New Outer Limits Season 2.Where is it? (1 Viewer)

[george fr]

I would have thought there would have been an announcement for The New Outer Limits season 2's release date by now.Season 1 was Oct 2005, I think.So even if they were releasing them at the measly pace of 1 season per year,we would have heard something by now.Any thoughts?

 

[Lynda-Marie]

George, the only things I can think of are:

1. Rights issues - the music or something like that
2. How well did season 1 sell?

 

[Jeff#]

It can't be music rights in this case, because Outer Limits tended to use stock music in every episode. What I mean is that it always sounded like the same familiar music. The original series was the same way.

Yes, I believe it mainly comes down to sales. Then again, MGM / UA has released a number of episodes from various series in multiple story-theme sets, followed by the first season last year. Maybe they felt it's too soon to proceed with the 2nd season. I'd like to see it released too, because I plan to collect these but only in order. I did buy 2 of the theme sets (the inexpensive ones with Sex & Science Fiction and Time Travel) in 2004, but I stayed away from the large box set (which Best Buy was selling for $61) because I wasn't going to purchase the same theme sets I already have a second time just to get the other ones I don't.

Then for 1/2 price I also picked up Season 1 in 2005. From that point on I decided to only buy the new series by season.

 

[michael_ks]

For the record, OL-63 had 13 original scores in the first season alone. They're all quite distinct, actually--to my ears anyway.

 

[Chad E]

I think season 1 was released in November, so there should still be time to announce it if S2 is going to be out this November. I am hoping...

However... this was an MGM product released by Sony. Didn't I read somewhere (probably here ) that distribution rights for MGM product have recently moved from Sony to Fox? This could be part of the problem in getting S2 out.

Someone please post a correction if this information re: the distribution rights is not correct.

 

[Jeff#]

What I meant, Mike, is that the same music was re-used over and over in the same series. It's also recycled for use in other TV series and even on other networks years later. That was much more common in the 1950s and 60s, not only with the old Outer Limits but many other series -- dramas and comedies. That's how stock music libraries were started, to save networks money.

Today's instrumental soundtracks on TV shows are pretty much indistinguishable even if they are original compositions. For example, the new Outer Limits incidental music is the same kind of music heard on a variety of sci-fi shows made from the 1990s to the present. Originality is almost non-existant at this point, so I don't see any conflict with music rights for this kind of show.

 

[Kev_S]

I'm also really looking forward to this set as season 2 is my favorite season of this great show.

There is at least one season 2 episode which uses a famous song. I can't think of its name right now but its the one where a guy goes to the shop and comes back years later as if nothings happened.

 

[Tony J Case]

So I'm assuming that we've heard nothing new on this front? No more seasons of Outer Limits on the horizon?

Also - didnt MGM get bought by Sony just a bit ago? Could that have been the cause of this series turning into a no-show?

 

[Jeff#]

The modern Outer Limits series was one of the finest on TV both before and since the turn of the century. Nobody is as surprised as I am about additional seasons not getting released on disc (although a handful of episodes previously were as I mentioned 9 months ago above).

 

[Mark Talmadge]

That's one of the reasons why I haven't purchased the Season 1 set. If they aren't going to release any more sets then it's not worth my time wasting my hard earned money to purchase the set ...

 

[Jeff#]

Why not, Mark? This is an anthology series, so there's little relevance to later seasons not yet being released (other than two sequels to the first season's "Valerie 23" that is).

 

[_william_]

In Canada, it's gotten a little farther with season 3 being released Nov 16, 2004, and season 4 in Oct of 2005 I have never gotten around to doing the frame by frame check to see if the showtime/unrated versions are used in which sets (seasons one and 2 came out as a best of in ca) or syndicated but on some episodes I did note the the ca versions have slightly different production company credits. They have also at least paused, with nothing announced lately that I can find.

 

[Jeff#]

One thing that I thought was unusual was that one of the Time Travel episodes (the last sequel with the bald guy with the stopwatch) was one of the final season episodes put on that single DVD release.

That 7th season was produced for the Sci-Fi Channel in 2000-2001, and the computer-generated opening was changed. For that DVD release the third version of the opening was removed and replaced with the second opening used from the 4th through 6th seasons. I can't understand why MGM / UA did that.

 

[Tony J Case]

Well, according to the couple of online canadian sellers, the North of the Border Editions seem to have gone out of print. and I seem to recall (TVoDVD, I think) that they're using the canadian cut - whatever that means.

Otherwise, I'd jump that route.

 

[MattPeriolat]

I actually seem to recall some complaints that the episodes on DVD were syndicated cuts, not the original episodes aired on the Showtime network. I know that even subsequent airings on Showtime have been these edited versions for public TV. Crying shame, really.

Anyway, that's why I've stayed away.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

Is that right? At any rate, there were quite a few episodes that acted as a sort of episodic series within the series. Most of the sci-fi type episodes. And, I'd love th buy the set but these studio execs only release one season and don't bother releasing the rest of the series ... if only they would announce their plans for a release I'd think that it would generate more interest and get fans of the series to start buying into the series.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Did anyone pick up the new Alliance set and can describe the picture quality? More importantly, how severe are the cuts on these syndicated versions? I've given up hope of ever seeing a U.S. release so I'll take a cut release over no release any day.

 

[cafink]

I haven't seen the recently-released Canadian season sets myself, but TV Shows on DVD has reviews of the first three seasons. The first season appears to be uncut (but that one was already released in the USA, anyway), while the second and third seasons, strangely, appear to have been edited to remove nudity on some episodes, while leaving others intact.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

inetvideo is carrying it as a US Amazon retailer. The price they ask for is about what you would pay for the canadian release plus the high shipping from Canada.