ROOM 222: Season Two January 19th (1 Viewer)

[dhammer]

I enjoy season 1 but was aware that the quality isn't the usually cleaned up release quality. I don't think it is that bad. This show is so liberal but very current for it's time period. I really enjoy it and the theme really transports me back to the late 60's.

 

[Neil Brock]

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man /forum/thread/295730/room-222-season-two-january-19th#post_3636917

 

[Ockeghem]

I'm ready for season two now. We finished the first season tonight, watching Funny Money and Just Between Friends. It was interesting seeing Rob Reiner as a student in one of Whitman High's English classes. And seeing others I've known for years in other shows (e.g., Jan Shutan as a semi-regular) was a treat.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I am still working my way through season one this great show. I will definitely get season 2 at some time.

 

[Lecagr]

I'll be ordering this set when it comes out. The lackluster video quality in the season 1 DVD isn't really an issue for me, main thing is the shows are complete and unedited. I did notice the opening theme song is a shorter version in a few episodes. I expect the 2nd season to have uncut episodes and similar video quality as was in the 1st season set.

Shout Factory is usually pretty good when it comes to uncut episodes on the DVD's. There have been a few missteps, like the first seasons of Father Knows Best, Mister Ed, and Rhoda. And I think some DVD episodes of That Girl might be edited versions, I suspect this may be the case but can't say for sure. Running times of those episodes are inconsistent, the majority are over 25 minutes but some are around 24 minutes or a little less.

 

[Brian Himes]

I got my set for season 2 on Wednesday and I have already finished watching the first two discs. The video quality is pretty much the same as the season one set. The episodes seem to be uncut once again, but I haven't checked each and every run time. I'm really savoring this set because I get the feeling that this maybe the last we get of Room 222. It's kind of sad to think of since the show is just beginning to really hit its stride. This is such a great show. It's really wonderful to be able to see it again. In the future, maybe I will be able to catch the rest of the series on TV sometime. I doubt it, but one can always dream.

 

[Ockeghem]

Brian,

I too love seeing this show again. Are you basing your feeling on anything you've read or heard? I don't know if the series is selling well, but I'd really like to see every season distributed.

 

[Lecagr]

The first two seasons of Room 222 will probably be adequate for me. It's a good show but I'm not a huge fan of it where I need to have the whole series. The first two seasons have 26 episodes each but seasons 3 and 4 are shorter at only 23 episodes each. And the final season is really only a half season as the show was cancelled half way into the season. So seasons 1 and 2, 52 episodes total are enough for me.

 

[Brian Himes]

I read somewhere (on the Shout Factory board, I think) that season 1 didn't sell as well as hoped for but that Shout was giving the series another chance with season 2. However, combine that tidbit with the fact that Shout is only offering season 2 exclusively through their website tend to lead me to believe that further releases may not be forth coming as hoped. This is all just my opinion and personal feelings. I really, really hope that I'm wrong because words just can't express how much I love this show and want the rest of the series.

 

[LeoA]

If they licensed the entire series and are now trying to recoup that investment through direct online sales to limit their risk, I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish it out unless season 2 has miserable sales.

After all, it's already paid for and they're not doing anything expensive like restoration or going back to the original masters.

I would think as long as they can more closely align production with demand through this direct online program and they get enough sales to make it worthwhile to do further small scale production runs, they'll continue.

The main risk now that they've already paid to the license the series (An assumption) and aren't doing expensive mastering and restoration work I would think would be overproducing a particular season. They don't want to be stuck with unsold inventory, disappointed retailers, and face having to sell them at a fraction of their value to clear them out or pay for their destruction and disposal. I would think this new distribution model would help to reduce that risk since they only have to produce what they think they'll be able to directly sell. And as long as that amount is enough to tool up a production line, it seems safe to me.

 

[Lecagr]

They took the cheap route with the packaging for the season 2 set. Gone are the two slip cases and there is no episode booklet this time either. It is the exact same DVD case CBS DVD used for The Lucy Show season 1. Cheap plastic case with crummy disc holders that make it nearly impossible to remove the discs from the holders. I know Shout Factory is wanting to cut corners with these "exclusive" releases of theirs, but they at least could keep the packaging the same like the 1st season was. Now I know what the packaging of The Bill Cosby Show season 2 is likely going to be. Same cheap plastic case with the crummy disc holders.

 

[Tim Tucker]

These new cases seem to be becoming the standard across the industry, so don't blame Shout! Factory for cutting corners.

I actually like the trend. Less cardboard in the packaging means less possibility of damage during shipping.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I also like the trend, because these sets take up less space on a shelf.

Judging by the Ironside set I bought, the only thing missing from these new Shout sets is an episode synopsis, but I can live without that.

 

[Lecagr]

Some people might be satisfied with these cheap plastic DVD cases, but I'm not. And the disc holders are made so poorly, you have to push, pull, and pry to get the discs out while being careful at the same time not to let the disc slip or fall from your grasp for fear the disc will get scratched. The season 1 DVD of Room 222 has the same size case as season 2, but the quality of the packaging is better. I'm glad the 2nd season came out, the episodes are great. All I'm saying is they should have made the packaging the same as the 1st season set.

 

[Tim Tucker]

I do have to agree with you on that point. I am not fond of the disc holders used in these plastic cases. The design is quite poor.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I can agree that some of the disc holders are a pain in the ass, but none of 'em are extremely difficult to remove the discs from, IMO. I just tried out Ironside 3, and the worst one to remove was actually the disc on the back cover of the case.

And this packaging is much better than the other attempts at reducing the amount of plastic used in DVD packaging, like the Simpsons season 11-12 and 20, or Mill Creek's envelopes, or the packaging like the Futurama movies that you just slide the disc into a little slot.

 

[Tina_H_V]

My Room 222 order came through for me this evening. I look forward to checking these episodes out. Regardless of presentation quality, I only hope Shout! will continue to keep them all coming!!!!!!!

 

[TV_Fan]

I received my set a few days ago and only watched the first two episodes so far. The quality doesn't bother me because I wasn't expecting anything remastered. These two episodes were great episodes already and am looking forward to watching the rest of the set.

 

[Neil Brock]

I'm actually finding the color on the season two prints to be somewhat better than they were on season one. No, they don't look like Hawaii Five-0 for instance, but for 30+ year old 16mm tape transfers, they don't look to me to be as brown and reddish as the first season. And I do think that there is hope for the remaining 3 seasons to come out. I'm pretty certain that when an indy company licenses from a major, they buy the whole series, not season at a time. Hell, the Bill Cosby Show sold horribly for Shout and yet we are (finally) getting it finished. I think that unless this sells really badly, we should get it completed eventually as well.

 

[Ockeghem]

I watched the first three episodes from Season Two last night. They were excellent. Yes, the quality is not stellar, but the story lines are quite good. I do hope that the remaining seasons are eventually available on DVD.