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Shows That Will Never Be Released (1 Viewer)

jimmyjet

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if you are brave enough to possibly need to eat your words later, list the shows that you think will never be released.

and if possible, say why.
 

Regulus

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Lets see,

Batman, Various "Rights" creating a major F.U.B.A.R.


The Wonder Years

New York Undercover

Cold Case "Music Rights" keep these three from being released



Amos & Andy

Custer

Song of the South (Movie) - These three shows are considered "Politically Incorrect"
 

MatthewA

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Amos 'n' Andy: The NAACP actually protested this show's existence and its presence in reruns. CBS capitulated twice, even though it had the effect of putting actors of color out of work. Most people of my parents' and grandparents' generation I have talked to who watched the show remember it fondly.The majority of daily TV shows prior to the 1980s (game shows, soaps, talk shows): Gone forever because it cost too much to store them
 

Frank Soyke

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I'll second "Cold Case." There is probably more music in this show than almost any other (save Wonder years and WKRP).
Some others IMO

1) The Defenders - Too topical for present day. Little syndication presence over the past 50 years. A long running show but basically forgotten by many.


2) Carter Country - A good comedy series, but the poltical overtones of the show would appear dated by today's standards

3) BJ/Lobo - I've read many back and forth posts on here regarding these series over the past few years, but I just don't see these coming out. It just doesn't appear that the demand would justify a release.People hace posted varying reports as to whether the masters are even available.

4) Most early to mid 50's shows not already released. I know people have disagreed with me on this before but I just don't see people 60+ buying a lot of DVD's. Someone had brought up the point that they might buy them as gifts. Good point, but I just am not seeing a 65 year old grandparent buy Our Miss Brooks or December Bride for their 20 yr old grandson. Other than a handful of hardcore collectors, this would be the demographic that would buy that stuff and they are NOT heavy DVD buyers. I Love Lucy was different due its iconic stature but the only other one I see being from released from this period is Ozzie and Harriet.

Don't get me wrong, I would just love to see all this stuff released but I don't think I will be "eating my words" anytime soon.
 

Ethan Riley

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I always maintain that our "nevers" eventually show up on dvd anyway. Here are some notorious "nevers" from the past:

Saturday Night Live
China Beach
Ally McBeal
The Carol Burnett Show

All of these were in the "never" category because of music rights. While it's true certain scenes were trimmed from Carol Burnett because of music rights, we still got a lot of episodes uncut, and doubtless more to come. Ally was one that people were really worried about...the show used a Barry White song repeatedly (he loved it so much he did a cameo on the show), they had Vonda Shepard perform weekly (she did loads of cover songs). The dancing babies performed "Hooked on a Feeling." Ally even sang "Dulcinea" from "Man of La Mancha" more than once. All of this and lots more wound up on the dvds. And the members of this forum said it couldn't be done. Well it was done, and I didn't exactly see the naysayers eating crow after "Ally" was released.

Any show can be released after music rights nightmares are solved. It takes a lot of time and a lot of sensitivity and care on the part of the dvd producers. When Sony or whoever slaps "WKRP" on dvd, they are not sensitive to the music rights issues. They're trying to turn a quick buck from catalog inventory. That's not what makes a good dvd in most cases.

Getting back to the message topic, I do see a market for pretty much every scripted show (that survives). That would include all comedies and dramas from the dawn of television to the present day. Will we have them all? No. It takes a lot of interest and money to make these things happen. But you just never know when the right people get their hands on these shows and try to make a go of it.

I don't expect ever to see "season" sets of soap operas, news programs, talk shows and most variety shows (there will be some exceptions to that last category). The daily soaps, news, talk and game shows simply have too many episodes to put out, but there are always "best of" collections.

We just take what we get. The fact that a certain older program isn't on dvd now doesn't mean it never will be. They are still releasing quality shows from the 50s and 60s. Not as quickly as they used to, but things are still coming out.
 

Regulus

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Longshots do come in from time to time. Remember a few years ago when The Six Million Dollar Man was tied up in a "Rights" Issue that prevented a release UNTIL the two parties came to a deal, and The show finally came out. China Beach was another one, it looked like Music Rights would prevent this show from being available, but a deal was cut, and you can now get this series as well. I thought one of my "Grail Shows" Ripcord was a gonner because of its age and obscurity but low and behold, we all know it's coming out on DVD this summer. :biggrin:
 

Jack P

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I hope to be proved wrong on Sheena, Queen Of The Jungle (1955). We have learned on the board that the Nassour heirs have the best possible prints and won't do anything with them because they can't afford the transfer and marketing costs. A pity since this was the first iconic comic book character brought to life on TV.
 

Frank Soyke

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I must respectfully disagree with the posters who state that most shows will eventually released. Please remember that this is still a business and there is simply not enough of a market for a lot of this stuff for the distributors to recoup their investment in putting them out. Sure, shows like Batman and Wonder Years have massive amounts of potential buyers waiting for them to be released, but many many shows do not fall into that category. This is evidenced by the fact that to this point only a handful of the 100's of one season sitcoms have been released to this point. As just one example, off the top of my head, out of the many "one and done" sitcoms that fit this category from the 60's, to my recollection, only Good Morning World has been released to this point. Very few others from the 50's (I can't think of even one), 70's, or 80's either. Will some of this stuff come out out eventually? Sure. But my guess is, out of all shows from this group, maybe 10 will ever see the light of day. A show like Accidental Family or O.K Crackerby just isn't going to help a distributor break even. IMO
 

jimmyjet

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hi,

thanks for the posts. my goal is to gather up the list that has been stated by people.

and then we can see just what happens, as time goes on.

i am already positive that there have been quite a few "nevers" that have been released.

then we will actually have some quantitative data to look at.

i am in the positive group, as i have already stated quite a few times.
 

FanCollector

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Not that it alters your larger point about one-season shows, but Gidget was another one-season sitcoms from the '60s. And some one-season dramas from the '60s have made it, like Going My Way and The Prisoner.
 

jimmyjet

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gosh, i have found memories of gidget !! i would have guessed it was on for more than one season.

sally field was pretty cute to me, as a boy - no doubt that had something to do with my recall !!
 

Frank Soyke

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I don't want to belabor the point but I think that sometimes those of on here tend to forget that we are but a small proportion of the buying public. Since we are in a subject specific forum, it sometimes seems that we are representative of all consumers at large. We are but a small portion of DVD consumers. I mean a lot of us here may want to see shows like Mr. Novak released, but what is the real market for this show? I think since we are but of a microchosm of consumers as a whole, sometimes we overestimate overall demand for some series.
 

jimmyjet

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hi frank,

i have made that very point here several times. (about being a small portion).

and being that we are enthusiasts, i also agree that our wants are not likely to be representative of the wants of the masses.

but that does not mean that other shows would not be equally enjoyed or liked, etc.

it just means that we can not use the "our desires" as representative of the masses.

which i have not.

and i still think the shows will be released.
 

Moe Dickstein

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I think down the line things will be available to stream but not be made to purchase. A soap opera is a good example. You can put up 20 years of a soap for streaming and just let people wade in and out where they want but that's not something realistic to sell - even something short running like Dark Shadows is a MASSIVE release, and that ran for what 5 years? General Hospital is 50 years old and Young and the Restless 40...
 

Frank Soyke

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Well like I said, opinions vary. I give you full permission to give me the biggest "I told you so" on the day Strike Force, Today's FBI, or McClain's Law are released. Jennifer Slept Here and Open All Night and I will "eat my words" with mustard.
 

AndyMcKinney

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here's some I think will never get released:

Cliff Hangers! (1979, NBC). As much as I'd like to be proved wrong, I sincerely doubt this will ever come out, unless the same folks from Australia who put out Darkroom are willing to take a chance.

Hardcore TV (HBO, mid '90s). There was some funny stuff there, but as this is still not out there, it looks like HBO have probably forgotten it even exists! C'mon, we need "Joy of Tattooing" and "This Old Whorehouse"!

Steambath (Showtime, 1982 or 83). 6 x 30 minute series, based on the stage play, with Robert Picardo playing Tandy. Hasn't been seen or heard from since the time of its original run.

9 to 5 (ABC). This one, despite name recongition and some familiar celebs, just doesn't have a chance. It really struggled to find an audience back in the day, and was given multiple chances (summer try-out, re-start with cast changes, move to syndication, etc.).

I would put It's a Living/Making a Living in the same boat. It struggled on ABC, was reborn in syndication, but is probably mostly-forgotten now. Since one of the characters was a lounge musician, there might be music rights issues there, too.

A large variety of single-season (or 'just barely two seasons') sitcoms, like At Ease!, Condo, Reggie, Star of the Family, Oh Madeline, Jennifer Slept Here, Mama Malone, Amanda's... the list could go on and on, but you get where I'm going. There are plenty of present-day examples, too, like Townies, Cupid, The Class, House of Buggin', Coupling, That '80s Show, etc.

Shows that were produced beyond the pilot stage (i.e. a run of multiple episodes), but never made it to air (one recent-ish example I can think of was the US remake of Kumars at No. 42 titled The Ortegas, which was intended for Fox).
 

jimmyjet

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Frank Soyke said:
Well like I said, opinions vary. I give you full permission to give me the biggest "I told you so" on the day Strike Force, Today's FBI, or McClain's Law are released. Jennifer Slept Here and Open All Night and I will "eat my words" with mustard.
LOL frank,

i dont think i know any of those shows. i am too lazy to look them up. are they 50s and 60s shows ?
 

jimmyjet

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just for clarification, my statement was based on the older shows that i know.

i cant really give an opinion on something that i know nothing about.
 

JamesSmith

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Dear Frank, I like some of your choices. Counterstrike and Today's FBI had some great theme songs.james
 

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