[Bryan^H]

Here are my picks:

THE BEST

1. CBS/Paramount-The absolute best. Nice packaging, low cost per set, and attractive case art.

2 Universal-They have proven themselves. When the chips were down, they continued the Airwolf releases, and going strong with Seaquest, Incredible Hulk, and Sliders.


IN BETWEEN

-Warner Brothers-A true puzzle. I can't get a read on these guys. They drop some titles cold turkey(Growing Pains) and release others on a slightly lengthy schedule.

THE WORST

1. Sony-Surprised? Didn't think so. Most 70's, and 80's titles have been abandoned for so long, most of us have given up hope.

2. Fox-Wow! Truly horrible. One and done. Classics like ST. Elsewhere, and Hill Street Blues abandoned? Absurd. Let anpther company release these great shows. License them out!!!

[Jeff*H]

I've raved about CBS-Paramount and how happy I am with their releases in other threads, they obviously get my number 1 vote.
And I too am fairly happy with Universal. Despite the fact they were one and done on titles I don't happen to collect, I collected a lot of shows that they either completed or are close to completing: Magnum PI, Rockford Files, Emergency!, A-Team, Knight Rider, Hardy Boys, The Office, 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers and Galactica 1980.

Sony and Fox are huge disappointments, despite the releases of some very good shows. And I agree Warner Bros. is in the middle.

[Bob Hug]

I think your preference for studios will depend on what era(s) you collect. As a vintage collector (primarily -- but not exclusively -- pre-1970s), I’d rank the major studios as follows:

1. Paramount – simply put, no one comes even remotely close for vintage releases.
2. MGM – often overlooked because they’re a smaller studio but have done things like “The Addams Family,” “Flipper,” “Rat Patrol,” and “The Outer Limits” among a few others. They just don’t have the catalog that the other studios do, but they have neglected the ZIV catalog which includes classic shows like “Sea Hunt” and “Highway Patrol.”
3. Universal – actually not exceptionally good for vintage series, though they have done series like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Munsters” but have abandoned series like “Adam-12” and “Dragnet.” What distinguishes Universal from some of the other studios is their willingness to license some of their older series to independents like Shout! Factory and the Timeless Media Group so we are seeing things like "Ironside" and "Laredo" among others.
4. Warner – I thought Warner was going to be a great company for vintage releases after they released all six seasons of “The Adventures of Superman” and both seasons of “F-Troop,” but they’ve really dropped the ball on their older western and detective series, which were classics. But I do see a glimmer of hope with them due to their licensing arrangement with Time-Life on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
5. Fox – Most of the Irwin Allen 1960s Sci-Fi series have been released, but they’ve pretty much come to a crashing halt for vintage releases after “The Big Valley” fiasco.
6. Sony – all of their pre-1970 output has been sitcoms (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Hazel, The Flying Nun, and Gidget) and it’s a rare occasion when they release anything in black & white.

If one was collecting modern shows from the 1990s and 2000s, your studio preferences might change dramatically; same for the 1970s/1980s.

[TravisR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan^H

2. Fox-Wow! Truly horrible. One and done. Classics like ST. Elsewhere, and Hill Street Blues abandoned? Absurd. Let anpther company release these great shows. License them out!!!

I agree but at the same time, Fox is the best in the business for modern shows. I know alot of people in the TV section stopped watching new shows about 20 or 30 years ago but it doesn't change the fact that they still do great work for new shows.

[Bryan^H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravisR

I agree but at the same time, Fox is the best in the business for modern shows. I know alot of people in the TV section stopped watching new shows about 20 or 30 years ago but it doesn't change the fact that they still do great work for new shows.

Weird! I don't know of anyone that has alienated new tv shows, especially going back 20, or 30 years. That seems extreme.
Most people I know love classic, and current tv on dvd. I just picked up season 2 of How I met your Mother, and If I could have season 2 of the Fall Guy, I'd be happy.

[TravisR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan^H

Weird! I don't know of anyone that has alienated new tv shows, especially going back 20, or 30 years. That seems extreme.

Maybe they're just more vocal but I see plenty of "All new shows are bad" type of posts.

Quote:

Most people I know love classic, and current tv on dvd.

Me too.

[Gary OS]

Bob's post is spot on in my opinion. There's just no doubt that CBS/Paramount is king and on top of the mountain by a long shot. MGM probably is in second at this point, but it's a distant second. And I shuffle 3-6 around every couple of days in my head. All four of those companies have disappointed me terribly to one degree or another. Universal would have probably climbed to second on my list if they just would have continued "Leave it to Beaver". Not that they don't have other holes, but that one show alone is so iconic that for them to just abandon it really brings them down to the cellar right along with Fox, WB and Sony. But there's no use rehashing it again (I've participated in this exercise numerous times in the past). Bob's list is the definitive one for my tastes.

Gary "and he's right about different decades being treated differently by these studios" O.

[Jay_B!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan^H

Weird! I don't know of anyone that has alienated new tv shows, especially going back 20, or 30 years. That seems extreme.
Most people I know love classic, and current tv on dvd. I just picked up season 2 of How I met your Mother, and If I could have season 2 of the Fall Guy, I'd be happy.

true, but there are some vocal posters here who hate anything recent. I remember awhile back, someone referred to the DVD release of Maude as a "recent" show, therefore he hates it. Maude's last episode aired thirty years ago. This is current/recent how?

It's good to have an open mind and like old and new alike, but there are some people who dislike any show where the youngest child isn't 60 by now.

[Jeff*H]

I would argue that several of today's programs (Lost, The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Rescue Me, The Sopranos) will be viewed as classics in 20 years; they are every bit as entertaining as many of the old shows I love from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's (and I have favorites in every decade that I have purchased).

People seem to have rose-colored views of decades past in that they remember the good ones but seem to forget all the garbage, whereas today they notice the garbage more.
I think there were just as much crappy tv shows in the last couple decades as there are today (except cable has really exploded with lots of great shows in the last few years--and some lousy ones such as crap like Flavor of Love-- whereas the networks seem to have fewer must-see programs than in past decades).

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay_B!

true, but there are some vocal posters here who hate anything recent. I remember awhile back, someone referred to the DVD release of Maude as a "recent" show, therefore he hates it.

Ooh, ooh! Would that be me? Sounds like something I might have said.

Gary "proud to say I think the 50's and 60's represent the pinnacle of television writing and have the best ratio of good to bad shows, but I also have shows from the 70's, 80's and 90's that I liked - just not nearly as many as the 50s/60s" O.

[jim_falconer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Paramount – simply put, no one comes even remotely close for vintage releases.

True, but let's not forget this is also the studio that treated fans to the infamous "split-season" releases.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Universal – actually not exceptionally good for vintage series, though they have done series like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Munsters” but have abandoned series like “Adam-12” and “Dragnet.”

Agreed. What an incredible shame that Adam-12 has been abandoned after only 1 season. No doubt in part to Universal's decision to release the show on the ill fated DVD-18 format (having an enormous amount of defective sets returned can't help in the studio's decision to release more seasons).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Fox – Most of the Irwin Allen 1960s Sci-Fi series have been released, but they’ve pretty much come to a crashing halt for vintage releases after “The Big Valley” fiasco.

So True. Following Paramount's ill-advised move, FOX decides to split season 2 of this wonderful show, to disastrous results. And what a shame for all of us thinking this fantastic show would have all 4 of it's seasons released.

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim_falconer

So True. Following Paramount's ill-advised move, FOX decides to split season 2 of this wonderful show, to disastrous results. And what a shame for all of us thinking this fantastic show would have all 4 of it's seasons released.

Hold on a minute. Are you sure that Fox copied Paramount on the split season deal. I thought perhaps it was Fox who started it with these IA releases and the Big Valley release. You may be right, but I'm just not sure of the timing. Also, couldn't we lay some of the blame at Image, who did the split season thing with "Combat" several years ago? Just saying...

Gary "not sure who really started the trend, but I'm thinking IMAGE might be the studio that did it first, although they released those split season COMBAT sets on the same day each time - so maybe that shouldn't count" O.