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Your cut-off point for TV series which you don't want to own in their entirety (1 Viewer)

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Sure, if you're a TV-on-DVD/Blu fan, you usually want complete runs of your favorite series. Sometimes, though, especially if it's a long-running series with major, arguably detrimental cast changes, or has altered in tone or quality due to a new producer or writing staff, or had just worn out its welcome, 'jumping the shark', you only want a subset of the overall run. Or perhaps you have some nostalgia for a show, and just a season or two scratches that itch.

This thread isn't intended to disparage the dyed-in-the-wool series completists; I myself tend to get full series runs more often than not. It's also not meant to slag on fans of later seasons of series that I no longer enjoy or stopped caring about. In a lot of cases, a later season generally considered 'inferior' yields some good, or even 'best of series' individual episodes. However, it might be an interesting exercise to see where we, as individuals, draw the line with some TV shows on the format.

THE BENNY HILL SHOW - I thought the humor took a nosedive during the disco era/Hill's Angels years; when I think fondly of Benny Hill, it's always his 1960s/early-1970s work, so post-1974 is where Hill and I part ways.

BEWITCHED - I never thought the show was truly all that funny, but the cast was great, and nostalgia from watching reruns as a kid makes it good 'comfort TV' for me today. I like the show a lot more when it was trying to be a semi-sophisticated comedy about a newlywed couple coping with rampant magic, Dick York was Darrin, and Alice Pierce was a rubber-faced human cartoon as the original Gladys Kravitz. Once Tabitha was born, and the show went to color, it steadily became more and more kiddie-oriented, Dick York's off-camera injury takes its toll, and my interest in it wanes. So, my cut-off point is Season 3: the preferable two B&W seasons, and a solid, token color season for me.

THE F.B.I. - I have vague memories of my father watching this in reruns in the early 1970s, but this was pretty much a blind buy. I like it, but seems best suited as a 1960s show, so the jury is out as to whether I'd want to eventually collect it into its early-1970s seasons. I might change my mind as I watch more, but right now, I see myself only picking up season 2 or 3 in the future.

HAWAII FIVE-0 - Another 'jury-is-out' situation, since I'm only really appreciating the show now on DVD, having taken it for granted in its years of syndicated reruns. I know Kono eventually leaves the show, and Chin Ho and Danno much later, and I've heard some say that the series loses its luster after Season 6, so that is my current cut-off point.

I DREAM OF JEANNIE - Similar situation as BEWITCHED (surprise, surprise); it seems fresher in its first couple of seasons, so my cut-off point is after the color Season 2. I might change my mind as I revisit the end of that season, but I doubt it.

LEXX - The first 'season' was actually four movie-length episodes. They seemed to have somewhat larger budgets, the plot (cheesy as it was) seemed more interesting, and most importantly, it had Eva Habermann as 'Zev'. She stuck around for the first couple of episodes of Season 2, but morphed into 'Xev' (Xenia Seeberg). Xenia was a rather stunning-looking gal, but the magic of 'Zev' was gone, and the show became sort of a cut-rate, latter-day LOST IN SPACE. Fortunately, when I was collecting the show on DVD, Season 2 was split into individual volumes for sale, so my cut-off point was Season 2, Vol. 1.

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. - Seasons 1, 4 and most of Season 2 played things relatively straight, but Season 3 was really bad, cartoony camp, in its efforts to duplicate BATMAN's success. Fortunately, Time-Life released season sets after the Complete Series set debuted, so I was able to side-step the dreaded Season 3. Cut-off point was Season 2, resume point, Season 4. :)

MANNIX - I like MANNIX, but I don't love it. It was, like HAWAII FIVE-0, something I mostly ignored and took for granted as a kid. I pretty much get what I want out of the first two seasons, when he was working at 'Intertect', and then as a regular private eye in Season 2, which is my cut-off point, unless the show still really grabs me by the end of that season.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - Like THE F.B.I., this seems to fit the 1960s better than the 1970s, but the departure of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, plus the original head writers, have me losing interest after Season 3, which is my cut-of point for MI.

THE SIMPSONS - Lost much of its comedy mojo after Season 8, a common complaint, so that's my cut-off point. I know there were some good (and great) episodes after that, but not with the same consistency as in the earlier seasons.

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE - When Season 1 was announced for DVD release, I realized that all the episodes I essentially had any fond memories of were in that initial season, and tended to be in the first half of that season. I also remember that the later seasons seemed to look even cheaper than the already-bargain-basement 1st season, and stories were often more whimsy than horror, so I severed relations with TALES after Season 1.

So, where do YOU draw the line? :biggrin:
 

Gary Seven

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I'm usually a completest on shows I enjoy and will get all seasons of my favorite shows eventually (if I don't have them already). The only exception in my collection is the Superman series. I stop at the first season with Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane, who remains my favorite Lois Lane to this day. After the first season, it gets old fast (for me).
 

Ejanss

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Peter M Fitzgerald said:
THE BENNY HILL SHOW - I thought the humor took a nosedive during the disco era/Hill's Angels years; when I think fondly of Benny Hill, it's always his 1960s/early-1970s work, so post-1974 is where Hill and I part ways.
I DREAM OF JEANNIE - Similar situation as BEWITCHED (surprise, surprise); it seems fresher in its first couple of seasons, so my cut-off point is after the color Season 2. I might change my mind as I revisit the end of that season, but I doubt it.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - Like THE F.B.I., this seems to fit the 1960s better than the 1970s, but the departure of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, plus the original head writers, have me losing interest after Season 3, which is my cut-of point for MI.
Benny Hill had some good moments with the Angels before they took over the show (at least more than the dreary musical guests)--But by the time he was playing with the kids, the writing was on the wall.

Jeannie in color? The series was only beginning.
Jeannie married in Season 5? Jumped shark. There was no one for her to be jealous of anymore, and putting her in 60's mod clothes and not having to hide in the bottle made her just another naive blonde.

And I didn't mind Leonard Nimoy taking over Landau's master-of-disguise spot, just so long as he could stay in it for more than two seasons.
No, the big fat jumped shark in M:I was Season 6, right after the "Youth in protest" S5 finale, when "Covert foreign CIA ops" was now suddenly a dirty word, and IMF went after "the Syndicate" at home because "Local law enforcement have been unable to apprehend." Which meant we got the same 60's-gangster acting and mob-family divide-and-conquer strategy every week. Oh, and THEN they wrote out Landau/Nimoy's character for good.
Peter M Fitzgerald said:
THE SIMPSONS - Lost much of its comedy mojo after Season 8, a common complaint, so that's my cut-off point. I know there were some good (and great) episodes after that, but not with the same consistency as in the earlier seasons.
Conan O'Brien is well aware of his reputation for the "Monorail" episode being considered the official Last Old-Fashioned Funny Simpsons Episode, before he left for SNL and talk shows. It's become kind of a legend for that.

A few other non-negotiable jumped-sharks from those on my shelf:
Twilight Zone The hour-long Season 4. To make a short story long...
The Flintstones Season 4, Baby Pebbles Meets Bamm-Bamm. Not only "'Nuff said", but took all the Honeymooners out of the humor and turned it Saturday-morning.
Moonlighting, Season 3: The jumped shark by which all other sharks in TV history are judged.
The Avengers '69. I liked Tara King. But even Patrick Macnee couldn't stand the idea of Steed taking orders from "Mother". (So the heck was this out-of-the-blue character supposed to be, anyway? A genius? A government think-tank? A prissy coward? A pompous fraud? Y'know, just a hint??)
Mystery Science Theater 3000 The boxsets are mixed, so I can't filter out the Michael J. Nelson years (S6+), where Steven Wright was replaced with Adam Sandler. Or the seasons where SyFy insisted they have a painfully self-conscious "Wacky running plot" so they could pay more narcissistic attention to themselves than to the movies.
Monty Python's Flying Circus Season 4 (beginning with "Buying an ant at Harrod's"): John Cleese takes a silly-walk out of the show, and takes all the old-fashioned humor with him. Leaving nothing but baffling unfunny, brick-subtle and unpointed "satire", wall-to-wall BBC-poking jokes (okay, they're the hand that feeds you, we freakin' GET it!), sketches where they just sort of give up halfway and tell the same running non-sequitir joke over and over, and Michael Palin playing endless variations on one favorite oddball-character shtick until you're about ready to strangle him. And Ripping Yarns wasn't much improvement.
 

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Fascinating question. I will admit to having a touch of the obsessive, but there are a few shows I was satisfied with only in part:The Simpsons--I quit after the ninth season. There are still lots of funny bits in subsequent years, but it became much more of a simple joke machine after that.The Andy Griffith Show--The last three seasons are by no means bad television, but they just aren't ever the ones I want to watch and I never felt they added much to the characters.The Avengers--I only have the Diana Rigg years. Her performance sets them apart, but the tone of the show was quite different before and after her time there. Again, not a bad show without her, but not one I would watch over and over.Burke's Law--I have the first season as released by VCI and my own recordings of the second season, but the retooled Amos Burke, Secret Agent never appealed to me.My Name is Earl--My nominee for biggest quality free fall ever. The first season stands with some of the all-time great shows. The second season was quite good. The third and fourth seasons were almost unwatchable for me. I did not buy them on DVD. There are numerous other series where I felt that a particular season (often the last one) was a major step down in quality, but perhaps I'm just a little too obsessive to leave out one season in cases like that. One instance where the series itself convinced me otherwise was Murder, She Wrote. I had decided in advance that the first four seasons were the best ones and I would stop after those. Then, I decided I'd go to the end of the Peter S. Fischer era after seven seasons. Then, I just kept enjoying them (admittedly a little less) and got the entire series.
 

Jeff Willis

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Peter,
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I looked at my TV/DVD list and there are a lot that are in this category for me, more than I'd thought before looking after reading your thread. I guess it shows that I'm probably not in the "completist" camp as I'd guess that most collectors on the forum are in that group.

ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW - I stopped at S5. I like the show but wasn't interested in continuing past the "Don Knotts" era of the show.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS - I didn't get S4 but I have the rest of the series. I wasn't a fan of Shelly Hack in S4.

DALLAS (original) - I stopped at S6, which is really S5, since the S1 DVD set consisted of the first full season of the show, plus the pilot and "intro" season. It's a long-running series and, for me, it lost a big character when Jim Davis passed.

DANIEL BOONE - I have S1-5 but that's due to one of my best friends, a member of this forum. I might get S6 at some point but for now, 5 are enough for me. Good show but S6 isn't a priority at present.

DENNIS THE MENACE - Stopped after S3. After the loss of Joseph Kearns as the original "Mr Wilson", it wasn't the same for me.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH - Not sure about this one yet, assuming WBA continues releases. I'm leaning toward stopping after S2. The show lost some of its momentum for me after S2-3 or so. I wanted to get 1 season ea with the 2 "Mom"'s so my main goal was fulfilled.

FALCON CREST - Another one where it'll be determined if more releases are coming but I think I'll stop after S3 or 4. It's another one that I like but it's 9 seasons and I'm ok with the first 3-4.

FANTASY ISLAND - I won't get the compete run, if Shout continues, but I'll probably stop after S3 or 4. The show went into more of a "mystic" direction after S1-2 and it didn't appeal to me as much for that reason, as well as the cast changes later in the series.

THE FBI - I have S1-2 and I think I'll stop there. I like the show but wasn't a big fan during the original airing or as a collector.

GUNSMOKE - If the entire run is released, I'll stop after S11, the last B/W season. The color seasons weren't as good for me, and I'm ok with 11 of 20 for this one.

HAPPY DAYS - I'm stopping after S4 for a couple of reasons. One reason, is, for me, the show was losing some of it's "50's flavor" around that time, and it had begun to be a "Fonzie-centric" series. Also, imo, it wasn't as good, once they began filming for a live audience.

HAZEL - I'll stop at S4. Cast changes and 1-4 are enough for me with this show.

HILL STREET BLUES - I have S1-4 now but this one's a tough call for me. I might obtain S5-7 but can't decide now. I liked the addition of Dennis Franz, one of the best "natural cops" for TV, imo, but the show didn't have its original flavor for me after S4.

The main reason for me, though, was the loss of Michael Conrad, an outstanding character acter who played many villains in TV, but was the best "desk Sgts" that I've seen in any police series on TV. I had a tough time watching the original airings after he passed away.

KNOTS LANDING - I'm not sure where I'll stop, but I'd like more releases of this show. I have S1-2 and, if released, would probably stop at the point where the main characters all started joining the "millionaire" scene in the show.

I'm a big fan of S1-2 though, with the "cul-de-sac" feeling and the more "middle-class" flavor in the series.

LOST WORLD ('99-02) - I didn't get S3 since I really liked 2 of the main cast, Jennifer O'Dell, and David Orth, who were absent in a lot of S3.

LOVE AMERICAN STYLE - I have S1 and that's enough for me. It's ok but didn't hold up for me as much as most of the older shows that I watched when they aired.

LOVE BOAT - I want more of this one but wouldn't collect the complete series. Cast changes and the length of the series are the reasons for me.

MacGYVER - I have S1-2 but, for some reason that I can't define, it didn't strike me as most collectors & fans of the series. Good show but just wasn't hitting the chord for me.

MAN FROM UNCLE - S1 is ok for me here. Peter's input on this one is great. It's the main reasons that I wasn't interested in collecting the complete series.

MOONLIGHTING - S1-3 are my stopping point. "Ejanss" said it best for me ^.

MURDER ONE - It changed formats after S1. I really like S1 but after that one, I wasn't in for the new approach in S2.

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN - I can't explain this one at all, but S1 was enough for me. It's a great show but just isn't as high in my rankings as most of its fans.

NYPD BLUE - S1-2 are enough for me. Imo, the show lost a lot after David Caruso left the show but Jimmy Smits was as good a "shoe-filler" in that role as they could cast and did a remarkable job following Caruso.

RAWHIDE - I'll be done after S7. Reason: No Eric Fleming as Favor = stop collecting for this show.

THE ROOKIES - S1 was good for me, assuming it continues. It didn't hold up for me as well as I had anticipated from original-airing views.

SMALLVILLE - One of my favorite blind-buys but the changes to the show after Kristin Kreuk left was not working for me. She was a big reason that I enjoyed this show.

SUPERMAN (50's SERIES) - "Gary Seven", you nailed it for me, with your post. Same reasons for me. I do have S2 but that one came via "Santa".

TAXI - I have S1-4 but that's mainly due to "Santa" again. It's ok but 4 are enough for me.

THAT GIRL - It's in my "not sure yet" group. I like S1 but that may be enough for me.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT - I have S1 and may pick up S2 eventually. I'm good with S1 for now.

VOYAGE TO BOTTOM OF SEA - S1-2 are where I stopped. I like those but it went into the monster mode more into S3-4 which is ok for most fans of the show.

WAGON TRAIN - I have S1-4 and the "color" set. I really like S1-2 so far but Ward Bond was hard to top the role as the "wagonmaster" in this series. I prefer the B/W flavor vs the color years for the series.

X FILES - I have S1 and haven't given the series a fair chance, having only seen a few episodes but it's not striking the "collector's chord" for me. I might get back to that one later though.
 

Jack P

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Moonlighting. I refuse to own the last two seasons when the show was irrevocably ruined and in S3 I will not watch any episodes past "It's A Wonderful Job" which as far as I'm concerned is the true last episode of the series.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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Turning the premise around, I sometimes target a 'sample year or two' of an older series, instead of trying to collect the whole thing, and hope or try to research which sample year is the best.

DICK VAN DYKE SHOW - Season Two. Love the show, but maybe this year is the best.

THE FUGITIVE - Season One. Great character anthology show, but no real location shots. I have the whole run of Route 66 for that.

ENTOURAGE - Season Two. Here's a show that just went round in circles, but a taste is perfect.

THE VIRGINIAN - Probably my favorite western, but I'll stick with Seasons 1-4, because the guest stars tend to diminish as well as the consistent quality of the scripts after Lee J. Cobb leaves.

THE X-FILES - Seasons 1-4 are pretty consistently excellent, with several episodes worth the entire seasons, imo.

COMBAT - Sorry, the whole damned series. Just too memorable an experience watching with my WWII vet Dad when I was a kid (and him complaining that they never ran out of ammo), then watching again with my own kid a few years ago when he was around the same age I saw it (and appreciating the non-fighting part of the stories this time around).

DEXTER - Season 2. Here's a show that got better up to Season Three, then really just started to tread water near sharks.

I DREAM OF JEANNIE - Season 2. I don't know why. That's usually when a show finds its legs. Also, who could resist Barbara Eden during puberty?

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - Every season so far. Consistent quality of material based on proven short stories. It holds up wonderfully.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE - Every season. I just watched Season 4 on BD again for the first time in decades and was quite surprised how many excellent episodes there were, and just how much I enjoyed the different pace as a change.

STAR TREK (TOS) - Seasons 1-2. Let's face it, Season Three was pretty lame.

STAR TREK (TNG) - Season 3. Just picked this up. Never watched the series during the 80s (I was partying too much), but I hear this one's the best.

TRUE BLOOD - Season 1. That's all you need.

GAME OF THRONES - Seasons 1-2, so far. But Season Three is definitely getting better.

I SPY - All three seasons. Hey, it only lasted three and what great chemistry between Culp and Cosby.

THE OUTER LIMITS - Again, only two seasons, one and half of which were brilliant. Forget the reboot show.

MAVERICK - Seasons 1-2. I'll skip this once James Garner is gone. Read his book. What a great character. And when you find out how tough his childhood was, you'll be even more amazed at his laid back charismatic performances in this and Rockford Files.

M*A*S*H - Season Four. The one where Henry dies. Oops, sorry about that spoiler. But this show never stops running on TV, so why would you even need it?

PICKET FENCES - Season 1. Firing on all cylinders.

THE AVENGERS - 66-67. Diana Rigg episodes only, of course.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE - The complete series. Great characters. Immensely re-watchable.
 

David Weicker

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I too stopped Moonlighting after the second set (Season 3). There were some enjoyable episodes in the last two seasons, but not enough for me to purchase the DVDs. And I love The Straight Poop. And even though it isn't the same vibe, the Mark Harmon episodes are enjoyable - just not really Moonlighting (David standing in the rain was very memorable)

War Of The Worlds - Season 1. Season 2 was a different show with some of the same characters.

Lost In Space. The first season is dramatic, the second two are more campy.



And on a related topic, what about shows where the early seasons are the ones to not own. There are several show that either underwent major re-tooling after the first season, or added a major character, where the early seasons are practically a different show. The best example of this would be Newhart. For shows like this, I always felt bad that DVD sets started with season 1 (and the sales of that 'different' season held up sales of the better, or more popular, seasons).
 

Regulus

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I bought the first 14 seasons of The Simpsons, That's enough for me.
 

jimmyjet

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i only buy complete series. cuz i want to watch it in its entirety.

that does not mean that i wont find some eras better than others, especially on the long-running shows.

so far, i have completed tos, tng, voyager, andromeda, centennial, combat, dick van dyke, father murphy, jag, lois & clark, north & south, stargate.

while the shows all have various individual appeals for me, i did not find any of the shows to be such that i would not want to own it all.

i did miss particular characters when they left. tasha yar from tng, for example. adam from bonanza.

and the character seven of nine was stupendous (and no, not because of her body). how they ever let seven marry chakotay is beyond stupidity. seven would never have liked him. she liked the doctor, and the doctor loved her - that was a perfect matchup.
 

Joe Lugoff

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I thought for sure someone would mention THE LUCY SHOW.

Putting Lucy's three series of half-hour sitcoms that ran six years each together, it's best to stop in the middle, after all six seasons of I LOVE LUCY and the first three of THE LUCY SHOW. The last three seasons of THE LUCY SHOW and all of HERE'S LUCY are like seeing a Bizarro World version of Lucy. Actually, stopping after Season 2 of THE LUCY SHOW might be even better.
 

BobO'Link

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I'm very much a completist but there *are* several series where I really don't care or want the entire run.First a few I never intended to complete but did anyway.Bewitched is one where I intended to stop at S5 as it just got weaker and weaker after the Tabitha era started. I also prefer Dick York as Darrin so 5 was good. However I got a deal ($6 each) on S6-8 so purchased them anyway. I've watched 6 and my initial feelings are pretty much right. It's not as good as the first 5.Dennis the Menace - Intended to stop with S3 due to the loss of Joseph Kearns but I won a copy of S4 so...The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Intended to only purchase S1 & S2 but got a great deal on the briefcase set ($50) so purchased the whole thing.Married with Children - While I enjoy the show a couple or three seasons really would be enough and I'd picked up S1-S4 but I got the whole thing for under $20 new and was able to return S2-4 which totally payed for the entire run package with a bit of change.Moonlighting - Like others, I feel it jumped in S4 but, again, great prices sucked me in and I now own the entire series. Haven't watched beyond S3 yet but I own them.The Partridge Family - S1-S3 are fun but S4 is horrible and I was going to stop with S3. Same song again with a very low price for S4 to complete.Sliders - After S3 it just wasn't the same. Arturo is dead and the Kari Wuhrer eye candy is in full swing. But low prices sucked me in for S4 & S5... again (notice a recurring theme here?).Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - S1 & S2 are favorites and I was stopping there. I had no intention of purchasing S3 & S4 but a good sale did me in again.Here are some I have no plans to complete (of course a low price on certain ones will get a purchase "just because").Andy Griffith - I've never cared for the seasons past S5. Once Barney left it just wasn't the same. I've *never* liked Warren. It's possible low prices will get me to make a purchase but it'd have to be *very* low.Bonanza - I only own the first half of S2 but have plans to only purchase roughly S1-S3. I like the show but 3-4 seasons will be enough.The Brady Bunch - I own S1 & S2 for nostalgia in spite of not really caring for the series much. I made the purchase as much as anything to see if my grandkids like it. Zero plans for any more unless they are free.The Cosby Show - Own S1-S4 and that's all I want. I didn't like the tone of the show after S4 with grandkids coming, Theo in college, Rudy growing up and a new "kid" added to keep things "fresh" plus the tendency towards being "topical" too often as the series progressed.Designing Women - Have S1 & S2 but haven't watched them yet. I've not seen the show in years so I really don't know how it will hold up. If I see a good price on further seasons I may purchase them but will probably hold off until I've watched those first 2 again. I recall it going downhill and becoming pretty much the same thing every week after the first few seasons.Family Guy - The original run is all I have and want. After it was off the air and brought back it just didn't feel the same. No intentions to purchase any past volume 4.The Flintstones - Own S1-S3. S4=Bam-Bam. Pebbles was "OK" but I didn't like that addition during the original run (s3) so S4 and up are off the table.Futurama - Much like Family Guy I really have little interest in anything that's been released after the initial series cancellation. This may not be fair here as I've read good reviews on the continuation and haven't actually seen any of the new episodes but I'm happy with what I have.I Love Lucy - Own S1-S3. I'm probably one of a handful of people who just didn't care for the show when it left NY for LA in S4 and they never won me back. The constant parade of celebrity walk-ons during that season turns me off. I'll watch the episodes in syndication but don't care if I own them or not past S3 *unless* I can get them for under $5 each.Leave it to Beaver - Own S1-S4. I really don't much care for the seasons when Beaver was older. The schtick just didn't seem to work as well for me. Of course I could change my mind if they go on sale but...no true intentions past S4.M.A.S.H. - I own S1 - S6 and while S5 & S6 are not as good as the first 4 seasons they *are* still funny and haven't yet turned into the Alan Alda Soap Box the later seasons became. I'm not sure low prices (other than free) would get me to pick up further seasons of this one.Mission Impossible - I'd intended to only purchase S1-S3 as I really didn't much care for the series after Landau and Bain left but I decided I really needed to own the first season with Nimoy so purchased S4 when the price dropped under $15. I *may* purchase more but it'll take really good prices (under $10/season).Night Court - Own S1-S3. This one is hard. I *really* want the later seasons but at this point am not ready to pay inflated prices for MOD product. Because it's only available as MOD I'm staying away. If it goes to pressed seasons I'll jump on any/all of them.Quantum Leap - Own S1 & S2. Haven't watch this in years (DVDs are still unopened) but don't really think I'll need any beyond these 2 seasons. I recall it being fairly good but nothing "special" where I'd want the entire run.Perry Mason - I own a few half seasons and have plans to complete at least S1-S3. While I *do* like the show it really feels the same week after week after week so right now I'm thinking a few seasons will be enough.Rawhide - I own 2 seasons and this *might* be enough. While I *do* like the series I'm not sure I really want to add any more to my collection. Like a few others good prices will get more purchases but probably no more than another couple of seasons.Two and a Half Men - Another one that's pretty good for the first 4-5 seasons but starts to get old after that. I own S1-S3 and may purchase a couple more but I'm thinking it'll take really low prices for anything beyond S5.Will and Grace - Got a good deal on a S1-S2 two pack but after those first two seasons the show got pretty repetitive and a bit over-the-top for me. 2 are enough.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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BobO'Link said:
Night Court - Own S1-S3. This one is hard. I *really* want the later seasons but at this point am not ready to pay inflated prices for MOD product. Because it's only available as MOD I'm staying away. If it goes to pressed seasons I'll jump on any/all of them.
You'll be happy to know that Warner Archives' release of Seasons 6 & 7 are pressed discs, rather than MOD (I just pulled my copies off the shelf to make sure). Seasons 4 & 5, however, are burned DVD-Rs.
 

Ejanss

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Jack P said:
Moonlighting. I refuse to own the last two seasons when the show was irrevocably ruined and in S3 I will not watch any episodes past "It's A Wonderful Job" which as far as I'm concerned is the true last episode of the series.
If that's the one with the Gilbert & Sullivan song, it was the last entertaining moment in the series until the clever finale episode.
Hollywoodaholic said:
THE TWILIGHT ZONE - Every season. I just watched Season 4 on BD again for the first time in decades and was quite surprised how many excellent episodes there were, and just how much I enjoyed the different pace as a change.
"On Thursday We All Leave For Home" is one of the official Great Serling Episodes (and "The Bard" most assuredly was not), and "Death Ship" proves that there are no bad Jack Klugman episodes. Um, two out of eighteen, that's IT. I have it on good authority that "Jess-Belle" is up there, but it only predicts how much Earl Hamner was going to take over Season 5.
 

Ron1973

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Jeff Willis said:
Peter,
34r63xj.jpg


I looked at my TV/DVD list and there are a lot that are in this category for me, more than I'd thought before looking after reading your thread. I guess it shows that I'm probably not in the "completist" camp as I'd guess that most collectors on the forum are in that group.


DALLAS (original) - I stopped at S6, which is really S5, since the S1 DVD set consisted of the first full season of the show, plus the pilot and "intro" season. It's a long-running series and, for me, it lost a big character when Jim Davis passed.

DANIEL BOONE - I have S1-5 but that's due to one of my best friends, a member of this forum. I might get S6 at some point but for now, 5 are enough for me. Good show but S6 isn't a priority at present.
Dallas did get somewhat weaker as the show went on but there was still plenty to like in those last seasons. J.R. checking himself into a mental institution and unable to get out was revenge served well!

Daniel Boone's post-Mingo episodes weren't as good but there's something with S1 that almost bores me to tears. It's not that it's in b&w as that generally doesn't bother me. The color episodes seem to gel better for me. I DVR'd all of these unedited from WHT and then they quit showing them. Sadly, I had deleted them and it makes me sick when I see what the DVD's are going for.

And one show that to me got better in its later years was Bonanza. I don't like Adam; he's too condescending and it's obvious he felt stifled by his role. The later years got more outdoorsy and less "staged."
 

MatthewA

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Regulus said:
I bought the first 14 seasons of The Simpsons, That's enough for me.
You made it further than I did. Season 12 was my cutoff point.I also only own the first three seasons of Family Guy. These two shows are the exceptions in my collection, not the rule.
 

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Hollywoodaholic said:
Turning the premise around, I sometimes target a 'sample year or two' of an older series, instead of trying to collect the whole thing, and hope or try to research which sample year is the best.

COMBAT - Sorry, the whole damned series. Just too memorable an experience watching with my WWII vet Dad when I was a kid (and him complaining that they never ran out of ammo), then watching again with my own kid a few years ago when he was around the same age I saw it (and appreciating the non-fighting part of the stories this time around).
fwrc6d.jpg
Probably my #1 tv intro is S1's Combat...a Selmur Production
1zd3r07.jpg


I watched most of the series with Dad but he was a Navy guy (Pacific/Battleship).

That series is one of the few that I knew I'd be in for the complete run. We were fortunate that Image released the complete series.
BobO'Link said:
I'm very much a completist but there *are* several series where I really don't care or want the entire run.

First a few I never intended to complete but did anyway.

Bewitched is one where I intended to stop at S5 as it just got weaker and weaker after the Tabitha era started. I also prefer Dick York as Darrin so 5 was good. However I got a deal ($6 each) on S6-8 so purchased them anyway. I've watched 6 and my initial feelings are pretty much right. It's not as good as the first 5.
I completed this one for the same reasons. I hadn't intended to collect past S5 but "Santa" came through for the remaining seasons.
Ejanss said:
"On Thursday We All Leave For Home" is one of the official Great Serling Episodes (and "The Bard" most assuredly was not), and "Death Ship" proves that there are no bad Jack Klugman episodes. Um, two out of eighteen, that's IT. I have it on good authority that "Jess-Belle" is up there, but it only predicts how much Earl Hamner was going to take over Season 5.
That episode is also one of my favorite TZ episodes.
Ron1973 said:
Dallas did get somewhat weaker as the show went on but there was still plenty to like in those last seasons. J.R. checking himself into a mental institution and unable to get out was revenge served well!
I heard about some of the later season things with Dallas but other collector-set priorities always seem to override continuing with the series.
 

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Hogan's Heroes season 6. Kinchloe left. Kenneth (No Diologue Baker) Washington took over
 

Frank Soyke

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Get Smart- Season 5. Network change.... and change to very grainy color with bad writing
 

Jack P

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Ejanss said:
If that's the one with the Gilbert & Sullivan song, it was the last entertaining moment in the series until the clever finale episode.
No, it's the Christmas episode with the take-off of "It's A Wonderful Life" that as far as I'm concerned has the perfect final shot of the series given how bad everything afterwards was.
 

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