wkrp (1 Viewer)

[younger1968]

I

I purchased the first season of WKRP on dvd and really like the dvd. I found the 1st season as probably the best of the four seasons of the WKRP.

I would like to see this series be complete, considering that there are only four seasons. I believe this is another case of a stall series. I know a few people complain about the music being replaced. I for one never watch or care about the music on the WRKP and laugh more at the plot lines and the actor. It is one of the classic comedies of all time.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

I used to think like that too, but that was before seeing the hackjob done on it, it simply loses way too much. Were it only songs replaced I could've lived with it - possible with a filmed not videotaped show - but it's whole scenes cut. They have to clear those music rights or forget it, sad but true.

 

[Joe*A]

I thought exactly like you when I first bought the 1st season - so they changed the music, big deal, right? Well, I watched maybe the 1st 5 episodes before I said "enough is enough". I haven't watched another episode on this set since then and never will. I only paid $20 for the 1st season but it's still $20 too much for this disaster and I loved Loved LOVED this show when it first came out on broadcast television.

 

[Elena S]

Without the original music it's like watching half a show, or eating a baloney sandwich without the baloney. Sorry, but I'll never pay for the kind of butcher job they did on this wonderful series. I caught it off WGN and saved those. They may not be entirely complete, but they're better than the DVD.

 

[younger1968]

i understand some of your frustration, but, I have watch the episodes and I find them ok. I knew there were issues with re-mastering and dubbing the series, but, that are not that bad. If you like the show then you accept some of these changes.

 

[Curtis F]

Yeah, unfortunately this was one that was just too butchered to really enjoy. I would love to see this series completed on DVD as much as anyone, but not if they're in this condition. A few music substitutions here and there I could handle, but this was over the top. When you have to remove several jokes and even entire scenes because of music, you've gone way too far.

 

[derosa]

I was personally more upset at the music treatment on WKRP than the Fugitive!

Total hack job done to a great show. Tapes will have to do.

-g

 

[LeoA]

Anyone know why last week the American Life Network dropped WKRP?

I was too young to appreciate and enjoy this show in the 80s, though I remember my parents watching reruns of it. I just recently started watching it (Around a year ago) with the 1 show a week airings the ALN have been doing and was sad to see it go.

Between the ALN and the season 1 up at Hulu, I've only seen about 50% of the series. :frowning:

Is buying illegitimate DVD copies of it the only way to see the rest of this, or is there a chance the music rights issues won't prevent future seasons appearing on Hulu (They can be aired on tv with intact music, does it affect internet airings too?)?

 

[Rick Thompson]

I am one of those who enjoyed WKRP on DVD, even if it didn't have the songs. They were only there because of loophole anyway (it's why WKRP was shot on videotape, not film like the other MTM shows). Anyway, I would prefer it with the songs, but I'm not going to let it stop me form enjoying it anyway. My four favorite shows were the Pilot, Turkeys Away!, the one about the chain of funeral homes wanting an upbeat rock commercial, and Reverend Little Ed. Music didn't affect three of them at all; only the Pilot lost something. As for the rest, I can live with the changes.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Say what you will, but music is an essential factor to the show.

Watch the original version of the season 2 episode titled "Baby, If You've Ever Wondered", that had Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger playing with Andy pushing things off his desk, and then watch the edited version with generic music, and a horribly dubbed voiceover saying "Nothing." and tell me that music on the show is not important.

What's on DVD is not WKRP in Cincinnati. It's "Cincinnati".

 

[younger1968]

One thing about life it is good to have an opinion. I still like my dvd of WKRP and people's opinion will not sway my view. I still like to see it come out no matter what the format or what needs to happen to it.

 

[David Rain]

A lot of it comes down to different people's standards. But if consumers accept inferior products then inferior products will continue to be dumped onto the market. For everyone whose willing to accept a decimated WKRP it's more likely that even more series will be released that way, too.

If you're willing to eat crap with a spoon then don't be surprised when you're served an even bigger helping of it next time.

By the way, there's already a rather infamous WKRP thread here. Why start a new one ?

 

[Albert_M]

Here we go again. Weren't the dozens of pages on the last thread enough?

Yes it sucks, it really really sucks that the DVD set does not include the music and the show is compromised in that regard.

But so much of the show is good that it's still enjoyable on many levels and it's that or virtually no opportunity to watch it AT ALL.

 

[RevisedAndExpanded]

As far as the replacement music itself, there are many times where the new music fits very awkwardly, and that was necessarily the case. If Johnny is bopping to a song that's being played, changed music makes him look out of time. Plus, most of us watched the reruns of this show so many times that we knew the music by heart.

The replacement music alone is extremely jarring -- moreso than any series I've seen on DVD (including The Fugitive) -- but stops short of being disastrous.

The disaster comes in the hacking apart of episodes, as others have mentioned. Scenes have been shortened, altered, or in some cases removed entirely. I tend to be pretty understanding over music rights issues, but the hacking apart of shows is unforgiveable.

It sickened me to watch the cold-open to the episode where Les does his morning warmups. The loss of his rendition of Heartbreak Hotel was like a punch in the gut.

To put it another way, the massacre of WKRP was so brutal that I wasn't too disturbed when The Fugitive used replacement music. What was done to The Fugitive was pretty mild in comparison to what happened with WKRP.

Others have more experience with altered musical scores than I do, but from what I've seen WKRP is far and away the worst example of music replacement I've ever seen.

That said, if others aren't as disturbed by what was done as I am, I've got no problem with that -- I can understand the appreciation for what has been retained. I will, however, disagree on whether the season 1 release was acceptable.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I guess the fact that we never saw season 2 released proves just how acceptable to people the cuts and alterations were.

Granted, this was a niche show to begin with, but the hardcore/internet fans may have been enough to make or break future releases, and I don't think anyone was happy with season 1, and sales had to have suffered.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

But we don't know exactly how bad it sold, maybe it did okay for Fox (enough to continue), and they're just surprised by the bad press.

 

[derosa]

I guess that's the part that makes me shake my head.
They chop up a classic show, and they're surprised people don't like buying
a favorite show that's been butchered. Shocking. Who could have seen that coming?

-g

 

[Elena S]

The reason I loved the show was BECAUSE OF the music, and how cleverly it was interwoven into the storylines. Being a DJ around that time period I could identify with a lot of what went on at the station, and think about it -- the entire show was about changing from a boring easy listening station to a rock'n'roll station. If you take out the rock'n'roll you've taken out the premise of the show.

 

[Jeff Whitford]

Never mind

 

[The Obsolete Man]

That's true. We don't know anything for certain.

I really can't blame Fox for this one. They did what they could, but because of music rights holders, the show is screwed. I'm glad this taught them a lesson, though, and they never tried to release The Wonder Years.