I fear Universal dropped the ball on Kate And Allie

Jay_B! · 01-31-2006, 03:06 PM

I am very disapointed to hear the news that season 1 of Kate And Allie will be released alone in May, all of six episodes, barely enough for a "best of" disc, for $29.99.

Considering higher-profile and remembered shows such as Murphy Brown and Night Court haven't had what it took to merit a season 2 set, I know Universal just ruined Kate And Allie for everyone.

I know that a few years ago, Anchor Bay released a six-episode Three's Company season 1 set, but there's a huge difference there... John Ritter had just died and season 1 was originally planned to be released with season 2 in the spring of 2004, but AB rushed out season one just to get some added Christmas sales because of the rekindled interest in Ritter after he passed. However, this isn't the same for Kate And Allie, plus it's overpriced for 6 half hour episodes ($30!!!! Three's Company was $19.99 upon original release and now you can get it for $5.50 at Wally World).

A shame, I was looking forward to Kate And Allie on DVD, but it looks like this six episode set will be all we'll get.

ElijahS · 01-31-2006, 03:26 PM

I think the excuse they'd use is that The Office had the same SRP, same number of episodes, and sold well (or is selling well).

Of course, the actual purchase price will most likely be under $20. Still...

Jay_B! · 01-31-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

I think the excuse they'd use is that The Office had the same SRP, same number of episodes, and sold well (or is selling well).

yep, but The Office is current and when the DVD came out, six episodes was "the complete series".

I don't see why Universal couldn't just bundle seasons 1 and 2 together like Sony has done with Seinfeld, Newsradio and will be doing with Facts Of Life (season 1 of which was THIRTEEN episodes, more than double Kate And Allie's first season)

The problem is, K&A isn't a title that is going to be a blockbuster seller, but if seasons 1 and 2 came out together, I think there was a reasonable chance it'd sell... $30 for 6 episodes is going to be suicide and I know we'll never see seasons 2-6 now. Universal really blew it with this show.

Eric_Bee · 01-31-2006, 03:55 PM

Interest in Kate and Allie might rise due to Jane Curtain's new sitcom, Crumbs, on ABC. While critics have not been kind, I think it's very funny and enjoy seeing Jane again.

Nick_Feduccia · 01-31-2006, 09:39 PM

I agree. Universal has sealed the fate of Kate & Allie. Sony has the right idea with Facts of Life. Why couldn't Universal have done the same thing?? I'm going to buy it anyway just to get the message across to Uni to get more seasons out.

**HTF Ads**

Pavan_P · 01-31-2006, 09:43 PM

What is even more interesting is on the Knight Rider S3 DVD there is a trailer (with box art too!) for Seasons 1 AND 2 of Kate & Allie featuring all 28 episodes. I guess Universal made last minute changes.

David Rain · 02-01-2006, 04:46 AM

I guess it does seem a bit kooky & nutty to release just the first season but it's true that this will likely not be a big seller. I'm wondering if they are putting out the first season only just to test the waters a bit. By now studios must be gunshy about putting too much effort into certain shows. It's a shame but I'm guessing that's what's going on here.

K&A fans, buy this release even if you'd rather have had it bundled with the 2nd. No sales for the 1st season means no 2nd season.

Jay_B! · 02-01-2006, 10:22 AM

Quote:

No sales for the 1st season means no 2nd season.

true, but Night Court and Murphy Brown did sell... just they didn't sell Friends numbers and you haven't seen season 2 of those in a year. I'm sure KaA will sell well too, but since it's not up to the standards of one of Universal's blockbusters, they'll ignore it.

Gord Lacey · 02-01-2006, 11:31 AM

Keep in mind Universal only owns US rights to this, which leaves the door open for another company to release it in Canada (still region 1).

Gord

MatthewA · 02-01-2006, 07:13 PM

I just hope you're wrong. I also hope the episodes are uncut. That's what matters the most to me. I still have a nagging fear about Gimme a Break season 1, which was produced by the same company who made Kate & Allie (the company was Alan Landsburg Productions, and I believe Universal bought their library).

John*P · 02-03-2006, 07:47 PM

I was pretty miffed about the Kate and Allie: S1 info as well. No way I'm paying $30 MSRP (probably $20-$30 retail...even $15 would be too much) for 6 episodes of a series. This wasn't a top priority purchase for me to begin with, but now my interest has pretty much gone down the tubes. Charles in Charge and Gimme a Break are full-season sets for $35 MSRP if I'm not mistaken...i'll stick to buying those sets instead.

Universal definitely got carried away with the pricing here. MSRP should have been about $15-$20 tops. I refuse to pay more than $10 for this release. I wonder how many people will be willing to pay $20-$30 for just 6 episodes of Kate & Allie?

Terry H · 02-03-2006, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Universal definitely got carried away with the pricing here. MSRP should have been about $15-$20 tops. I refuse to pay more than $10 for this release. I wonder how many people will be willing to pay $20-$30 for just 6 episodes of Kate & Allie?

Almost none if they realize there are only six episodes. If the packaging says "the complete first season" or similar how many people will understand there are only six episodes in the set?