THE WONDER YEARS (Consolidated Thread; No New Ones, Please!) (1 Viewer)

[Chris:L]

Well, I'd like to get to the bottom of this issue as soon as possible. Is it going to be released in 2005 or not? Please, someone give us an answer.

DVD RELEASE IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY.
COST OF OBTAINING MUSIC RIGHTS WOULD BE BEYOND A MARKETABLE POSSIBILITY

 

[AnthonyC]

From EW (2/25/05):

"[Fox] company rep Steve Feldstein says only, "We've got it on the schedule, but there are hurdles to clear prior to a firm release date."

 

[Tory]

Cool! Too bad I crawl up into a ball and start crying in writhing agony every time I see the show due to too much empathy for Kevin's exploits. This show hurts me so much, at least it did then, I felt it too much. Maybe now I have matured past but I don't know.

 

[LukeB]

"[Fox] company rep Steve Feldstein says only, "We've got it on the schedule, but there are hurdles to clear prior to a firm release date."

Thanks for the news, Anthony!

 

[Jonathan_]

I would buy all of the seasons of the Wonder Years today if they were available.

 

[Dan*T]

Everyone check out the news section over at TVshowsondvd.com
It looks as if The Wonder Years may actually happen!!
Way to go Fox!
Now, if we could only get them to do the same for WKRP!!

 

[Kyle McKnight]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...9&pagenumber=2

 

[Jamie Cole]

Music licensing didn't seem to hold up Murphy Brown... tons of original recordings used by original artists and I bought the whole first season for $23. Even if music IS the issue, witness the success that was the Freaks and Geeks set. Higher price but the music stayed the same, which is what fans wanted.

Maybe the issue at this point is we're getting used to paying less and less, not more, for TV titles. The creators of the show might have to go the Freaks and Geeks route, but then you're also asking fans to buy several seasons, not just one boxed set. Would you shell out $500-$700 to own the entire Wonder Years library?

I might, but I don't know. I DO know I would not buy it without the original music at any price. Music made too much of a difference in the mood and setting of this show, and its emotional impact in many episodes would be gone without the often pitch-perfect choice of period music the Wonder Years folks came up with.

 

[AnthonyC]

I'm just hoping we'll get the first season by the end of the year. But as people have pointed out, you can't compare any other sets to this in terms of music rights because what one publisher might think is a fair amount isn't enough for another publisher, and so on and so on.

 

[Paul Sandhu]

While I could go for Quantum Leap with replaced music, Wonder Years I will not.

I can't wait! One thing though, in this news story they say Fox Home Entertainment is handling it. I thought the show was part of ABC?

 

[Casey C.]

TV shows are owned not by networks but by production companies. The networks pay the production companies for the right to air the shows and then (hopefully) make big bucks selling ads during that time.

"Wonder Years" originally aired on ABC, but it was produced by New World Television, which was bought by Fox in the late '90s. The syndication rights, on the other hand, are owned by Warner Bros. because New World sold those rights to Turner Broadcasting (now owned by Warner) before the sale to Fox. Confused yet?

As another example, consider "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- produced by 20th Century Fox Television but aired on the WB (and later UPN), not on the Fox network. But the DVDs are from Fox Home Entertainment.

 

[Matt Harrison]

Any more updates?

Ive been waiting for this release for a long time. The earlier news in this thread got me excited, but I havent heard anything since.

 

[hanson mat]

I still haven't heard anything about this... I would love to know though because since it doesn't come on as repeats any more I am def. going through withdrawal.

 

[Matt Harrison]

Do you think this will ever see the light of day on DVD?

Bootleggers are making a living out of this.

 

[Gary OS]

I personally can't see how this show will make it out on dvd. We might, and I do mean "might", get lucky and have the shortened first season. That initial season only contained 6 episodes (all chocked full of great nostalgic songs). I think those six episodes might make it out in a very small "Season 1" release intact.

But I just cannot fathom seeing this show given to us in full Season sets from beginning to end - with all the music intact. And make no mistake. There is no show that relies more on it's music than the Wonder Years. You absolutely destroy the emotional impact if you remove any specific songs. So this is the one show, much more so than Miami Vice, Magnum, or WKRP, that has to have all the original music intact. It's a huge mountain for sure, but it's a mountain worth climbing. I hope Fox will do whatever it takes to give us boomers the one show that exemplifies our young lives like no other show has done. Please! Get this done - and done correctly. We just can't have any replaced music!

Gary "I'm somewhat pessimistic about any number of things, but I must say this issue has me more pessimistic than most anything else. I just don't believe Fox will get this done for us" O.

 

[Matt Harrison]

I think Fox will get this released, I just hope it is soon. I am blown away by the amount of sites that are selling the bootlegs of this, one search on google and you can understand what I mean.

Amazon has suprised me as to how many people want this on DVD aswell. I clicked on the Wonder Years DVD page to sign up for a release date and there was 147 reviews in demand for this DVD.

Anyone with any news, please post. Im getting desperate

 

[Katherine_K]

I think Fox will get this released, I just hope it is soon.

I wouldn't count on it. This, like China Beach, are shows that are considered in Music Rights Hell and unless something drastic changes in the industry they aren't coming out.

 

[Matt Harrison]

Maybe so, but did you read the article about it being on the schedule?

Not a bad sign at all.

 

[Katherine_K]

Not a bad sign at all.

If it is indeed on the schedual I think it is a very bad sign. As I said, without a significant change in the industry the music rights will be so expensive that signficant music replacement is likely inevitable.

 

[Matt Harrison]

Not a bad sign because they said they was getting over the legal hurdles, so it doesnt sound as if music replacement is happening.