I Just Got Alf...A Little Sad (1 Viewer)

[Dorrie_W]

Plus didn't this article at TVSHOWSONDVD.COM
say that all they had to work with was the syndicated episodes?

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2067

 

[JeffWld]

"Plus didn't this article at TVSHOWSONDVD.COM
say that all they had to work with was the syndicated episodes?"


That rather lame excuse was used to explain away why the first season episodes were released "as is". However, the fact that LG plowed ahead and repeated the unnecessary mess for a second season tells me a lot about LG's contempt for customer feedback and the integrity of their product.

 

[Marko Berg]

Seems to me they put even less effort into this second season than the first season. Definitely no sale. It's a shame.

 

[Dorrie_W]

Did I open a can of worms?

I was just wondering though....if they only had access to syndicated cuts for season 1 were we to think season 2 should be different?

Should they have just shelved the Alf DVD's if they didn't have clean original run episodes?

 

[TravisR]

Yes. Here comes many, many angry tirades against syndicated cuts in general and Lion's Gate. And it's not all undeserved

 

[Dorrie_W]

Oh well it's interesting because until I started visiting this site and heard about Alf 1 and Too Close For Comfort (i think they had a syndicated episode issue) I wasn't really aware of stuff like this.

It is noticible too, I didn't think I would notice.

I guess I'm torn though, if they only had the syndicated cut in my book I guess it's better than nothing at all. However..I will look at things from another perspective.

Had it been a show I REALLY REALLY love like Jem, I would probably be a bit steamed....

 

[MatthewA]

But if they are cutting them UNDER 20 MINUTES, the glass isn't half-empty, it's broken!

 

[Michael Alden]

They didn't "only have" the cut episodes. They just used what they were given and didn't want to be bothered having to work with the original tapes. As for better than nothing, why not do what the rest of us have done and transfer over the clean off-air records from the NBC network run?

 

[Marko Berg]

Yes.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Well said.

 

[Pavan_P]

Here is the ALF S2 Review:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/alfseason2dvdreview.html

 

[Dorrie_W]

Okay well I don't work for Lion's Gate I just took their word for what they said based on the information they provided Tvshowsondvd in the news story. But seriously, based on the huge number of complaints with season 1, wouldn't you think they would have used the original run episodes for Season 2 if they could? I'm just giving them the benefit of the doubt....I just dont look at them like this malicious studio out to ruin Alf..


It appears that most of the people interested in the serious watched it during it's run in the 80's, so knowing that this is your target audience why not do everything to please them and sell more units?

I dunnoo....so some of you all think they just didn't want to be bothered cleaning up the older original run tapes?

 

[Dorrie_W]

Pavan, you really out did yourself with that review. It was very good, I like the screen shots...

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Dorrie, if Alf were the only show that Lions Gate had done this too, I might be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I also believe they released some edited episodes of Will and Grace and other shows.

 

[Dane Marvin]

Besides, before Lion's Gate even had their mitts in the ALF cookie jar, I remember a single-disc release with a handful of ALF episodes being released by a small-time Canadian outfit and even THEY were able to get the uncut episodes! Lion's Gate simply hasn't tried or doesn't care.

And like it has been said before, ALF isn't the first show LG has done this to.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Of course, then you might want to buy the Season 2 DVD set, so you can claim that the DVD-R's are just a backup copy of that set. They will be, sorta.

 

[John*P]

It might be. Wasn't that episode on the Canadian Alf DVD? I believe there was an hour-long episode on the Season 1 set that was also unedited. (that also appeared on the Canadian Alf DVD)

 

[Joseph Bolus]

That Christmas episode ... Is that the one where Alf meets Tiffany in the hospital? That had to be one of the best Alf episodes ever made. I seem to recall that it had better than average "floor effects" as well with several scenes that rendered Alf actually walking.

It's good to hear that that episode, at least, may have been preserved on this DVD set intact.

I am really up in the air over this! I skipped Season One due to the syndication issue ... but I would *really* like to have this Alf Christmas episode on DVD. I may have to purchase this set just for that one ep! *sigh*

 

[Christian Preischl]

Then just import the Canadian "Alf Files" DVD. It's cheap, all 3 one-hour episodes (including the Christmas episode) are completely uncut, it has audio commentary by ALF on "Try to remember" and the image quality is great, too. That way you get the episode you want, and don't have to support an inferior product.

EDIT: Seems to be hard to find these days, but amazon.ca still has it.

Chris

 

[MatthewA]

Oh why, Oh why did VSC not try to get the rights to the whole series? If the "ALF Files" disc is any indication, they would have done it properly.