Looks like Maverick will head to DVD... (1 Viewer)

[Steve...O]

Very disappointing news that Maverick has been dumped into the WA. Were retail sales that bad? S1 and S2 seemed to be prominently displayed at local Walmarts when they came out. This not an obscure show and if CBS/P can get to Season 9 or whatever of Gunsmoke one would think WHV could get a shorter run series like Maverick out to retail. S3 is considered by many to be the high water mark for this series and boasts a great array of guest stars as well.

Also, just noticed on the WA site that their price print ($49.99) is literally double what S1/S2 was selling for at said Walmart, etc. Perhaps there will be a 30% sale at some point to bring this down to $35 or so. Still paying more for less though (these will not have English subtitles, etc.)

 

[JoeDoakes]

Very disappointing news that Maverick has been dumped into the WA. Were retail sales that bad? S1 and S2 seemed to be prominently displayed at local Walmarts when they came out. This not an obscure show and if CBS/P can get to Season 9 or whatever of Gunsmoke one would think WHV could get a shorter run series like Maverick out to retail. S3 is considered by many to be the high water mark for this series and boasts a great array of guest stars as well.

Also, just noticed on the WA site that their price print ($49.99) is literally double what S1/S2 was selling for at said Walmart, etc. Perhaps there will be a 30% sale at some point to bring this down to $35 or so. Still paying more for less though (these will not have English subtitles, etc.)

Now that they have pressed disks in the Archive, this doesn't bother me as much, although that price point will hurt. The lack of subtitles, however, is one big stinkeroo! I still don't understand why Archive titles cannot at least have close captioning where that is available for broadcast.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Doesn't bother me either, I will just wait for one of their frequent sales although I understand the subtitle issue for those who need it.. I'm still surprised this didn't go to the Archive after Season 1. The good news is now the whole series will be out much faster. Season 3 from WHV retail would not have been due until next year and they were only releasing one season a year. Now we should have all 5 seasons by the end of next year if not sooner.

Now that they have pressed disks in the Archive, this doesn't bother me as much, although that price point will hurt. The lack of subtitles, however, is one big stinkeroo! I still don't understand why Archive titles cannot at least have close captioning where that is available for broadcast.

 

[BobO'Link]

Now that they have pressed disks in the Archive, this doesn't bother me as much, although that price point will hurt. The lack of subtitles, however, is one big stinkeroo! I still don't understand why Archive titles cannot at least have close captioning where that is available for broadcast.

But this is *not* a pressed disk. It's a MOD. While you might get a pressed set on the initial runs I don't know if I'm willing to take that chance for $50.

 

[Jack P]

I'm not bothered by it either because the price is still less than split season CBS/Paramount releases. And I really prefer a roll-out model that will see the run finished sooner than later at a once a year pace as the first two seasons were.

This is the only Warner western that interests me as I found "Cheyenne" to be not that engaging (and but for the fact that their S2 debut introduces the "Maverick" character of Samantha Crawford, I would have likely long ago downsized that title out of my collection) and the other titles that haven't been released I'm not likely to blind buy.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

So what's the best opportunity to get a better deal on this; wait for a sale at WA? Or maybe a sale at Deep Discount?

 

[smithbrad]

So what's the best opportunity to get a better deal on this; wait for a sale at WA? Or maybe a sale at Deep Discount?

Depends on how badly you want a pressed disk over a DVD-R.

Personally, I want the pressed disk, so that means ordering sooner than later to get the best chance. From what I have heard Amazon seems to only carry the DVD-R's since they have the ability to easily create them, so that is a no go for me on any occasion. I received a pressed disk from ImportCDs when "Sugarfoot" was first released. I only went that route because it was so much cheaper and not even offered through WBShop yet. With ImportCDs and DeepDiscount warehouse distribution approach they may be more likely to have pressed disks (but I wouldn't say that is an absolute).

I checked and ImportCDs has Maverick S3 for $38 but when you add in shipping and such it goes up to around $43. Using the standard $5 off coupon from WB brings it down to $45 with the best chance of getting pressed. That means I'm buying directly from WB. And since the price with discount for the whole season comes in at around what I typically pay for a full seasons worth of a CBS release on sale it stays within my allotted price range.

One word of caution though, over in the DVDTalk thread related to bargains at WB is a discussion about credit card fraud. Many (including myself) have received a letter from a company referencing the hacking of credit cards from the service that WBShop quite possibly uses. The fact that several on the thread have all purchased from WB recently is a bit of an alarm. Now i don't think it is WBShop directly but the service doing the credit card validation. If correct, I'm sure that service is provided to many online vendors.

I found fraudlent charges twice now since June and as recent as September related to my AMEX card, both my original card and the replacement i used just a month or so later. At first i was think it might be related to the two Screen Archives blu-rays i purchased over the same time. But looking back I have made purchases each month since March on WBShop Archives as well. Just a word of caution to check your statements regularly. Also, i don't save my credit information on the WBShop, so doing the same won't necessarily protect you.

 

[JoeDoakes]

So what's the best opportunity to get a better deal on this; wait for a sale at WA? Or maybe a sale at Deep Discount?

Yes.

 

[Conrad_SSS]

Personally, I'm pleased that Maverick Season 3 is available so quickly, and I concur that with the Archives handling this series now we're likely to get it completed and sooner than if it had continued for traditional brick and mortar stores (or stopped dead in its tracks without further issues).

I do agree with others here that the 3rd seasons is the best of the bunch.

 

[BobO'Link]

But this is *not* a pressed disk. It's a MOD. While you might get a pressed set on the initial runs I don't know if I'm willing to take that chance for $50.

And the initial pressings will be pressed. From the official description:

**Initial quantities of this release will be traditionally replicated (pressed) in anticipation of high consumer demand.**

So... order early. BUT do *not* order from the Warner Archives site. Go to the main Warner Shop where they are having a sale on pressed DVDs, or if you'd rather a BR on sale. Find and add a sale DVD to your cart, search for Maverick and put S3 in your cart. Then apply *this* coupon: WBAFSAVE10 to get $10 off $50. You'll get free shipping on both titles. The coupon will not work on the archives site.

I did this for a final, after tax, total of $47.46 for Maverick S3 and Maverick the movie.

While I absolutely hated spending this much for S3 it's better than waiting for a sale, not getting a much better price, and it being a MOD.

If you find more titles you'd like there's also a $5 off $25 coupon: ANYCODES5 - use it on a second order.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

And the initial pressings will be pressed. From the official description:

So... order early. BUT do *not* order from the Warner Archives site.
If you find more titles you'd like there's also a $5 off $25 coupon: ANYCODES5 - use it on a second order.

Thanks for the info, BobO'Link.

Fuck it. I enjoyed the first two seasons so much - it's just great, well-written/acted stories - that I used your $5 off coupon code and just ordered it as you suggested from the WBshop. $47.88 total. The show's worth it ($2 bucks per episode). And the thought it was out there and I was suffering waiting to save a few bucks was ultimately a no-brainer. It's funny how we all crow about saving a dollar here or there on a DVD, but if you consider all the stuff we impulsively buy without a thought of a discount just because it makes us happy, then it all washes out under the category of silly-but-satisfying human rationalization. I've got 24 or so more nights of guaranteed happy on tap.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Thanks for the tip, Howie. I ended up getting Maverick Season 3 plus a sale Blu-ray and free shipping for $49.95 including tax.

It's a bit of a steep price to pay for Season 3, but it's worth it if ordering early gets me pressed discs.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Ditto... grabbed a couple of Blu-rays and combined them with MAVERICK S3 for a fairly decent discount. Thanks much, Howie!

 

[shoeshineboy]

What a sham - the price for DVD-rs is a joke. While it appears that the technology is getting more reliable, the reason behind this getting shunted to this method is kept behind closed doors? Poor sales? Then why wasn't it shelved, or faced an extended delay after the first season? Difficulty getting shelf space? A majority of DVDs for sale don't even make it a shelf, sold on line then moved/shipped from the manufacturer to the electronic retailer... Pressed DVDs of supposed poor sellers are now being funnelled, at reasonable prices, through secondary companies, like TGG and Timeless, or to big box retailers via exclusives. Other secondary suppliers, like Time-Life and Criterion (in movies) show their care for the customer by going to town with extras... Warners could care less about us 'mugs' as evident by this and other acts. As a Canadian I don't have the chance to wait for a WA sale, even, while they offer an initial press run. Disgruntled, I can only head to deep discount or importcds...

 

[Jack P]

I can't agree here. It would be nice if it had continued retail for a slightly lower retail price, but I really felt the wait between S1 and S2 was overly long at 12 months. I would rather see it come out on a more expedited basis. And I would note that WA also seems to be getting away from "split" releases at this point and putting it in a single package which means a drop in price for a full season of material from what we had in the past ("Tarzan" S2 was also released on this model).

I recognize this model isn't convenient for non-US residents and understand the frustration on that point, but Warner is now emerging as the one studio I can feel safe and secure about when it comes to (1) sticking with a title it starts and (2) clearing ALL music and not releasing a compromised end product. I don't need gobs of extras so long as I have that.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Just saw the *shocking* news that the stellar third season of Maverick has gone MOD.I have to say that after the second season was released I thought for sure that the series would avoid the "MOD channel" until at least the fourth season. In any event I have no choice but to go ahead and order this. It seems like I've been waiting *decades* to get this series on some form of home video and this is still an official release, so I'm in! And thanks for the ordering advice above!!

 

[HenryDuBrow]

If they're pressed discs (first batch at least) then I guess it's okay, it'll lack subtitles though which of course is a definite minus with MOD.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

It appears to me that Warner has decided on a compromise which reduces their risk and also gives die-hard Maverick fans what they want.

Apparently they are making a finite number of pressed discs which will go to the people who order now, presumably on a first come, first served basis. Of course we have no idea what that number is, but once they are gone Warner has no risk of being stuck with unsold inventory, and people who order now will not have to settle for DVD-Rs.

Going the WAC route also increases the chances that we'll get the entire series, and get it in a relatively short time frame. If so, it will be interesting to see what they do about Season Five, which has only 13 episodes.

Obviously I would like to pay less than $49, but as others have pointed out it is still less than CBS/Paramount is charging for its hour-long shows (Perry Mason Season 9 currently costs $64 at Amazon when you buy both volumes).

 

[smithbrad]

Going the WAC route also increases the chances that we'll get the entire series, and get it in a relatively short time frame. If so, it will be interesting to see what they do about Season Five, which has only 13 episodes.

My assumption is that the price will go down to $35 for season five, since that is what they are charging for the later Cheyenne seasons for 13 episodes.

I agree that the hybrid approach of a run of pressed disks and then DVD-R's provides opportunities for both sides. Less risk on WB that hopefully translates into more releases. Hopefully, the free shipping and $5 of $25 and $10 of $50 coupons will continue to be regularly available since it takes a bit of the sting off. To get pressed disks I had to spend $60 using coupons to get that last two seasons of Cheyenne (26 episodes) that is basically one season's worth of episodes for most shows.

 

[Astairefan]

And I would note that WA also seems to be getting away from "split" releases at this point and putting it in a single package which means a drop in price for a full season of material from what we had in the past ("Tarzan" S2 was also released on this model).

I'm not so sure the model has changed. From the impression I am getting, both Tarzan Season 2 and Maverick Season 3 are 6-disc sets, and I THINK the split-season releases have everything to do with disc count. The type of packaging that I have seen with most of my WAC sets has generally been the same type, which seems to hold a MAXIMUM of 6 discs. If the disc count is higher, I would fully expect to see the split-season packaging.