all in the family seasons 7-9 (1 Viewer)

[Robert13]

All in the Family should be complete on dvd already. What's the hold-up? Groundbreaking episodes are yet to be available on dvd (Edith's Crisis Of Faith, Edith's 50th Birthday, The Draft Dodger). For me, the history of AITF will not be complete until they release every season plus Season 2 of Archie Bunker's Place.

 

[Tony Scello]

I'm starting to get the uneasy feeling that the later seasons of this great show have been left for dead by Sony. I'm interested in picking up, at a minimum, seasons 7 & 8 (after which Mike and Gloria move out west). I know that the previous seasons were released slowly and irregularly but we have now been waiting since early 2007, I believe, for a further release and haven't heard a peep. Many third quarter 2008 releases have already been announced and still no word on future AITF sets.

 

[Andrew Radke]

I'm getting worried about the future of "The Jeffersons" on DVD. Season 6 came out, what, May of last year? Not a peep since. I don't collect AITF but I feel for you fans of the show who collect the sets. Hopefully all of our prayers will be answered before too long.

 

[David Rain]

If sales were low then that answers your question as to where the remaining releases are.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

How many times do we have to answer this question?

It's been stated, time and time again, that Sony has All in the Family set for release once per year. About every 9-10 months, Sony releases a new season for this series. All in the Family isn't on Sony's priority list and it probably will never be.

Gord, Dave, every various members of the forums here have answered this. Sure, there a re a lot of us who wish Sony would hurry up, but they're not going to rush this series since they're busy trying to get out some of the more popular titles such as Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and various other shows.

Bear in mine, also, that Sony has relegated to not releasing any new sets until they sell more of the sets that are currently out. Right now, sales of previous sets of all of their titles haven't been selling very well and they opted to slow down the scheduling of their releases.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I couldn't care less about I DREAM OF JEANNIE, BEWITCHED, or THE JEFFERSONS. Give me the rest of ALL IN THE FAMILY.

 

[Radioman970]

I'll take all of the above. As long as they are released eventually. But All in the Family and ABP are my own priorities.

 

[Radioman970]

The only studio that's TV-on-DVD non-Hell is Paramount, and they still need to stop cutting music and original logos, or they would be Heaven.

Although Paramount needs to work on packaging. I'm working with their customer service department on The Brady Bunch and Andy since both lead to gluey scratches!

 

[Robert13]

Same here. Not really interested in those other series. Would love to see All in the Family complete once and for all.

An as far as the one-season-a-year pattern, it's been about a year and a half now and not even an announcement. So that's not panning out anymore either.

 

[MatthewA]

If this show is not selling well, Sony is partly to blame for it.
The transfers are obviously not from anywhere near first-generation tapes, whereas the other Norman Lear series seem to be.
And once again, they don't advertise. Don't give me the tired litany of excuses like "it's expensive." Fact: no one buys a product when they don't know it exists.
Need I mention the absence of a single, solitary extra?

 

[Mark Talmadge]

DVD's for TV Shows are rarely advertised for except in the trades. There really is no need to advertise for them. My local newspaper is always listing TV Show releases in the Entertainment section.
Matthew, if there are television fans out there waiting for a particular show, trust me, they are looking out for their specific releases. Best Buy and Borders have in store computers that consumers can use to search for shows, I used to do that all of the time.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Well I'll be a son of a...

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Family-DVDs-Planned/13965

Shout factory has done it again.

 

[Jack P]

Season 7 is the last one I really am anxious to finally have for the Mike breaks Archie's chair episode. Glad to know it's coming.

 

[David Rain]

I agree with everyone whose frustrated with this show no longer being released. However, I disagree with some of the "reasons" that it is supposedly not selling:

Picture Quality: Yes, this show does indeed look poor on DVD. However, it did not look great to begin with. It wasn't meant to. The "look" of the show is supposed to represent the lower middle class life of the characters. It was designed that way. This is not the day-glo world of Friends. I'm not sure how far back they went to makes these transfers. Maybe not far enough. But AITF will never have a pristine presentation on any format. Plus, I don't think the picture quality has anything remotely to do with the DVD's poor sales. Customers seeing these releases in a store would have no idea about the quality level. Many would not even think about it.

Promotion: Well, you could use this excuse for a LOT of DVD releases. It's true that this show could and should have gotten a LOT more promotion on TV and in print. Perhaps also having the remaining cast promote the DVD's. However, we live in the age of the internet. Anyone wanting this show on DVD can easily find it and get it with little trouble. It's not exactly hiding in a dusty storage room down at your local Barnes & Noble. Fans know about these releases. They're just not buying them enough.

Extras: Certainly with a show that's this legendary you would want there to be some extras. Retrospectives, commentaries, something. But there are TONS of classic shows that don't get any of this either. People are not refusing to buy these discs simply because there aren't any extras.

Everything comes down to sales, folks. If people are not buying AITF in high enough numbers then they simply aren't. Too many older sitcoms don't sell well because older customers are not buying DVD's as much as young customers. And younger customers aren't as aware of shows like this because they are not still being played to death like The Brady Bunch & Full House. This is also an intelligent, adult show. That's often the kiss of death.

 

[MattHR]

(dupe post deleted)

 

[MattHR]

Extras: Certainly with a show that's this legendary you would want there to be some extras. Retrospectives, commentaries, something. But there are TONS of classic shows that don't get any of this either. People are not refusing to buy these discs simply because there aren't any extras.

As far as extras, it's too late for Carroll O'Connor to participate. I have the laserdisc release of the All In The Family: 20th Anniversary Special that aired in 1991. I'd love to see Shout! Factory include this 90-minute special on one of the remaining season sets -- or even a Complete Collection -- should they release one. I know the standard industry thought is that no one wants to see these vintage documentaries, whether produced for TV or laserdisc supplements. That thought couldn't be more wrong. Since many of the participants of these vintage documentaries are no longer with us, they may be the only way for many fans to hear their thoughts.

As the show itself is vintage, so too is the documantary. It was recorded (in 1991) when the show was only 20 years old -- seemingly an eternity at the time. Now, at 40 years past, I can't imagine a new doc being as relevant, since the recollections of the participants wouldn't be nearly as vivid -- not to mention the absence of O'Connor. I've seen several DVD docs where they have incorporated clips (of deceased or unavailable talent) with new interview footage of other participants. I'd much prefer to have the vintage docs presented "as is" -- in their entirety -- along with any new material they care to produce.

So, fine folks at Shout!, if you're reading this, please consider releasing that 1991 doc on one of your upcoming AITF releases. Hopefully, Sony will make it available for your use. I have every confidence you will treat AITF with the respect it so deserves -- something that has yet to be accomplished.



P.S. Should we start a campaign pressuring Congress to pass legislation that requires the major studios to allow Shout! Factory to handle the release of all classic TV shows on DVD? Just a thought.

 

[redbird]

At last! Between this news and the news that season 2 of Marcus Welby is coming out it's been a great day of TV on DVD news for me. I would imagine that this show will be finished out by Shout-like me, many people have been waiting on season 7 and will pounce on it, generating good sales for the 8th season at least./img/vbsmilies/htf/dance.gif

 

[Neil Brock]

Originally Posted by David Rain
I agree with everyone whose frustrated with this show no longer being released. However, I disagree with some of the "reasons" that it is supposedly not selling:

Picture Quality: Yes, this show does indeed look poor on DVD. However, it did not look great to begin with. It wasn't meant to. The "look" of the show is supposed to represent the lower middle class life of the characters. It was designed that way. This is not the day-glo world of Friends. I'm not sure how far back they went to makes these transfers. Maybe not far enough. But AITF will never have a pristine presentation on any format. Plus, I don't think the picture quality has anything remotely to do with the DVD's poor sales. Customers seeing these releases in a store would have no idea about the quality level. Many would not even think about it.

Promotion: Well, you could use this excuse for a LOT of DVD releases. It's true that this show could and should have gotten a LOT more promotion on TV and in print. Perhaps also having the remaining cast promote the DVD's. However, we live in the age of the internet. Anyone wanting this show on DVD can easily find it and get it with little trouble. It's not exactly hiding in a dusty storage room down at your local Barnes & Noble. Fans know about these releases. They're just not buying them enough.

Extras: Certainly with a show that's this legendary you would want there to be some extras. Retrospectives, commentaries, something. But there are TONS of classic shows that don't get any of this either. People are not refusing to buy these discs simply because there aren't any extras.

Everything comes down to sales, folks. If people are not buying AITF in high enough numbers then they simply aren't. Too many older sitcoms don't sell well because older customers are not buying DVD's as much as young customers. And younger customers aren't as aware of shows like this because they are not still being played to death like The Brady Bunch & Full House. This is also an intelligent, adult show. That's often the kiss of death.

There's nothing wrong with the picture quality. It was shot on 2-inch videotape and that's the way it looked when it aired. 40 year old videotaped shows weren't meant to be watched on 100 inch HD televisions. Watch it on a set that it was produced for and it looks fine. Put it on some modern monstrosity and that's what you get. I watch on my tube set and when that goes I'll find another similar set somewhere.

And your final comment is 100% accurate. The more intelligent the show, the worse its going to do. There are far more morons than there are bright people. That's why Gilligan's Island sells well and Murphy Brown doesn't.

 

[Brent S]

Amazon updated its ALL IN THE FAMILY Season 7 listing this afternoon (6/24)... it's now taking pre-orders, and shows a release date of October 5, 2010.

 

[Victor Wright]

I was one of those who never bought a season of All In The Family, but I would definitely pick up a Complete Series box set if one was released...