Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 2 coming in July (CONSOLIDATED DISCUSSION) (1 Viewer)

[Randy A Salas]

I feel that MTM S1 was scuttled for two reasons:

1) Its higher price. Although I feel it was justified considering the wealth of supplemental material and care in presentation, it was higher than many people apparently were willing to pay.

2) It came out on the busiest DVD release date of last year, Sept. 24. Among the 294 other titles that came out the same day were:

Grease
A Hard Day's Night SE
Singin' in the Rain SE
Amadeus SE
Unforgiven SE
True Romance SE
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest SE
Swingers SE
Spellbound (Criterion)
Trading Places
Heavenly Creatures
Major League

That's a lot of competition for consumer dollars and media coverage (print and TV) on one day. I gave the set a prime mention because it was set here in Minneapolis, but most newspapers and wire services didn't even mention it. So while there might have been some marketing attached to it, I don't feel that consumer awareness was that high.

 

[george kaplan]

Even though I didn't buy season 1 (because it wasn't uncut), I'd buy season 2 (if it were uncut).

 

[Paul_Scott]

i am totally confused.
were the MTM shows restored in some way for the S1 set?
i'm still not clear on what what was so extravegant about the set. wasn't the doc already done yrs ago for broadcast?
it was a 4 disc digi-pak.

Now you look at something like the Dick van Dyke sets and those are what i would call extravegant.
if MTM can't sell at street prices around $40, how the hell are they selling enough DVD sets at over $50?
5 seperate thin paks with their own unique jacket art, housed in a sturdy box with unique appropriate graphics and a lenticular image- AND the shows look incredible AND the extras seem to be just as substantial (probably more so) than the MTM sets.

and yet MTM sales didn't make Fox happy enough?
weird.

guess Image's days must be numbered then.

 

[Brandon Gantt]

The documentary for the MTM set was done exclusively for the DVD. FOX also spent a bit of dough restoring the episodes and assembling talent for various features on the set. If FOX does go forward with other seasons, two made for tv retrosepctives already exist. One from 1993 and the other from 2002.

 

[Marty M]

In the hopes that someone at Fox may peruse this forum, I want to let it be known that MTM was and is still my all-time favorite sitcoms. I was so happy to get Season 1 and will buy every other season if it is available.

 

[Steve Phillips]

I'd be perfectly happy if they'd release the rest of the series without any extras.

Just do it like the ALL IN THE FAMILY of THE JEFFERSONS sets, charge $29.95 retail and I bet they'd sell a lot better.

Fox has had a history (even back to the Laserdisc days) of pricing their stuff way too high.

 

[Cathy Suzan]

Anyone out there know the status of the season 2 release (if there even will be one)? I am hoping and praying that the people at FOX will give this classic another chance. It was a great show, but it appears to have died as far as any future releases. Is there any (good) news in the horizon?

 

[Malcolm R]

Several existing threads on this subject.

Shorthand: Sales of Season One were quite poor, making Fox skeptical about releasing Season Two even though most of the work is done and it's basically ready to go. If they release S2, it will likely be in a bare-bones, lower-cost package.

 

[Cathy Suzan]

Bare-bones is just fine with me. The M*A*S*H dvds have no special features except for language and laugh track and I still enjoy watching seasons 1 through 3. (After season 3,I think the show goes down hill). I dont really care about all those extra features. The classic show in and of itself is more important.

 

[David Von Pein]

I noticed that FOX includes a little "FOX TV-on-DVD" booklet inside some of their DVDs, advertising their TV titles on disc. On the back page of this booklet, it asks ..... "What FOX shows would you like to see on DVD? Go to www.foxhome.com/tv and tell us what you'd like to see on DVD".

Upon visiting that particular site, I found no "Vote for ..." type of area. Anybody ever see anything like that on the FOX site?

Or -- Did they possibly just mean to use their "Contact" e-mail address at the bottom of one of the screens to send a regular e-mail?

If there IS a "Voting" kind of dealie on there .... we should all go there and swamp them with "I Want MTM-2!" requests until the voting box bursts with WJM-TV mail!!


"That's W-W-W-Walter C-C-Cronkite!"

"Gee, Ted, I thought you said you & he were good friends?"

"I never said we were friends ... I only said we'd never met."

 

[David Lambert]

David VP, that survey has been taken down. The voting is over.


I don't know if we'll ever see that survey's results used for anything either. Several problems with it, including: 1) it wasn't built in a way that keeps 1 guy from voting for the same show 2 bajillion times, especially if he programs a "voting robot", 2) not-yet-released titles like Titus were on the same ballot as already-released-in-some-form titles like Ally McBeal and continuing-to-be-released shows like The Simpsons and also may-never-release-it-thanks-to-music-cost shows like The Wonder Years (and Ally McBeal). Finally, 3) As it turns out, this survey was a project not fully known about or approved by the people who make decisions about which of those shows would or could get released. A left-hand-doesn't-know-what-the-right-hand-is-doing situation if there ever was one.


Back on the topic of MTMS: The starter of this thread, Cathy Suzan, is the starter of most of the other threads on the same topic. Or she's participated in them. Cathy's well aware of the existance of the other threads, and the information they contain. I'm not sure why it's thought that an update would come this soon.

Even if something had come to light, there would be no need for her to ask. Many web sites - this one, TVShowsOnDVD, The Digital Bits, DVDFile, DVDAnswers, DavisDVD, DVDTalk, DVD Review, DVD Shrine, DVDJournal, etc., etc. - would all be proudly screaming good news about MTMS at the top of their digital lungs!!

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Consider this a greatest hits post. I’ve noticed a pattern in the several existing MTM season 2 threads, and want to post my findings. The outline I present you are some of the most common discussions that result whenever MTM season 2 is mentione, not necessarily in the order it comes up, but these posts and responses are typical and common in most of the MTM threads I’ve read and posted in. I’m not picking on anyone that has made these arguments or responses, because I’ve championed a few of them myself. The point is to demonstrate that we’re not really getting a new angle to look at this from so we’re beating a dead horse really. So, may I present to you the MTM season 2 threads greatest hits.

Note: In case you have trouble following the outline, it goes
Level 1: roman numerals
Level 2: capital letters
Level 3: Arabic numbers
Level 4: lower cased letters
I only mention this to avoid having to explain to someone why my small d is followed by a capital B or something like that.

Greatest hits, or most commonly seen thoughts on MTM DVDs.
I. Mary Tyler Moore Season 1.
A.Mary Tyler Moore season 1 was a quality DVD Release, when is season 2 coming out?
1.MTM season 1 didn’t sell well, so season 2 won’t be on DVD anytime soon.
2.MTM season 1 didn’t sell well because…
a. It was priced too high compared to other TV season sets such as All in the Family and Sanford and Son.
b. Fox didn’t market this release hardly at all, I didn’t even know it was being released until it came out.
c. In some areas, it wasn’t on the shelves for more than a month before it was pulled.
d. MTM season 1 came out on 1 of the busiest release days in DVD history.
e. If Fox would drop the price I’d buy it now.
II. Business concerns.
A.How well would it have had to sell for a season 2 release?
B.Why didn’t fox…
1.Consider putting out more than 1 season at a time to build consumer confidence that future seasons would be released?
a. Why do that and lose even more money? Studeos are in the money making business first and foremost.
2. Why don’t they just produce season 2 in more limited numbers roughly in line with those sold of season 1?
3. Why didn’t they consider the same model of release that they use for M*A*S*H?
C. How can Fox release this show’s successive seasons and keep costs down?
III. Personal responses to a possible season 2 release.
A. I feel cheated because I have season 1 of this classic show but can’t have seasons 2-7.
1. Why can’t you just be happy to have season 1?
2. It is a collector’s mentality that makes me desire to own the whole series.
B. I’d buy season 2 in any form if they just released it, extras don’t matter.
C. How can we show Fox that there is a demand for future seasons?
1. Buy season 1 on DVD.
D. Has anyone heard any news on a possible season 2 release. (note: this is usually the question that gets the discussion cycle started.

I understand that fans of the show want to express their desire to have it on DVD, I’m with you all the way. I’ve made several of these posts, for awhile I gave new life to the M*A*S*H model posts, though I’m not the originator of that thought. But really, looking at this and knowing how these threads go what new angle can we possibly look at this from, and if there isn’t 1 why basically recreate a carbon copy of an MTM thread that already exists? I don’t want to sound like I’m coming down on anyone in particular, and I am 1 that frequently brings up MTM season 2 on any thread that is a wishlist of desired shows to see on DVD.

But, this is the real bottomline. Right now, there is nothing new to report, and no new angle that I can see us taking this discussion in. This is what we know, Fox is considering ways of cutting costs to put future seasons on DVD, they may formulate a plan they may not. Either way when something new to report is available TVShowsOnDVD.com or someone else will report it.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

In the time I wrote the above Manifesto David Lambert basically said what I was thinking in a lot less words, good work as always David.

 

[David Lambert]

Casey, I was just thinking that your post was well-written and articulate, and that it really drove home what I was trying to say!

And I was amazed you "responded" to me so quickly!

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Just putting all of those hours spent in Varsity debate class, and at debate tournaments to good use long after high school has ended.

Now lets talk about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough...like I don't know why its taking Columbia so long to release All in the Family season 3....no, only kidding...the columbia TV on DVD discussion may be the next to receive the greatest hits outline treatment.

 

[David Von Pein]

Well...no wonder I couldn't find a "Voting" link @ FOX.com.

Thank you, David L.

Now, what about that "TAGS - Season 1" ??? j/k -- I know I'll get an e-mail alert from TVShowsOnDVD.com when & if the miracle actually occurs, and Barney "One Bullet" Fife is ever transferred to Season-set digital glory.

But, at least DVD-on-DVD #3 is starting to show up on websites.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I want all these but dont ever remember seeing a statement from the studio saying they were definitely NOT going to release season 2-7.
Is it a definite NO ??!!!??

 

[David Lambert]

It's so much a "probably no" that I would recommend that you send a snail mail letter to Fox to express your support for it, then forget about it and get on with your life.

If you see MTMS again on DVD, it will likely be as a "Best Of". There's a super-slim chance that they will release S2 as a whole, since it was actually prepared before the poor sales of S1 were in. But if Fox was willing to take a chance on it, I think they would have done so by now.

Waiting on these is a poor bet, in my opinion.

 

[R. Kay]

Let them release Season 2 bare bones for $29.99 retail.

I bet sales will be pretty decent at that price point, which would hopefully allow the rest of the series be released as well.

 

[Cathy Suzan]

Well I missed the Fox chat, but i did read the transcript. It looks as though there is absolutly no hope for future DVD releases of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I guess, of all the fans of the show out there, perhaps only 10 of us bought the complete season 1. It's a big shame that such a great classic like that should be thrown away and forgotten, and crap lives on and duplicates.