious, but it is also a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without the earlier seasons selling in sufficient numbers, the later seasons will just not be viable.

 

[Bryan^H]

With the Beverly Hillbillies, I think syndication hurts it quite a bit.
I've seen it on multiple channels in the past year including TV Land, and WGN. It's overplayed(usually in blocks..2-4 episodes at a time), and most average consumers are content with just catching an episode on tv(which is quite easy to do currently) rather than hunt down the complete season set.

 

[Tim Tucker]

Which may explain why Petticoat Junction sold better. Those episodes had been out of circulation for a long time.

 

[MatthewA]

CBS seems to have given up/slowed down on a lot of sitcoms lately, regardless of their era.

Is it possible that the remaining episodes need to be restored before they are suitable for DVD?

 

[DeWilson]

Given the fact that CBS Television Studios has one of the largest TV Library (CBS/ Viacom, Paramount Television, and Speling Television/Republic-NTA/Woldvision) , It's no surprise they are slowing down older releases - they just have so darn much of it,and only so many slots a year to balance the current and recent series with the older ones.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by DeWilson /forum/thread/294898/classic-tv-release-date-thread/30#post_3637635

Given the fact that CBS Television Studios has one of the largest TV Library (CBS/ Viacom, Paramount Television, and Speling Television/Republic-NTA/Woldvision) , It's no surprise they are slowing down older releases - they just have so darn much of it,and only so many slots a year to balance the current and recent series with the older ones.

Then again, maybe not. CBS/Paramount seems to have gone crazy with March releases! They just added several today! Matt Houston and Hawaii 5-0 now come off the "rumor" list and have been put on the schedule. They also surprised us with releases for the much-loved (and wanted) Sabrina, Walker Texas Ranger and Seventh Heaven. And then they totally surprised us with a long-awaited release for Have Gun, Will Travel. Another good news today for tv-on-dvd fans!

 

[Jack P]

HGWT is *not* a total surprise. We've known for months they were remastering S4 which always meant that this was in the pipeline for eventual release. To finally hear about it today was not akin to the kind of genuine surprise that would come if the title were something not listed as being transferred to HD in the syndication bible.

 

[Gary OS]

Seems like someone here on the boards just mentioned they had a feeling Have Gun, Will Travel would be coming in March. Who was it that said that? /img/vbsmilies/htf/tongue.gif
Gary "this announcement really wasn't a surprise for the reason Jack mentioned" O.

 

[MattPeriolat]

Originally Posted by Gary OS /forum/thread/294898/classic-tv-release-date-thread/30#post_3638234
Seems like someone here on the boards just mentioned they had a feeling Have Gun, Will Travel would be coming in March. Who was it that said that?
Gary "this announcement really wasn't a surprise for the reason Jack mentioned" O.

Then I take it that HG, WT is not the 50s TV show you've been alluding to over the past few days. It's all fair, given there is still something coming to look forward to.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

I really wish that CBS/Paramount would release the one and only remaining season of Mork and Mindy. I am sure fans of this series would like to complete their collection ... at least, I know I would. And let's not forget about the remaining seasons of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. These titles are probably not the greatest money-makers but they are recognizable and people still remember them.

As far as Petticoat Junction is concerned, I haven't gotten around to buying that yet. I had a lot of great deals this year in getting a good number of various series on DVD which unfortunately pushed Petticoat Junction to the backburner. I most likely will be picking the show up when a good deal comes around. With The Beverly Hillbillies, I am simply not interested in the black and white episodes. Too many of them just bore me. The color ones are watchable regardless how far-fetched they can be. So, I plan to start my Beverly Hillbillies collection with the first color season and .... that has yet to be released on DVD. And that's okay. I'm not in any hurry with the Hillbillies.
I really hope CBS/Paramount gets on the ball and release each of the remaining seasons of The Lucy Show on DVD. It wouldn't feel right if they suddenly stopped at a particular season and called it quits. And that seems to be the fate with many CBS/Paramount series. Hopefully, The Lucy Show won't fall victim. And this could very well be the test to see how loyal the Lucy fan base is. I know as long as they keeping releasing a season, that I will continue buying no matter what. I just wish that they wouldn't take so LONG. I was SO disappointed when they pushed back the release dates of seasons 2 and 3. But I am glad to know that they are coming. Still the sooner they come out the better. We've waited literally years to see The Lucy Show get some sort of DVD treatment. CBS/Paramount should have immediately started on this series once they were done with the earlier Lucy series. I still don't understand why it took so long. I also don't understand why it's taking them almost a year to get another Lucy Show season out on DVD. It's not like that this series is rerun all over the place! In fact, the last time it aired regularly on national television was in 1996 the year the show left Nick-at-Nite.

 

[Neil Brock]

As with almost every series, the earlier black and white episodes are better and that is certainly the case with Beverly Hillbillies. Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I'm glad to have the first 3 seasons at least.

Unfortunately taking the attitude of buying shows a year or two down the road when you get around to it does nothing to help future releases. The early sales figures are the major determining factor in whether a show continues or not. This is why I either pre-order or order upon release almost every series I buy. I want to support the industry, support vintage releases and encourage future releases. The $5 or whatever that I might save by waiting months or years to pick something up isn't going to change my life. I'd rather buy right away and help the sales figures spur further seasons to be released.

As for Lucy Show, you want it fast or do you want it done well? The reason they are taking a while is so that they can really do it right and make it look great with great extras. You can't have it both ways.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock /img/forum/go_quote.gif
As with almost every series, the earlier black and white episodes are better and that is certainly the case with Beverly Hillbillies. Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I'm glad to have the first 3 seasons at least.
Unfortunately taking the attitude of buying shows a year or two down the road when you get around to it does nothing to help future releases. The early sales figures are the major determining factor in whether a show continues or not. This is why I either pre-order or order upon release almost every series I buy. I want to support the industry, support vintage releases and encourage future releases. The $5 or whatever that I might save by waiting months or years to pick something up isn't going to change my life. I'd rather buy right away and help the sales figures spur further seasons to be released.

B/W: Agree 100% with Neil on this one. Looking at my collection, where a show started out in the B/W era and continued with color, the B/W sasons were always my favorites.
Bewitched: 1st 2 seasons in B/W. This one's a tougher call to say that, since I love the show, but I still think the B/W seasons are the best in the series.
Combat!: Easy call here. I much preferred S1-4 to the last S5 color season. I know....the S5 season is not time-compressed in the DVD sets, but it's still an easy call for me. And this show's my "holy grail" on DVD.
Fugitive: I'm "Stuffing the ballot box" here a little since I haven't seen S4 yet, but I've talked to those that are familiar with the show. Most seem to favor the S1-3 B/W seasons to S4.
I Dream of Jeannie: Easy call for me here. I even like the opening theme to S1 better than the color seasons.
Lost In Space: Another easy call here. I thoght the show was a lot different after S1.

Wild Wild West: Another easy call and this is another show that's in my top list. I prefer S1 to S2-4.
Having said that about the split/season shows (B/W to color), some shows were "made" for color.....Time Tunnel for one. Mission:Impossible another. Just my take on it.
Now, about the "support the shows" for future releases: Well, I agree with Neil that it's the way it is, but I'm not one that can afford to do that. The savings by waiting several months or longer, is considerable for me. I can't afford to pre-order TV/DVD's like I was doing several years ago. When I see a 60-70% savings on some of these sets at Walmart or online, I have to make the financial call that's best for me. If a show gets sbandoned because of low sales #'s, it's regrettable to me, but I can't pass up the savings in waiting for these sets.
No question, Neil's 100% correct about how it works in the industry, but everyone's situation is different. With regrets, I stopped pre-ordering a couple of years ago.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Willis
B/W: Agree 100% with Neil on this one. Looking at my collection, where a show started out in the B/W era and continued with color, the B/W sasons were always my favorites.

Add me to that list as well. I'm trying to think of one show that I actually liked better after it went to color and none come to mind. I'm sure there might be one, but I can't think of any at the moment. All the examples Neil and Jeff gave, plus shows like Hazel, I Dream of Jeannie, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Wagon Train were all much better in b/w than they were in color. Heck, even Gilligan's Island was better in that first year when the show was in b/w. And I don't think any of us are saying the b/w seasons were better simply because they were in b/w. They were just better, period.
I also agree with Neil that it's a fact that studios look at the early sales figures first and foremost to determine how they will proceed with shows. There's no getting around that. At the same time many of us, due to the poor economy, are having to watch our pennies more and at times that means not pre-ordering something and waiting for a sale. Keeping both points in mind, I've been trying to pre-order or buy on the release date the shows that are at the very top of my list so as to give my personal "thumbs up" to the studios that I definitely want more seasons. With other shows that are more on the "nice if I have them but not essential" side I end up holding off for sales because money is tight. So I try to keep in mind the reality that studios need to see those initial sales figures be high, but at the same time I have to pay bills and keep a roof over the head of my family.
Gary "it is what it is" O.

 

[Tim Tucker]

Another show that was better in B&W was The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The move to color just revealed how drab the MGM backlot looked by the mid '60s.
OTOH, could you imagine how different Star Trek would have looked if it was made in B&W? Wouldn't have been the same show.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I've pondered the question as to why so many shows seemed to get worse when they switched to color, and actually I don't think switching to color had anything to do with it. "Hazel" was B&W its first season and switched to color for the 1962-63 season, and the quality of the show didn't deteriorate.

I think what it was was that so many shows went to color for the 1965-66 season: "The Lucy Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Beverly Hillbillies," many others -- or the 1966-67 season: "I Dream of Jeannie," "Bewitched" -- and there seemed to be a decline in quality for TV in general at that time. I honestly feel if these shows had been color to begin with, or stayed in b/w, they still would have declined. There was just a general trend then for television to get stupider, for various reasons (mainly because the stupider shows had higher ratings, I guess.)

 

[Neil Brock]

A few others which were much better in the black and white seasons:

Petticoat Junction
My Three Sons
12 O'Clock High
My Favorite Martian
Farmer's Daughter
Dr. Kildare
F Troop


I've never seen Peyton Place so I'll let our resident expert comment on that one. Also, among shows that were only in black and white, I can't imagine that gritty shows like Ben Casey, The Defenders, Route 66 and East Side West Side would have packed the same wallop. Really, are there any shows done in color that had a lot of grit to them?

 

[Ethan Riley]

It's not the fault of color television that some shows "declined" when they made the switch. I think it has more to do with a series' longevity. Generally, the writers use up all their best ideas in the first two seasons anyway. For some of the shows listed above, they were already in a slight period of decline (writing-wise) by the time they made the switch.

Many shows are very, very careful during their first season, because they want to stay on the air. They are very careful with the writing, and very hard on the actors. If the show winds up being a big hit, then everyone relaxes and the show goes downhill. Ridiculous, but true. The creators involved believe they've arrived and don't try as hard. Lost in Space is a good example here--the show took itself seriously at first and there was some great science fiction. Then they started phoning it in, having too much fun, and it became the most ridiculous hour in primetime.

But, sometimes a show doesn't quite work in season one, so they re-tool it for season two, and then suddenly the show hits its stride. In this case, Mission Impossible is my best example here; there's not as much interest in the Briggs episodes, season one but everyone is interested in the iconic Phelps era starting in season two. In fact, when I was a kid, they didn't even play season one in syndication along with the later episodes.

So, the fact that some shows were better or worse when they switched to color has nothing to do with color--it has everything to do with the behind-the-scenes production ethos.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
I've pondered the question as to why so many shows seemed to get worse when they switched to color, and actually I don't think switching to color had anything to do with it. "Hazel" was B&W its first season and switched to color for the 1962-63 season, and the quality of the show didn't deteriorate.
I think what it was was that so many shows went to color for the 1965-66 season: "The Lucy Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Beverly Hillbillies," many others -- or the 1966-67 season: "I Dream of Jeannie," "Bewitched" -- and there seemed to be a decline in quality for TV in general at that time. I honestly feel if these shows had been color to begin with, or stayed in b/w, they still would have declined. There was just a general trend then for television to get stupider, for various reasons (mainly because the stupider shows had higher ratings, I guess.)

Yeah, I should have differentiated Hazel from the other series. It didn't really lose anything in that 2nd season (although if forced to choose I'd still take the first season). I also agree with your take on why this seemed to happen so much during those mid to later 60's. Shows did seem to get "stupider", in a general sense, as we moved from the 60's into the 70's and beyond. Just my two cents.
Gary "agree that 'gritty' works better in b/w than color too" O.