Stalled series? There's Hope!

Originally Posted by Robert13

Originally Posted by Jonathan Peterson

LOST will go down in history as one of the greatest shows ever and even totally goofy shows like MXC give me a reason to smile.

Originally Posted by David Lambert

No doubt, and studios HAVE to recognize that. But unfortunately the reaction may be to "make less, if noone can afford to buy them". That may be "less product, period", or that may be "less (and therefore cheaper) content per release"; i.e. more half-season sets...or even to break the seasons into smaller portions like thirds or quarters! I've been nervous that this kind of thing may happen...and nervous about it for quite a while now, especially with some of the older shows that run 30+ episodes for a single season. When we see that "Season 1, Volume 3" title tag, then all hell's gonna break loose.

Originally Posted by David Lambert

Ah, but you're missing an entire category, and a pretty darn big one: the CASUAL FAN. The person who likes a show, gets it on DVD, then watches those episodes and realizes that this is enough for them... Other "fans" buy the first season, and realize that it doesn't hold up to their memories and isn't enjoyable any more, so they never buy more releases.

Originally Posted by David Lambert

Add that to the people who don't buy subsequent seasons because of dissatisfaction with prices or quality, or irritation at half-season sets or edits or music changes, or people who just haven't gotten around to buying the second season or maybe never got around to finishing watching the first season, or maybe never even got word that more seasons were coming out because they're not online all the time like we are, etc.; there are LOTS of reasons why further releases don't sell as well as the first release. I'm sure we could add tons more reasons to the list than I just stated here.

Originally Posted by Stephen Wight

So there isn't a dropoff between sales of season sets of current shows?Each season,of a current show,sells just as much,or more,than the previous season?

Originally Posted by Bert Greene

I generally have a problem with the relativist view that all eras automatically have the same quotient of bad television. Plus, 'what' constitutes poor programs in peoples' eyes? The classic era obviously has its aesthetic high points, like "Playhouse 90," "US Steel Hour," "Omnibus," and whatnot, which the critics championed. But what was downright BAD? Was it things like second or third-tier westerns? Innocuous fluff like "Celebrity Bowling?" Was it the local kiddie programs, with hosts wearing sailor caps or cowboy hats, dragging out old Popeye cartoons? Teen dance party shows? Back then, the critics seemed to razz things like genteel party-game shows like "What's My Line?" and "Masquerade Party." But are these shows really bad? I find them rather charming myself. Was it the mild-mannered silliness of "Mister Ed" that was so egregiously lacking? Not my cup of tea, but nice fare for the kids to watch at grandma's house on an early Sunday evening. Just what it aspired to be. I've seen all sorts of old-time obscurities, including many short-lived shows, and I just haven't encountered much that was all-out awful. I really have to grasp at straws to find examples, like the tacky, made-for-syndication "Night Court USA" or the notoriously idiotic "My Mother, the Car."

Proportionately, I find that nowadays, at very least, 75% of television to be gut-wrenchingly unwatchable... the horrid daytime talk shows with their degenerate subject-matter, the grotesque self-absorbedness of characters on reality shows, the sitcoms that can't go for more than 60 seconds without flinging out a crude sexual innuendo, the ever-increasing length of commercial breaks and the ever-increasing abrasiveness of said commercials, the crime shows that wallow in perverted subcultures each week between putrid autopsy footage, and now even the news channels deem that the asinine exploits of Spears, Lohan, etc., constitute legitimate news. I used to enjoy just the simple daily presence of television in the house, but it's now just too obnoxiously vile for my tastes. It reached a point that it was no longer worth navigating through, even if there were a few hidden gems scattered around. Oh, well. Does any of this define 'bad tv?' I dunno. I guess I don't even particularly care. But when making comparisons, I just can't accept that the percentage of all-out drek is some kind of steady constant from decade to decade.

Anyway, I think one of the reasons classics fans (like me) are so spirited in these discussions is that DVD's, for us, are the only game in town... the only viewing option. Couple this with the fact that in many cases, we haven't seen some of these old favorites in ten, twenty, thirty years. That's a LONG wait. By the way, is it all that much of a 'personal' insult that someone slam modern television? I do know many people who have all but abandoned current tv, as it either didn't address their tastes, or they feel it's an affront to their moral standards, something they naturally refuse to compromise. Sure, they are mostly older folks, so naturally they don't count for much in the current pop-culture paradigm. Considering the dismissive treatment they receive, I can hardly begrudge a bit of curmudgeonly griping. In fact, it seems downright warranted at times.

Originally Posted by Jeff Willis

Bert,

Thanks for a first-rate post imo. When does your book get published? No kidding. Looks to me like you have the makings of a book titled "Network TV Series : Then & Now. Society's effect on broadcasting".

Speaking for myself, I agree with Bert & Gary with this take on network series TV. That said, I do have a couple of TVD/DVD sets of post-80's series, even one from this century . I thought "Firefly" was a very good series along with a couple others from the 90's, "Earth 2" for one. But my collection is mostly comprised of shows from the late 50's thru the early 90's with the majority from '57 thru '85 or so.

While I haven't seen any of series TV since '96 or so (Firefly was loaned to me on DVD), I have heard from co-workers, etc, that there are some exceptional shows from current and recent vintage's. I haven't been watching current TV since, for the most part, I'd find the content either objectionable or close to my viewing limits. Another reason is that my viewing time is allocated to live sports and viewing DVD's from my collection.

Perhaps it's just me here, but I'm of the belief that it's not a necessity to script objectionable (for me, anyway) language or other "connotations" in frequent incidents of series TV dialog to "carry" a storyline in a TV show. The first example for me that comes to mind is the 60's Fugitive. When a show's scripts are of consistantly high-quality, imo, the show will "carry" itself on the merits of the scripts and dramatic abilities of the performers without the use of language or suggestive connotations included in the dialog.

Just my 2-cents, As Gary would say I used that one assuming Gary waived all copyright claims Wouldn't it be great for the hobby if that were true in TV/DVD? Fugitive S2V1, Happy Days music, etc....

Originally Posted by Regulus

^^Number Three is why I buy DVDs! It's been 18 Months since I paid to subscribe to a Television Service. Since they make their Money selling all those Commercials that they cram into the show, they obviously don't need my Subscription Money, which I now use to buy DVDs!

Originally Posted by John Pannozzi

Once again, I ask you, Dave and Gord, are the studios looking to license any animated series out?

Originally Posted by WaveCrest

The following should be announced anytime soon, in the next few weeks or in the next 2-3 months:

Murder, She Wrote: Season 9
Hawaii Five-O: Season 5
The Invaders: Season 2
Mannix: Season 2
Law and Order: Season 6.

Originally Posted by whisperintherain

What about MELROSE PLACE Season 5? The show usually gets a release in the Fall and one in the Spring, and season 3 was announced on July 24 last year. We MP fans have been concerned because the fifth season of BEVERLY HILLS 90210 was announced shortly after the release of Season 4 and we're still in the dark about MP, although MP Season 4 was released two weeks prior to BH 90210 Season 4. Does anyone have any info on that?

Originally Posted by Jeff*H

Hawaii Five-0: Season 5 will be coming out November 18th, confirmed by a source at CBS-Paramount. There should be an official announcement soon.