What's new

New TV-to-DVD: The Critic, Barney Miller, King of Queens (1 Viewer)

Kenneth Cummings

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 7, 2001
Messages
852
Wooohooo, I love the Critic. By the way, is this season set, complete series, or *shudders*...best of?

[Demon Spirit] Cookiepuss, I will shallow your soul!
 

Scott_J

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2000
Messages
2,634
Location
Upstate NY
Real Name
Scott
Kenneth, it is the complete series according to an advertisement on Columbia's upcoming "8 Crazy Nights" SE.
 

Casey Trowbridg

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Messages
9,209
Yes, it has been a good news week for TV on DVD, with an announcement of In Living Color and the Critic.

Still waiting for Dilbert, in the annimated department.

Here's a question, can anyone speculate as to why it is taking so long between releases of All in the Family? It was 11 months between seasons 1 and 2. If I didn't know better I'd think it were the Simpsons.
 

David Lambert

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2001
Messages
11,377
Here's a question, can anyone speculate as to why it is taking so long between releases of All in the Family? It was 11 months between seasons 1 and 2.
I speculate that this is because that's how Columbia feels like releasing them. As you see from the list below, there's really just no rhyme or reason that you can nail down as you how/why Columbia releases classic TV discs the way that they do:
  • 11 month intervals: All In The Family {2 seasons}
  • 8 month intervals: Dawson's Creek {2 seasons}
  • 9 month intervals: The Jeffersons {2 seasons} (at that rate expect to know soon if S3 is announced for 2/04)
  • 6 month intervals: Mad About You {2 seasons} (between 1 & 2...#3 unannounced through 8 month period ending 12/31/03)
  • 6 or 8 month intervals: Sanford & Son {3 seasons}


I think that in the end they simply aren't WORRIED about a particular pattern (like "every 6 months" or "every year" or whatever). I think they just devote the resources they need to for each production project on the basis needed, and try not to do anything on a "rush priority" basis that would jack up the costs of the set (note how much cheaper they are on TV sets compared to other studios...saving money in the production process has to be a big part of that; not paying extra to book, say, the services of a remastering lab on a "priority" basis probably costs less than telling them "when you get around to it", you know what I mean?).

Also notice that the above's a very short list of titles that are "recurring" so far. Other series - like Larry Sanders Show, Charlie's Angels, S.W.A.T., Good Times, and Soap - have had a S1 release but haven't been blessed with the announcement of a S2 yet.

Meanwhile, Columbia is about to bring even more S1's your way: Forever Knight, Married...with Children, The King of Queens, NewsRadio, Dilbert, Cyborg 009, Barney Miller, and (since Time/Life is already selling it) presumably What's Happening? also.

Not to mention 1-offs like The Critic, The Tick, Jim Henson's Storyteller, My Big Fat Greek Life, etc. And all the various Best-Of releases like Designing Women, Steve Harvey Show, and Greatest 70's Cop Shows. And all that kid-vid programming, too (theres a LOT of that).


Summary: Columbia's keeping VERY busy with a lot of different projects, trying to appeal across a wide spectrum of consumer interest. They are trying to keep prices low in the meantime. On that basis, they are not trying to stick to any particular schedule, just trying to get out acceptable product on a cost-effective basis whenever it can be brought to market. In the meantime, they are trying to stay quiet about their future plans so that they don't end up "breaking promises" when consumers hear "February" and it turns out to be March or April. The result of that last policy is consumer uncertainty - like yours - that the project is even being worked on.

And who can blame you? After all, it's going on a 2-year period since Larry Sanders S1 was announced, and still no official studio discussion of whether or not there ever will be a S2. By now it would be nice if they just came right out and say "it's dead due to poor sales" (like Fox pretty much did about The Mary Tyler Moore Show). Instead we're left to speculate and get worried about our favorite TV shows and when/if we'll see more of them on DVD.
 

WillG

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2003
Messages
7,563
Forgive me if I missed something here, but I have not yet seen an "Official" announcement of "The Critic" yet. If it has been officially announced, can someone point me to it?
 

Casey Trowbridg

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Messages
9,209
David, thanks for the info. I do applaud Columbia for what they've done and the fact that their TV boxes are cheeper than most is something I very much appreciate.
I guess I wasn't asking out of frustration so much as curiosity. I mean, All in the Family S. 2, and Sanford and Son S. 2 came out the same day, and since then Sanford and Son S. 3 has come out with no announcement about AITF S. 3 and I just thought it odd. Your explanation makes sense though, and with shows like Married with Children, Dilbert, and the Critic coming out that will be more than enough to distract me. I'll take what I can get, its kind of like Mary Tyler Moore in another way to me, I'm bummed that MTM season 2 is not coming out, but at the same time I'm happy to have season 1, that's my general attitude towards TV on DVD.
 

Rob P S

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Messages
2,005
Real Name
rob
Am I the only one that thought Barney Miller was a great show.
Nope. I think it's a great show too, especially the Fish and Yemana years. One of the best final episodes ever - no hype or nine-month long countdowns, just a brilliant, touching half-hour farewell.

Yemana: Then Fish runs in the alley and he leaps over us like one of those, what do you call those things in Africa that run and leap in the air?
Detective Ron Harris: Slaves.
 

Moe Dickstein

Filmmaker
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2001
Messages
3,307
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Real Name
T R Wilkinson
what words do i have to mispronounce on the local news to get MTM season 2???

>sob<

TV Land even stopped running them

>big sob
 

MatthewA

BANNED
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2000
Messages
9,727
Location
Salinas, CA
Real Name
Matthew
Well, buy the DVD of the reunion film "Mary and Rhoda" once it comes out if you want any chance of the remaining seasons.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,726
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top