Lou Grant (1 Viewer)

[Harry-N]

Throughout the seventies, I really enjoyed THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and was as dismayed as anyone when the series folded. The idea of taking the character of Lou Grant and developing a spin-off series - that I wasn't sure of. Rhoda and Phyllis had done it, but I wasn't sure if one featuring Lou Grant could survive,

Though I thought the series started out kind of slow, I really came to enjoy it, and now wonder why it's not been made available in anything other than streaming for the first three seasons. Perhaps it's because the series is quite dated.

It's centered around a large metropolitan newspaper (which these days is a dying breed). It features reporters early on using typewriters, later graduating to now-antiquated VDTs, using pay-phones to phone in stories, with a photographer who develops his own film. Talk about multiple whammies!

Still, the main attraction in the series is its stories, which were all well-crafted, and the interaction of the excellent cast. This is one series I'd buy in a heartbeat, but I'm not likely to do much with streaming. I guess I'm antiquated too...

Harry

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Du you think it is possible that some would-be releasers have shied away because the content could be "too political"?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Honestly, it's a Fox show, and Fox has never seemed to treat their old shows that well when it comes to DVD.

Yes, MASH was treated very well. If you consider Ally McBeal a classic by this point, they did an amazing job clearing all the music for that show. OTOH, The Mary Tyler Moore show took longer to release on DVD than it was originally on the air. Bob Newhart's various series have been stalled out and forgotten. Fox (and MGM) shows licensed out generally come to a halt with a season to go, for various reasons.

If the first three seasons are available for streaming, that may be the best you'll get.

 

[JMFabianoRPL]

Yeah I still wonder if Grant Tinker did something to Rupert Murdoch's cornflakes one morning to make Fox hate MTM so much.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

M*A*S*H is like their star child I gather, can't think of too many other classic live-action shows they'd care more for. It's a pity though, would love to see Lou Grant released I used to watch it too. Why they don't go MOD on their back catalog in the first place, is another head scratcher. Tons of stuff I'd buy.

 

[Jack P]

Yeah I still wonder if Grant Tinker did something to Rupert Murdoch's cornflakes one morning to make Fox hate MTM so much.

Is there a reason why *everything* that has some association with Fox has to get equated to Fox News Channel somehow? I don't see anyone ever suggesting there is a political reason behind the fact that the parent company responsible for MSNBC impacts the matter of what Universal series get released or not.

 

[JoeDoakes]

This is one show you don't hear much about, even on a place like this. There doesn't seem to be much demand for it.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Is there a reason why *everything* that has some association with Fox has to get equated to Fox News Channel somehow? I don't see anyone ever suggesting there is a political reason behind the fact that the parent company responsible for MSNBC impacts the matter of what Universal series get released or not.

Obviously you've never heard people talk about Siffy before.

EVERYTHING is Bonnie Hammer's fault. EVERYTHING.

 

[Neil Brock]

Great show, which I only actually started watched a couple of years ago. I was able to burn DVDs of the 3 seasons that they stream, minus 3 or 4 episodes that aren't available. And of the episodes on there, all but 4 are uncut. The remainder I have timesped from A&E with a bunch more that a friend recorded from the original CBS airings. But, like most shows of its kind (The Defenders, East Side West Side, etc.) its just not going to have enough mass appeal to warrant a release. Not as if Fox would bother anyway. But count how many posts this thread gets and then compare it to BJ and the Bear or Me and the Chimp or any other shows that appeal to the double digit IQ crowd and you'll have your answer.

 

[John Hermes]

Great show, which I only actually started watched a couple of years ago. I was able to burn DVDs of the 3 seasons that they stream, minus 3 or 4 episodes that aren't available. And of the episodes on there, all but 4 are uncut. The remainder I have timesped from A&E with a bunch more that a friend recorded from the original CBS airings. But, like most shows of its kind (The Defenders, East Side West Side, etc.) its just not going to have enough mass appeal to warrant a release. Not as if Fox would bother anyway. But count how many posts this thread gets and then compare it to BJ and the Bear or Me and the Chimp or any other shows that appeal to the double digit IQ crowd and you'll have your answer.

Why the need to insult those people who like the shows you mentioned in your last sentence?

 

[Jack P]

Could I please see a link to the thread with all those endless posts asking for "Me And The Chimp?" It'd be nice to see some factual information to back that up rather than bitter hot air.

Part of the reason why "Lou Grant" is not remembered fondly has to do with the fact that like it or not, it turned a lovable character from the ensemble of a beloved show into a figure who became associated with pretentious soapboxing on issues from one end of the political spectrum. It was no longer Lou Grant as played by Ed Asner, it became Ed Asner using the character of Lou Grant as a mouthpiece for his real life politics. I think most people who are fans of the MTM Show (and would you call us "double digit" IQ people?) are not exactly going to be automatically interested in this show because it's not the same character.

 

[JMFabianoRPL]

Is there a reason why *everything* that has some association with Fox has to get equated to Fox News Channel somehow? I don't see anyone ever suggesting there is a political reason behind the fact that the parent company responsible for MSNBC impacts the matter of what Universal series get released or not.

No, no...I didn't mean to make a Fox News reference with my comments. It's just that Fox seems to have it out for the MTM library for some reason, in general.

 

[Jack P]

Fox I think in general has something out for all their libraries, not just MTM. The Four-Star catalog also falls in that category with their refusal to license the second and final season of "Burke's Law" despite good sales of S1, and the fact that "The Big Valley" is the only TV show on DVD to be interrupted halfway through a season. MTM catalog we did finally get the flagship show released in full though it did take Oprah Winfrey to shame them into doing it basically, and they also had to be pressured to give us the final release of "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea". It's unfortunate but it is what it is alas. A pity they won't emulate Warner Archive's model.

 

[Neil Brock]

Fox just doesn't care about their older properties, for whatever reason. When they have had discussions with companies about licensing, their asking prices are so far out of wack that no one could possibly break even on the deal, let alone make a profit.

 

[Harry-N]

I'm so thankful that they managed to get their Irwin Allen catalog out in full, especially THE TIME TUNNEL. Being a one-season "failure" on network TV, it's a truly fortunate thing that FOX put that one out - and put so much effort into it. It wasn't perfect, but it IS OUT.

I would think that with the Emmy awards and ratings that LOU GRANT garnered over its run, that it would do decently on DVD.

Harry

 

[JMFabianoRPL]

Fox just doesn't care about their older properties, for whatever reason. When they have had discussions with companies about licensing, their asking prices are so far out of wack that no one could possibly break even on the deal, let alone make a profit.

So they think they can get money out of it, yet do NOTHING with it. Whassupwitdat?

 

[JMFabianoRPL]

I also wonder if they want to purposely put an "iron mask" on MTM and others. Remember, when they first got the library, new prints of many MTM shows TOTALLY EDITED OUT the MTM logo in favor of 20th Television. I sense a slight burial fetish here...

 

[Harry-N]

Well, at least we've provided a thread for the series should anyone feel the need to discuss it. I was genuinely surprised that the subject hadn't really come up before this.
Harry

 

[Ron1973]

Could I please see a link to the thread with all those endless posts asking for "Me And The Chimp?" It'd be nice to see some factual information to back that up rather than bitter hot air.

Part of the reason why "Lou Grant" is not remembered fondly has to do with the fact that like it or not, it turned a lovable character from the ensemble of a beloved show into a figure who became associated with pretentious soapboxing on issues from one end of the political spectrum. It was no longer Lou Grant as played by Ed Asner, it became Ed Asner using the character of Lou Grant as a mouthpiece for his real life politics. I think most people who are fans of the MTM Show (and would you call us "double digit" IQ people?) are not exactly going to be automatically interested in this show because it's not the same character.

But as I remember, MTMS got a little topical towards the end-run of the series. Maybe not every episode but it tend to scamper off into political topics on some episodes.

 

[Harry-N]

If the first three seasons are available for streaming, that may be the best you'll get.

But, like most shows of its kind (The Defenders, East Side West Side, etc.) its just not going to have enough mass appeal to warrant a release.

How things have changed in just three years! The naysayers in this thread, I'll bet, are quite surprised to see not only Season One out tomorrow, but Season Two already announced for August.

Harry