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Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

post #1 of 64
2/24/07 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Seasons 1 through 4 of the Bob Newhart Show were released every 6 months, starting in April 2005. I e-mailed Gord last week asking why there has not yet been an announcement for Season 5, which would be out in this April (2007) under the past release pattern.

He told me the news is not good. Due to poor sales of Season 4, Season 5 is not on the release schedule. This is very frustrating, especially as past seasons presented uncut episodes at a very reasonable $29.99 list price. I really wish the remaining 2 seasons will be issued
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post #2 of 64
2/24/07 at 11:39am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

This is a real shame, it is a great show and the extras have been the best for any classic show since Image did the Dick Van Dyke show with the Bob Newhart audio commentaries.


Paul
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post #3 of 64
2/24/07 at 2:07pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

I think I'll be boycotting all future Fox releases. First MTM and King of the Hill get left up in the air, now this.
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post #4 of 64
2/24/07 at 3:36pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

I guess Fox doesn't care that this will generate bad press for them. That will cost way more dollars than just releasing the remaining two sets. And the last three sets of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. All the other major companies are releasing oldies right now and doing fine with them. Please write letters, call them and email them. Put the pressure on them. Fox has really dropped the ball. Season Four of the Bob Newhart Show looked like it was marketed towards kids with the cover art and the menus. Just dumb. And some of the beginning credits were from season six and not season four. It just wasn't done right. What Fox needs to do is let another company handle their MTM catalog. Too bad Image didn't have it or how about letting someone with knowledge and love of the show do them. Not a flunky who knows nothing and cares nothing about the show. Negative press will bury Fox but they deserve it if they keep acting like jerks.
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post #5 of 64
2/24/07 at 3:36pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

That's surprising and disappointing (particularly since I read the first season sold well -- could there really have been such a huge drop-off with season 4?). And it's one of several MTM properties that seem to have been abandoned or put on hold (others are Mary Tyler Moore, The White Shadow, Hill Street Blues). I have to think that Fox's marketing strategies and/or their sales estimates are a problem (did they price these too low to make a profit on a certain level of sales, or what?), but I hope that these things can be re-started at some point. It's frustrating because once a show reaches season 4, you kind of figure it's going to be completed.
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post #6 of 64
2/24/07 at 4:32pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Other companies releasing sets of pre-1990 shows probably don't have the level of overhead that studios do.
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post #7 of 64
2/24/07 at 5:30pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Wah, I want more Bob and the 80's Newhart series too. Is there no chance of either anymore? This saddens me beyond repair.
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post #8 of 64
2/24/07 at 5:36pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

the companies expect way too much. Bob Newhart Show is not going to make the type of profit The Simpsons does, I don't see how Fox can't grasp that
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post #9 of 64
2/24/07 at 5:42pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

It's funny how we're always so eager to tell companies to go ahead and release a product that will lose them a lot of money, just out of the goodness of their hearts. I want these old shows just as much as anyone, but if they don't sell well, what can we do?
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post #10 of 64
2/24/07 at 5:49pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
It's funny how we're always so eager to tell companies to go ahead and release a product that will lose them a lot of money, just out of the goodness of their hearts. I want these old shows just as much as anyone, but if they don't sell well, what can we do?
yea, but there's a difference between not turning a profit and "oh, this is only selling 3% of what the latest Simpsons set sold" mentality. Remember that article that pointed out that shows like Who's The Boss and Night Court were being abandoned not because they weren't making profits but because compared to blockbuster shows like Seinfeld, they weren't selling 1/10th compared to them. IMO it was a load of bull, Friends and Seinfeld are two of the biggest shows in syndication and not a day has gone by since either show called it quits that either one of them weren't airing somewhere in reruns. It's not fair to abandon and hold sales for another show against it.
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post #11 of 64
2/24/07 at 6:00pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

This makes me quite angry. I just started buying the Bob Newhart Show and was hopefully looking forward to getting Newhart once all the seasons were released.
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post #12 of 64
2/24/07 at 6:02pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

I wonder if it's because the disc's were double sided? when I bought it and I saw the disc's being double sided side A side B I went Augghh!!! I really hate them! I was wondering why the sales is getting poor because of that? no matter how many angry letters you send to Fox studios to tell them stop making double sided disc's it's really bothersome! they just don't care!?
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post #13 of 64
2/24/07 at 8:38pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

This is slightly off topic, but does anyone know if Mary Tyler Moore-S5 is "off the schedule" as well? Like Bob Newhart, it was on a 6 month schedule once it was re-started after the 3 yr break between S1 and S2. I've collected each released set of both shows, and was also feeling confident that having gotten to S4 with both, that the remaining seasons would be released.
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post #14 of 64
2/24/07 at 9:23pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
It's funny how we're always so eager to tell companies to go ahead and release a product that will lose them a lot of money, just out of the goodness of their hearts. I want these old shows just as much as anyone, but if they don't sell well, what can we do?

How do we know what they sold, or for that matter, what it costs to make them? And just saying "poor sales" is probably what they mean in comparison to The Simpsons or any million selling show. And look at it in perspective. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 apparently did not sell that poorly.

I, too, would kill to see the 1980s "Newhart" on DVD. Funny thing is that someone was talking about music replacements across the board on MTM shows in the late 1990s rerun packages and video releases. Here there were almost none (on Nick at Nite), and the only two I know of for sure involves the 1970s Bob Newhart Show theme. In one season 1 episode, Dick is watching a TV show; originally it was Mr. Ed, and we hear the theme. In the N@N version, it's TBNS theme. TBNS theme was heard over the executive producer credit on the finale, but on N@N it was the standard Newhart act II closing cue.
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post #15 of 64
2/24/07 at 9:44pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene M
I wonder if it's because the disc's were double sided? when I bought it and I saw the disc's being double sided side A side B I went Augghh!!! I really hate them! I was wondering why the sales is getting poor because of that? no matter how many angry letters you send to Fox studios to tell them stop making double sided disc's it's really bothersome! they just don't care!?

I quit buying double sided disc TV series. Most of the time they play fine for me. However, i dont know that i have ever bought any that i didnt have to exchange at least once because of BAD scratched discs. I hate buying new discs that look like rental discs. I dont buy them, and i dont miss the frustration of checking everything in 14 days to exchange, or finding out when i watch them a second time a year later they dont work.
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post #16 of 64
2/25/07 at 6:02am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

I'm very disappointed if indeed they are stopping after Season 4,

The modest price and the extras represented excellent nostalgia for the show's many fans. Look at the acquisition of shows older than TBNS on DVD in complete season format:

The Brady Bunch
Gilligans Island
I Love Lucy. (Not sure of complete seasons, but they released almost all of them if not all of them, they are pretty close to it.)

My view is that any show that has a strong enough cult following will have enough fans to release the disks. You can't be marketable as a company (any company not just FOX) by marketing ONLY to the public that watch the current shows. TBNS has great humor, wit, and writing. I can't see how it's gonna kill FOX to release seasons 5-6 to complete the series on DVD. Furthermore, even if they had a slight loss of profit from the release of the last two seasons, FOX could make up the lost revenue by marketing the hit current shows as well.

I don't believe the double-sided disk issue with regards to the lack of future season releases is relevant. Additionally, if FOX is going to take the time to do interviews and extras for the disks, that shows they care about the series to an extent. Let's just hope that this is nothing more than a temporary setback.

Jack
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post #17 of 64
2/25/07 at 7:24am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

The thing is, if it is a case that the show doesn't produce the numbers needed to feed the studio's big boffo needs, then they really need to think about licensing the show to smaller companies that think they can get enough sales to justify their costs. NBC-Universal has allowed Shout! Factory to release McHale's Navy and Groucho's You Bet Your Life. Do you not think Genius, Image or Shout! Factory would handle the final two seasons of Bob Newhart.

Of course that's not taking into account, the ego of someone in the DVD section having to admit they are clueless on how to maximize profits out of a title.
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post #18 of 64
2/26/07 at 3:22am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay_B!
the companies expect way too much. Bob Newhart Show is not going to make the type of profit The Simpsons does, I don't see how Fox can't grasp that
Absolutely spot on. I've said it before, but I'll gladly say it again; the studios are going about releasing their TV shows, in the totally wrong fashion. They need to see TV shows like they see their movies, something they put out no matter what the expectations. How many copies, did the expect to sell of lesser known movies like "Night Train To Paris" (1964 Leslie Nielsen thriller) or "The Star Chamber" (1983 Michael Douglas thriller)? Great movies, I have them both, but there were no advance numbers telling them how well they'd do (they're hardly sellers in the millions) and yet they've been released. And similar films were, and continue to be, released. If only they'd lower their expectations with TV shows, much would be alright. Why should television shows be treated differently than feature films, with often unrealistic demands, it only makes my hair gray too soon.
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post #19 of 64
2/26/07 at 4:52am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER
I quit buying double sided disc TV series. Most of the time they play fine for me. However, i dont know that i have ever bought any that i didnt have to exchange at least once because of BAD scratched discs. I hate buying new discs that look like rental discs. I dont buy them, and i dont miss the frustration of checking everything in 14 days to exchange, or finding out when i watch them a second time a year later they dont work.

Yeah TV On DVD is frustrating these days. Especially for classic TV Lovers, either the Series is abandon'ed or we are Extorted to buy them in Split seasons.
I'm gonna end up paying the same price for a 1/2 season of Rawhide as I did a full season and that stinks, but at least CBS does'nt screw us and then still put it on Double sided disks
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post #20 of 64
2/26/07 at 10:26am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Do they even advertise for their TV show DVDs (I mean, pre-1990 ones)? If no one knows the product exists, how are they going to buy it?
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post #21 of 64
2/26/07 at 12:21pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phyll
I guess Fox doesn't care that this will generate bad press for them. That will cost way more dollars than just releasing the remaining two sets.
I'm very, very disappointed by this news. I love this show, and bought each season the day it came out. But what you're suggesting here is a complete fantasy. There will be little to no bad press, and whatever sales they lose of other shows because of this will be miniscule.
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post #22 of 64
2/26/07 at 12:23pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay_B!
the companies expect way too much. Bob Newhart Show is not going to make the type of profit The Simpsons does, I don't see how Fox can't grasp that
Of course they know that. Do you really, really think they don't? Please don't make something up and then express disbelief at that thing.
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post #23 of 64
2/26/07 at 12:57pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Then what's their excuse, Mike?
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post #24 of 64
2/26/07 at 3:25pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

What you call an "excuse" I would call a "reason."

Look, I have no idea how these DVDs sold, how much these particular DVDs cost to produce, any of that. (I know I bought all four seasons, so there are at least four sales right there.) But as hard as it is for some people here to believe, some DVDs lose money.

But let's say that that's not the case with "Bob Newhart." Let's say it's made a small-ish profit. Now nobody expected it to make "Simpsons" profit. But 20th Century Fox is a company (like all companies) with finite resources, in a world of finite time, selling to stores with finite shelf space. And "The Simpsons" makes a big profit, many times that of "The Bob Newhart Show." So if you work for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which of these is going to be your priority?

More profitable always takes precedence over less. Why wouldn't it? I hold out hope that 20th will get around to future seasons of "Bob" as well as "Mary Tyler Moore," if they are indeed not money-losers. It's happening for other shows all the time ("Happy Days," "Without a Trace," "Mad About You"). But bear in mind, if Best Buy, and Walmart, and Target can't move these, they won't be ordering them, and then 20th's hands are tied. It's really pretty simple.
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post #25 of 64
2/26/07 at 11:24pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike*SC
Look, I have no idea how these DVDs sold, how much these particular DVDs cost to produce, any of that.
Obviously they've sold pretty well for FOX to release four seasons.I find it hard to believe,though,that season 4 has sold poorly when seasons 1-3 have sold well.Perhaps season 4 not selling well is an anomoly and season 5 could do good.Has FOX thought of that?
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post #26 of 64
2/27/07 at 2:10am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike*SC
Of course they know that. Do you really, really think they don't? Please don't make something up and then express disbelief at that thing.
then why do they throw out reasons about "well, Who's The Boss only sold 1.5% of what Seinfeld sold" or "Night Court only sold abut 6% of what Friends sold", like in the article posted here some time back. Shows like Seinfeld, Friends and The Simpsons are once-in-a-catalog type shows, those three are without a doubt the biggest sitcoms those three companies own. It's not really fair to abandon Night Court because it only sold 6% of what Friends did, notice that Night Court only airs about 6% as much in reruns and the DVD's get about 6% the promotion that Friends gets. IMO, it evens out and the companies seem to put way too many eggs in the baskets of their key blockbuster shows, and the older favorites get screwed in comparison. Maybe instead of trying to compare Bob Newhart's sales to The Simpsons, how about comparing it to a sitcom from that period that's had about the same visibility in reruns over the past 10-15 years (and this means MASH is out the door in terms of comparison, since MASH has been constantly in syndication for the past 25 years, Bob Newhart's barely been shown). If Fox sees it that way, they'll be far more impressed with the sales instead of holding The Simpsons as the gold standard for ALL shows in their catalog to compare to.
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post #27 of 64
2/27/07 at 7:53am

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay_B!
then why do they throw out reasons about "well, Who's The Boss only sold 1.5% of what Seinfeld sold" or "Night Court only sold abut 6% of what Friends sold", like in the article posted here some time back.
Well, I don't have the text of that article in front of me to read the exact quote, if in fact it was an exact quote of somebody from a studio that was in the article. (And as somebody who has been wildly misquoted in a couple of major newspapers, I also wouldn't take the exact words as gospel, regardless.)

But even if what some studio guy (not necessarily in charge) said was exactly the words you wrote above, what part of that suggests that they expected "Night Court" to sell as well as "Friends"? It seems to me to be a simple fact. "Who's the Boss" sold 1.5% of "Seinfeld," so their priority would clearly be "Seinfeld."

Besides, while anybody would know that "Seinfeld" would sell many more copies than "Who's the Boss," they might expect it to be sell 15% as many, or the like. The 1.5% thing (if that's accurate -- I'm sorry if you just made that up) would be a pretty shockingly small number. And even if that number were 5%, the article was simply illustrating the wide range of sales for television DVDs. Because a lot of people assume (wrongly) that they're just "found money," and that they're all wildly profitable.

The point is, if you read any of those quotes to mean that any DVD distributor expected "That's My Mama" to sell as well as "Star Trek," then that is a wild misreading of their intention.
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post #28 of 64
2/27/07 at 12:49pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Crap, this is bad news. But I expected it, given no announcements for new sets. I am fully expecting the same news for the remainder of Mary Tyler Moore.

The increasing prevalance of the studios abandoning releases of shows midway is causing me to seriously consider getting out of collecting TV on DVD. I'm sick of being left in the lurch after investing time and money in collecting (often multiple) seasons of a show, only to hear the studio is done with it with only a couple of seasons left.

This makes more than a half-dozen shows I've been burned on after buying one or more seasons: Taxi, Night Gallery, Night Court, Barney Miller, The White Shadow, Cheers, Rocky & Bullwinkle, and Green Acres. I also am concerned that Mary Tyler Moore and All in the Family may join that list before completion, given their more erratic and drawn out release history.

Where I used to run out to buy the first season release of shows I like but which are not absolute "must-haves", I now hold off until at least a few seasons are released. It seems even that may not be a certain indicator of release through completion.

I am holding off on Hawaii Five-O and Mission:Impossible for the time being, even though I would like to get both. It's just too high risk that they will be dropped somewhere in the middle of their long runs. The Odd Couple I will take a chance on just because at five seasons, it is short enough that all seasons could reasonably make it out.
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post #29 of 64
2/27/07 at 3:41pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

I really don't understand why the last season did poorly enough to stop putting out new season. Bob Newhart had a book and stand up DVD which coincided with the release of the last season of the show released on DVD. It was reasonably priced at around $20 and Bob & others from the show partook in audio commentaries. Plus, this show had really good syndication, I remember seeing it a lot on NICK at Nite so it isn't like it is a forgotten show.

Paul
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post #30 of 64
2/27/07 at 4:56pm

Re: Possible Bad News for Bob Newhart Show's Remaining Two Seasons

Fox has been claiming "poor sales" a lot. Do you think perhaps you were talking to an incredibly stupid myna bird?
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