The E True Hollywood Story (1 Viewer)

[John*Wells]

I Admit I don't watch E all that much. However, I have enjoyed this series. Has Universal ever contemplated a season by Season release ?

 

[darkrock17]

Too many licenses would have to be cleared for home video.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Too many licenses would have to be cleared for home video.

Quite. Clearances for home video are different (and separate) from broadcast. For some shows, they obtain all clearances at the same time, but for a show like this, I'm almost 100% certain that E! never had any intentions for home video, so would have only gotten clearances for broadcast.

If I still had cable, there are a few episodes I wouldn't mind recording to DVD-R that I currently have on S-VHS...

 

[Tommy R]

I used to watch these all the time! Are they still making new episodes?

 

[John*Wells]

I used to watch these all the time! Are they still making new episodes?

according to my research yes

 

[MatthewA]

Quite. Clearances for home video are different (and separate) from broadcast. For some shows, they obtain all clearances at the same time, but for a show like this, I'm almost 100% certain that E! never had any intentions for home video, so would have only gotten clearances for broadcast.

If I still had cable, there are a few episodes I wouldn't mind recording to DVD-R that I currently have on S-VHS...

Some of them were pretty light on clips. Diff'rent Strokes, despite its E!THS being a two-hour long installment made when Dana Plato was still alive, had exactly one: of Nancy Reagan giving her "Just Say No" spiel. Others were heavier on clips but (sometimes, not always) played fast and loose with facts.

 

[darkrock17]

Some of them were pretty light on clips. Diff'rent Strokes, despite its E!THS being a two-hour long installment made when Dana Plato was still alive, had exactly one: of Nancy Reagan giving her "Just Say No" spiel. Others were heavier on clips but (sometimes, not always) played fast and loose with facts.

Not just clips from films and TV have to be cleared, but songs as well. Another big thing to clear is the person's image which is done through their estates, and that is where E! would very unlikely pay for a home video release.

 

[MatthewA]

Some of them also described the premises of the shows they covered inaccurately. The one-hour Gimme A Break! installment had no trouble licensing clips from Universal despite joint ownership with Fremantle, but it still claimed the Kaniskys lived in New York up until their mother's death, confusing it with the last season where the chief had died, the girls had grown up, and Nell, Addy, and Joey moved to New York.

Other of the more celebrity-driven ones are laden with hearsay and conjecture based on out-of-date information contradicted by after-the-fact revelations. This and Behind the Music will probably be limited to unauthorized YouTube uploads for the foreseeable future. It's likely the only way they could afford the clearances in the first place is if they were just for broadcast.