I give up with the abandoned shows on dvd. (1 Viewer)

This isn't another thread about shows I'm angry about abandonment on dvd.
Nope, it's more like I don't care.
Sure, I would still love to see my favorite shows on dvd, but I'm done stressing about completing certain shows on dvd. Two reasons:

1. We are powerless in the situation of tv dvd releases. We can support a show all we want on dvd, but if it fails then it's the end of the line. We don't make decisions for the studios, and we aren't granted wishes. If you like the show, buy it and that's about all we can do.

2. I'm focusing on shows I can complete. There are many, many shows out their to buy on dvd without worry. Lot's of classics(Waltons, Little House, Star Trek,Mash, Incredible Hulk, Dukes of Hazard) to dive into.

Overall, I'm disappointed I may never see Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, and The Fall Guy completed, but I'm switching gears to a new way of thinking. If it's released, fine. If not find another show to take it's place.

That's how I feel too. It's a Bummer when a Studio decides not to finish a Series. (Among the Unfinished Series I have are Baywatch, Highway to Heaven, Touched by an Angel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea & The Flying Nun. :frowning: ) But there are PLENTY of Completed Series I haven't Purchased yet (It will take me about Three Years to finish watching what I have now! ) There are several series I have with sets yet to come out (CHIPS, Hawaii Five-O, JAG, Walker, Texas Ranger and the CSI Series among them. If they finish them it's fine with me. If not. there's Other Fish in the Sea!

I'm ready to give up on TV on DVD totally. We could all buy 50 copies of each season and they wouldn't care. My sympathy for bootleggers has increased tenfold in the past few years.

Yeah, I know. There was a time when I was going to throw in the towel. Lately though, I'm just happy watching what I have, and I'm looking forward for what's to come.

Bryan,

Good thread and first post. I agree with your points. One thing this TV/DVD hobby has taught me though, is "never give up the ship". I look at "Barney Miller" and I doubt anyone here would have believed there would be an S2 release after a 4-yr wait from the S1 set.

It seems to me that it (TV/DVD collecting) is a more-challenging hobby than the gang over at the Movie Bd has to deal with but I guess they might disagree I've seen their "wish lists" and some are long.

William, I also agree with your input here. There are some good choices of older shows that have either complete series releases or at least multiple seasons available. We'll never see all of our shows released, since there's such a large variety of shows yet to see a release and we all have diverse wish-lists here.

Overall, I feel I've been fairly fortunate to see some of my big shows released, even a few with complete-series sets. I've seen some surprise releases as well, some that I'd never have thought would see studio releases.....Combat, Time Tunnel, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, Alias Smith & Jones.

As David Levine posted over on the "Warner" thread, it's a business and all we can do as consumers is to buy the product and hope the #"s will support future sets.

The part of this hobby that's been the most difficult for me is the lack of information (sales #'s, what's on the runway at the studios, Is Show "X" dead or are future releases upcoming, etc). Since all of this is proprietary to the studios, all we can do is check TSoD daily.

I'm still waiting for S3 part 2 of Jem and the Holagrams. S3 part 1 was released in 2004 and we haven't heard anything since.

That's partially due to low sales and partially due to Rhino's rights expiring a few years ago.

Hasbro just bought back the rights, so maybe someone else will now license (and finish) it.

I agree with Jeff. My 'never give up' was Airwolf. Even the studio reported that they would not do S2 or S3 and then months (or maybe it was years)later, they started showing up. Earth Final Conflict is another one of mine. S3-5 were put out in 2003. Now rumors of S1-S2 being released are again seeing light of day. If they do, I'll be there buying them. If they don't, they'll stay on my "stalled" list.

If I am so desperate for a series, I can always buy a multi-region player (haven't REALLY felt the need yet) and buy the series or missing seasons from other regions where they have been released.

And if they are not available there, I know if I bite the bullet and buy from a bootlegger, the show/season will be released in a matter of months

And no, I am not advocating buying from bootleggers.

Never buy from bootleggers is my policy. If a show I collect is stalled, I'll patiently wait until the day the next official release is finally announced. If it never happens, so be it, even though I do find it frustrating. But I hardly find the time to watch what I already own, so that wouldn't result in any shortage of entertainment as far as I'm concerned.

I did this for three shows. All three IMO had great package art, and all episodes were in unedited form. It is how I've been able to enjoy The Invaders for a couple of years now. I too am not advocating it, but it's interesting what you say about shows being available shortly thereafter. In two of three cases, they were!

I just enjoy what i have. You know, the opposite of the studio giving up works the other way too. I can tell you a few shows i bought, that i didnt buy all that was offered, or wont buy. Three seasons of Mission: Impossible was enough for me. Four of Hawaii Five-0, one of (season 2) Wild, Wild, West, one of (season 3) Emergency!, the first of Rawhide...yep, i pick and choose what i want too!

Between the thousands of shows I recorded over the years as well as what my friends recorded, I have access to loads of stuff. And even with all of that there are still series I am seeking or looking to get more of. If it's provided by legitimate studio releases, great, that's where I'll get it. And if not, well, as with everything, if there's a demand not being met then someone else will usually meet it. Doesn't matter to me who gets my money. And I know it's something most people on this board shy away from, but believe it or not, you can actually record these things yourself. Fox abandoned Big Valley? No problem, they ran on Encore. As has Rifleman, Alias Smith and Jones and Bat Masterson. Complete and remastered. I don't get the network, but American Life ran a huge package of old Warner shows for several years. For those people living in Canada, there are a bunch of cable networks that have run shows complete. TV Land there doesn't cut everything down like they do in the US. If they get the tapes in in unedited form, they run them that way. My friend recently did seasons 3-7 of Petticoat Junction from there, complete. Even if Paramount ever did decide to put the color episodes out, the later episodes have tons of music in them that would no doubt be chopped out. Sometimes it's better to record a show yourself as you get a better and more complete version than what the studios give you anyway.

Rick,

I do this on occasion as well. Surprisingly, the shows you mention above are also the ones I've done it with (for the most part). I have no desire to purchase beyond season three of Mission: Impossible, or beyond one season of Wild, Wild, West. I can't make up my mind with regard to other shows, but when in doubt, I usually choose not to complete the set.

I know "never buy from bootleggers" is the moral thing to do, but I don't care. I'm enjoying all nine seasons of Facts Of Life even if Sony tells me it's a lesser show than Seinfeld. Even a show like Ally McBeal, whose star is currently starring on a current hit series hasn't come out, and I ended up going that route because I do not have a region-free player and wanted to see a show that hasn't aired in reruns in years. IMO, Bootlegs are a last resort, not a quick answer. Sony has let the fans know they have no intention of finishing Facts (which got better as the series progressed IMO, seasons 1-3 are nowhere near the show at it's best IMO) and even if we did get Ally McBeal, Fox would probably deliver us a WKRP abomination because they're too cheap to use music.

The companies have driven the fans to bootlegs with their attitudes towards older TV shows that aren't Mash, Seinfeld or Friends.... you know, shows that you can watch for free in reruns any day of the week. Paramount is the only DVD company worth hell I can think of in terms of older series that aren't currently played in heavy rotation in reruns, and even then, they abandoned Taxi, one of their greatest sitcoms.

I complain as much as the next guy when a show I'm passionate about gets abandoned on DVD, but I've never understood the "I'm only going to buy season 1 once I know that the full series is going to be released" mentality. I'd rather at least have ~22 episodes of a favorite series on my shelf than none at all.

I agree... sure I would prefer to have every episode of a series for all the series I am collecting. But until then I enjoy what I have... and if they are never completed... at least I can still enjoy what I have.

I personally never bought a bootleg myself... and really don't plan to. Though I have been tempted with a series or two. Over-all I feel it is wrong for me so I don't see it ever happening.

I am a collector with some things, so I do go that route on occasion. I liken it to photocopying an entire book when 1) that book has gone out of print (and there are no signs that it will be reprinted); and 2) that book is not otherwise available via interlibrary loan or another lending vehicle. When in graduate school, I had to do this with books, or I would not have had access to some of the research materials I needed to complete my work. With television shows, it's not quite as ... serious.

I seem to be thinking the same way about "St. Elsewhere"-- sure, FOX may have abandoned it after one season's worth, but at least I can get my Howie fix in a series that is not "Deal or No Deal."

The same is true with "Hill Street Blues"-- FOX abandoned this too after 2 seasons' worth, but I still enjoy what I have and don't demand that more be released. If they decide to release more, I may purchase more. Until then, I'll just enjoy what I have of it, even though both of the available seasons combined are only 35 episodes worth.

With St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues, those shows have continuing storylines. It is like removing pages in a book.

Guess it's back to looking for network broadcasts of my favorite shows for me.

I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. It can be Tempting to buy a Series from a "Bootleg" Source, however in doing so you might get a little more than you bargained for! Many of these Bootleggers are based in Foreign Countries and I'm certain many of them are "Fronts" for supporting Illicit Activities, including TERRORISM! So go ahead and buy that "Bootleg" set of Batman or any other series you cannot get legitimately. The next time you hear about a Leader getting Assassinated, or a Bomb explodes in a Crowded Marketplace Congratulations! You helped Finance it!