Anyone else not crazy about multiple seasons in one box set? (1 Viewer)

Am I the only one here who does not like the studios putting multiple or split seasons in one box set?

For example:
Family Guy - Volume 1 = Season 1 and 2
Volume 2 = Season 3

Transformers - Season 1
- Season 2 Part 1
- Season 2 Part 2
- Season 3 Part 1
- Season 3 Part 2 and Season 4

Can they make it a little easier? Then things get complicated with the "best of" types of discs, too...

-Joe

I liked that Family Guy did it, it made 2 purchases instead of 3, and plus season 1 was only 7 episodes. I like when studios do it for shows that had shorter first seasons. I would hate it though if a season were so long that they split it in to 2 parts, and made you spend the same amount on both parts thus costing you a bunch more on the cost of the series.

They're also doing this to Saved By The Bell. I'm against this practice because it does not give the consumers as much choice.

I see no problem with putting multiple seasons in one box set, epsecially if the episode count for one or both seasons is low to begin with. I would have prefered Universal combine the first and second seasons of Northern Exposure for example, as there are only 8 episodes per season.

As for split sets, I can't complain about that too much either, depending on the net cost per episode. It is easier to buy two lower priced sets than one higher priced one, assuming it doesn't cost more to buy the split sets than it would otherwise. Also, the fewer the discs per set, the lower potential defects in a given box set.

If you really want to complain, try buying anime, where a single season will require from 4 to 8 (or more) separate discs to buy, many at or near the same price we are paying for complete seasons of other TV shows.

With cartoons like The Transformers and the upcoming Batman set, you have one season consisting of 55 or more episodes. Those sets give you up to 26 or 27 episodes in one box, which is a good amount to me. That said, as you can get up to 24 hour long episodes, they could conceivably have sets with up to 50 half-hour episodes. Such a big box set would be an interesting experiment.

For shows with 13 or less episodes in one season, I'm delighted when they combine seasons. Its usually better value and I get more episodes of the show that I love instead of waiting.

I wish they would've done that with 'Three's Company'. I know they rushed season 1 due to John Ritter's death, but for months I've only had the 6 episodes to watch. It would've been great if they had combined seasons 1 & 2. Not that it matters now, since S2 will be out very shortly.

What does it matter as long as you get the episodes for your collection?

I dont mind them doing that at all. Less money I have to spend.

I think older shows should be released as concisely as possible (if the episodes are available for a set of up to 6 DVDs, then put them together), although I get the feeling that sets with over 6 discs may not sell as well as smaller sets. A few shows spring to mind:

Are You Being Served? -- The way it was released was very nice (2 7-DVD sets, one for Seasons 1-5 + a bonus disc & one for Seasons 6-10 + a bonus disc). Then again, I like the show, and even though some of the later shows aren't as classic as earlier seasons, I still wanted the whole set.

The Prisoner -- The A&E gift box correctly calls it "television's first masterpiece" but spreads this 17-episode masterpiece over 10 discs!! Based on other DVD sets I own, I'd say you can place up to about 3 hours 20 minutes of content on a single-sided disc while maintaining a quality image, so this entire series could have fit on 6 or 7 discs.

id be happy if all was in Complete sets but as far as split Season sets im not to crazy about that. but most of all as long as they are in order ill live.
they need to stick with Season sets or Complete sets.

ps...
i Hate Waiting.

I think that the upshot of this discussion, and the right answer, is "it depends".

When you have different seasons of different lengths, then combining seasons or splitting up seasons makes sense, to even out the episode count per release.

Networks would order a show as a mid-season replacement, and so the first season might have only a dozen - or even only a half-dozen - episodes for the first season. Networks might cancel a show at any point in whatever turns out to be its final season, of course, so last seasons can always be of any length. All the seasons in-between are usually of a certain episode count, usually around 2 dozen. Of course, there might be exceptions to that rule, like when a particular year might be shortened due to a writer's strike, for example.

Then, as already mentioned, you get into the crazy world of cartoons, and anything goes. A show was daily in it's first year, weekly in it's second, and in it's third it only created a handful of new episodes to sprinkle in with repeats from the first couple of years. That's not even taking into account how some Saturday-morning shows would be 30 minutes some seasons, 60 minutes other seasons, and even 90 minutes long on the odd season or two.

Then there's Futurama, a law unto itself, what with all the episodes that got pushed back to the season after it was first intended to be shown, because they would be constantly pre-empted by football games that ran late. Ho, boy!


I think that it's really easy to say one "does not like the studios putting multiple or split seasons in one box set", but when the reality hits and you have to pay $25 for a 2-disc first season, $50-$60 each for a 4-5 disc (or thereabouts) 2nd, 3rd, and 5th season, $40 for the strike-shortened 4th season, and then $15 for the 3-episode 6th and final season, then you would be a lot more annoyed than you are right now!

If that scenario doesn't irritate you, then you would assuredly be in the minority compared to most TV-on-DVD consumers.

Multiple seasons in one box doesn't bother me at all, especially when it makes sense (short seasons).

What really bugs me is splitting a single season into multiple boxes, like HBO is doing with season 6 of "Sex & The City".

Yeah, HBO has really irritated me with what they've done with Sex and the City. 2 disc 8 episode season 5 for $50? No thanks. Splitting season 6 in to 2 sets and selling them both for $50 no thanks, I won't be buying them its not worth it.

Aye, I agree...that's not sensible. That's just plundering the consumers. Not cool.

If the multiple seasons are complete, then I have no prob with it

who says that Season sets have to be even to sell?
if one is short then the next is long, so what...
as long as the price is not the same for the short one.
they just need fair priceing for the mix Season sets.
if they have 2 or 3 short Season in a row then it a good ideal to make it a Season 1, 2, 3 box set... so on.
its just a matter of fair priceing for what you get.
as long as they are in order thats the main thing.
why are they makeing something hard thats so easy to do. :rolleyes

ps...
and dont talk about price on the big Season sets.
you just have to do like me and save for them.
why make people wait if there is no need to.
i plan a year ahead of time if i can.
thats why i wish they give a longer notice about things to come so people cant start saveing up for it.
i know i hate waiting...

So, because I have the ability to save money I shouldn't be able to complain about HBO charging me $50 for 8 episodes of Sex and the City after charging me that much for 18 episodes the season previous? Just because I can save my money doesn't mean that the studios can then set the price at whatever they want and I just have to save up to that number. Heck, since I can just save up the money for a set why not charge a hundred or a thousand dollars a set, I mean all I'd have to do is just simply save up that much.
No, I don't think so. I will complain when a studio does what HBO is doing in this case, because I don't think its right for them to do so. Whether or not I can save the $50 for Sex and the City season 5 is immaterial, just because I can doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. I won't buy it because I think its wrong for them to charge that much. I'm not going to start saving ahead of time so a studio can over price one of their sets.