Newhart? (1 Viewer)

[HenryDuBrow]

I've always said they should release shows no matter how well they sell, let's take Fox, they release minor movie titles too don't they? So why can't the same apply to TV shows, why are they somehow expected to sell more? Some movie titles will sell like crazy, some won't, but they still get released because they're movies. So, do the same with TV shows! Don't always expect the world, there's always someone who'll be happy to buy it. Probably terribly naive of me, I'm no businessman, but that's how I feel about it as a fan - but the studios are in business - with us.

 

[John Carr]

I Won't Get Burned Again. I'll wait until all the seasons are our -- ha ha!, then I'll pick this one up as a box set.

But, after being burned by Fox on several series -- I've had it!

John

 

[MatthewA]

If you don't buy it until all the seasons come out, all the seasons won't come out.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Except that Fox has almost never made it through an MTM property without abandoning it. (Remington Steele is the only MTM show for which they've released all the seasons.) It's no longer reasonable to believe that Fox will ever release all the seasons, so I can totally understand someone not buying the first season.

This is different from companies that have shown that they will finish an older series if it sells OK. Fox clearly has a definition of good sales that basically prevents almost any older series from being finished. I would buy "Newhart" if I believed that this would help the later seasons come out, but I have no reason to believe that they ever will, based on Fox's track record.

 

[MatthewA]

That's sort of like saying "I won't vote for my candidate because he has no chance of winning."

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Voting is free. And voting for a candidate who won't win can still make a point, whereas buying season 1 of a series that has no chance of being finished is kind of pointless.

 

[MatthewA]

It has even less of a chance of being finished if you do not buy it. In fact, I do not see why you have the need to consign this series to the grave before it's even released.

 

[David Lambert]

WTF? I. JUST. DON'T. GET. THIS. Isn't it better to enjoy SOME episodes on DVD, then none at all?

Just five years ago everyone was happy to get ANY episodes of their favorite TV shows on DVD, to enjoy at their leisure. Now there is this "all or nothing" attitude that I simply fail to understand.

If your favorite current TV show was cancelled tomorrow, without resolving the plotlines, would you (if you could, in a sci-fi kind of twist) erase your memory of watching the episodes up until that point?

Bear in mind that this isn't a "free broadcast" vs. "paid-for DVDs" proposition, because you "pay" for the TV broadcasts by (presumably) watching commercials...so erasing your memories of the episodes would also erase your knowledge of the commercials, thereby un-paying-for the epsiodes.

If you COULD do that, why would you want to? Didn't you enjoy it up until that point?

Wouldn't you enjoy the first season on DVD, even if no further seasons ever made it out?

Wouldn't it be better to try to help motivate the studios to produce more DVDs, by purchasing the ones that are out now? It's money you would spend anyway, right?

You're not trying to save money, per se, you're trying to "not start something that won't be finished". Why be that much of a completist? Enjoy what's out there, and worry about the rest later!

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Sure. But in the case of "Newhart," I don't like the first season enough to get it for its own sake. I would be getting it only for the sake of supporting future season releases. Except that I have no reason to expect that there will be any future season releases. So that kind of changes the game.

I would actually prefer it if studios would do a multi-disc "best-of" release for shows like this -- if they know, and Fox has to know this, that they probably won't get to the later seasons, why not just give us a selection from all the seasons?

 

[David Lambert]

Because then the fans complain about "no season sets?!??!?!?!?"

 

[Tony S]

I will buy the seaons that are released on dvd. As for the ones that they don't put out I will tape and watch them on vhs. I am currently taping Night Court on Tvland because I have no idea if they will put out any more seasons. Night Court is one of my favorite shows and I want to take this oportunity to own them on tape just in case they don't come out on dvd. I will eventually get around to doing this with other shows that don't get released. I would do more now but shows are still being released at such a pace that barely have time to watch them. I expect this to slow down in the next 2 or 3 years for the shows that I want.

But I don't regret for a minute buying season 1 of Night Court, because I can watch it on dvd and then watch the remaining seasons on vhs if they are not released on dvd.

 

[David Rain]

Everyone has their own motivations but I simply don't understand why anyone would refuse to buy a TV show on DVD simply because not all the seasons came out. That's ridiculous. You're going to deprive yourself of great entertainment because you're stubborn ? How about enjoying what does come out and being grateful for it if it's done properly.

Not buying sets just makes it harder to get more released. Don't complain when a series is abandoned if you haven't bothered to support it. You're only shooting yourself in the foot. I will love any and all properly-done Newhart releases and be thrilled to get them. Am I supposed to boycott this show simply because TBNS didn't finish it's run ?

To those of you who make such odd decisions let me ask you a question.
Do you have a brother named Darryl ? And another brother named Darryl ?

 

[Steve_Pannell]

I didn't start watching Newhart until about season 3 so this 1st season release is great news to me. I don't buy too much TV on DVD but I've been waiting for this one. Count me in.

 

[MatthewA]

Likewise, the first season is my least favorite but I intend to buy it anyway, as it's the only chance of getting to the good stuff.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

I despise 'best-of' sets, fans are never happy with the selections anyway, seasons is the way to go no matter what. In fact, I prefer complete series releases - all seasons in one go. Especially for shows with relatively short lives, from one to six seasons, say. I believe most fans want it all 'now', so they're sure it'll all be out. Just start saving, when you know something's coming.

 

[Jamey K]

Well, again, I'm not going to buy it until the all the seasons are out.

But, there are a couple of interesting things about Season 1 of Newhart.

The show did radically change after the first season. Year one was shot on video tape and would move to film in front of a live audience. Season 1 looks different from the rest of the series because of this.

Most of the oddballs that populated Newhart were introduced in Season 2. Peter Scolari's "Michael" did join in Season 1 but Julia Duffy's "Stephanie" did not appear until Season 2 and Scolari's Michael morphed into his goofy puppy persona upon her arrival. The Stephanie/Michael storyline drove the series as a second plot beginning in Season 2.

Larry, Darryl, & Darryl made their first appearance in Season 1 as "Anything for a buck" but did not start making weekly appearance's together until Season 2.

There were some flashes in Season 1 as to what Newhart would be later and worth looking into just to see where the season started, vs. the Kafka-esqe edge in would take on in Season 2 and throughout the series run.

Some cast members would leave after Season 1 and the ones that remained turned into the hilarious needlers that would befuddle Bob Newhart's Dick Loudon during the run. Check out Chester and Jim, who went from wise town leaders to bickering and clueless bumblers who referred to Dick Loudon as a "hothead."

Newhart was brilliant in the same tradition of Green Acres with everyone in on the joke but the main character.

And here is the problem, if Season 1 doesn't perform to FOX's sales expectations, there won't be any more. The true genius of Newhart came in the seasons after the first. FOX's history of releasing shows, indicates that the greatest episode of the series, the finale, will never see the light of day.

I really want this show out and available to all. It's very funny, and got better with each year ending with what is called the "best series finale" ever.

FOX has burned me too badly in the past, specifically with Hill Street Blues, so, as much as I want Newhart....I'm not buying it. It's all or nothing for me and Newhart is the perfect example of why.

 

[Steve_Pannell]

I totally understand your position and I really do hope I won't be buying into a lost cause.

But if everyone follows your line of thinking then there really is no hope.

 

[Jamey K]

You're right Steve, there wouldn't. I love to know what the "magic number" FOX needs to have.

I really do want Newhart to do well...well enough that everything will come out.

 

[David Deeb]

Sadly, I suspect the "magic number" for Newhart will be greater than than whatever numbers The Bob Newhart Show had.

If Bob's show doesn't do much better than Bob's other show, this series may never be complete.

 

[Jay_B!]

wouldn't it have been logical to release TBNS s5 alongside Newhart s1 on the same day, and maybe offer an instant $5 rebate to those buying both sets at the same time? I prefer Newhart to TBNS, but I think the way TBNS has been treated on DVD was enough for most people to not even bother with Newhart because they know what's coming up. I mean, could TBNS have been losing that much money on DVD? I never bought the sets (not a fan of the original show) but I heard the video quality was terrible, and they were on double sided discs, etc... So it's hardly like they were putting a Simpsons type of investment in the sets, so what about the sales were so poor that they just couldn't see fit to doing another season? I think a season 5 release of TBNS would make the fans a little more optimistic about getting Newhart.

Same applies if Fox decides to release Rhoda... if you release Rhoda, you should release MTM s5 on the same day