Top-Rated, Nearly Forgotten DRAMAS! (1 Viewer)

[FanCollector]

Here's a VERY forgotten one, given that it ran over 450 episodes: Death Valley Days.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Funniest post in here was the one last listed BAYWATCH as a drama!!!!!! BWHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[WaveCrest]

Originally Posted by bretmaverick2
Funniest post in here was the one last listed BAYWATCH as a drama!!!!!! BWHAHAHAHAHA!

There has been more than one post which has mentioned Baywatch in this thread. Baywatch will always have it's non-fans and fans. It's not a work of art but it's entertaining.
*****

Midnight Caller - A much underrated series which has never been released on DVD. It tackled real life issues and was well written, filmed and acted.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Funniest post in here was the one last listed BAYWATCH as a drama!!!!!! BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Well it didn't have a laugh track, so it makes it onto this list. Gotta put it somewhere. They could easily have added a laugh track, and I swear to you--the series would have had double the ratings in the U.S.! As it was, seriously, the show was 10 times more popular overseas. It was the 90s equivalent of Jerry Lewis movies, I suppose. I look at it the same way I look at dumb reality shows that just go on and on and on. I mean, "the Bachelor/the Bachelorette" has got to be the stupidest tv show ever to air in the history of the planet yet it just...won't...stop!! "Oh...whatever shall I do with this rose?? Wahhhhh...."

 

[Mark Collins]

Peyton Place Peyton Place that is all Mark talks about! Valid point to be made. Here however is an episode provided by a Dark Shadows Fan and Peyton Place Fan. I ask you to watch 5 minutes of it.I also have mentioned The 70s drama Family which unlike Peyton Place had episodes that would conclude at the end of the hour and not carry over unless it was a 2 part episode. Here i think is one of the best moments of Family from the dvd collection put out by Sony. I first want to mention here is a color episode of Peyton Place in the last 6 months of the series. Here also is the one supplied by our good friend Suart on Peyton Place a complete episode.

 

[smithb]

The Rebel - 76 episodes (none released)
Tombstone Territory - 92 episodes (none released)
Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp - 229 episodes (only season 1 and a best off released)

 

[Mark Collins]

I just had a thought about the list. I would love to see video on some of these shows mentioned. Many of us were not even born when they aired!!!
I also wanted to add to my list a name a friend of mine had suggested.
The Long Hot Summer sorry if it has been mentioned before. My friend said it did not last long and was like Peyton Place
Here again are clips of the shows except the Survivors which is deep in some vault.



This Is Your Life not a drama but i remember the show from when they did Lucy the only episode i can remember my grandparents watching
I also enjoyed The Paper Chase but have not purchased any of the DVDs
I also recall a short lived detective series set in the 1940s. I cannot remember the name or much about it.
My friend had also mentioned a show called Apples Way i was not a fan and a show called Brackens Way something about a movie studio.

 

[Malcolm R]

Boston Public (81 episodes) - No DVD releases
Another overlooked David E. Kelley drama (much like Picket Fences) featuring great performances from Anthony Heald, Chi McBride, Loretta Devine, Fyvush Finkel, Michael Rappaport, and Nicky Katt. The trials, tribulations, and quirky personalities at a public high school in Boston.

 

dan august
police woman
longstreet
hagen
serpico
mcclains law
the rookies
eishied

 

[Neil Brock]

dan august
police woman
longstreet
hagen
serpico
mcclains law
the rookies
eishied

Other than Police Woman and The Rookies, none of those other shows were ever "top-rated". Most of them didn't last more than a half season.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Here's one more I just thought of:
Room 222 112 episodes 5 seasons (seasons 1-2 released)
This emmy-award winning series originally had a laugh track, but it was removed in the second season. Shout released the first two seasons from Fox, then, nothing. While the reason may have to do with its intelligence factor and/or its lack of syndication, I think it had more to do with too many people complaining about the picture quality, instead of just being grateful that at least the episodes were uncut. There were even a couple of people I saw online who threatened not to buy season 2 because it was more expensive than season 1. The last time Fox mastered the show was over 30 years ago in the late 70's on one-inch tape for local syndication. These were the same transfers used for USA Network in the 80's and TV Land in the 90's.

 

[Ockeghem]

^^^
I own the first two seasons on DVD, and would love to see this series completed. It's one of my favorite shows, and IMO the stories are very interesting and relevant. I have used a few of the episodes to teach our children about some of the issues from that time.

 

[WaveCrest]

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley
Well it didn't have a laugh track, so it makes it onto this list. Gotta put it somewhere. They could easily have added a laugh track, and I swear to you--the series would have had double the ratings in the U.S.! As it was, seriously, the show was 10 times more popular overseas. It was the 90s equivalent of Jerry Lewis movies, I suppose. I look at it the same way I look at dumb reality shows that just go on and on and on. I mean, "the Bachelor/the Bachelorette" has got to be the stupidest tv show ever to air in the history of the planet yet it just...won't...stop!! "Oh...whatever shall I do with this rose?? Wahhhhh...."

I'm not 100% certain, but I'm sure when Baywatch was cancelled after it's first season (on NBC), ITV (which first showed Baywatch in the UK, on Saturday teatimes) part financed Baywatch's return. I don't know how many seasons ITV showed of Baywatch, after they dropped it from Saturday teatimes because it was getting beaten in the ratings by repeats of Dad's Army, but Sky Travel premiered Seasons 10 and 11 (when it was renamed Baywatch Hawaii).

*****

Hotel (aka Arthur Hailey's Hotel) (5 seasons, one feature length movie pilot and 116 episodes) - drama series which aired on ABC from 1983 to 1988. Only the first season has been released on DVD (by CBS Home Entertainment). Set in the St. Gregory hotel in San Francisco. Had a different set of guest stars each week who played characters staying at the hotel. One of a handful of CBS/Paramount titles I'm eager to see continued on DVD.

 

[Regulus]

The Three Seasons of Babewatch - Oops! I mean Baywatch that were released in the US were actually seasons 2 to 4, plus a few episodes from NBCs Season. It was planned for each release of the syndicated seasons to have a few more episodes from the NBC Season, so by the time they got to the tenth set, you'd have all the episodes from the NBC Season. (One of the sets I bought actually had an offer for a DVD Tray with ten spaces, one for each set. - I wonder how many of them were sold, holding but three sets. ).Unfortunately the series got "Abandoned". The original theme was replaced due to a "Music Rights" Snafu. :f The only Country the Complete Series was released in was Germany, and this is where most of the "Alternate" Sets bouncing around come from. Those sets still have the original theme intact!

 

[WaveCrest]

Midnight Caller - 61 episodes. One of those drama series which I wish I'd seen more of, back when it was originally shown (it's aired both on the BBC and ITV1). Of the episodes I've seen, they had that 'shot on film, edited on video look'. If the Warner Archive were able to clear the music (which I assume is the reason why the series has still not been released on DVD), if the show was shot on film, would they have to go back to the original masters so that they can possibly clean up the picture? To date, this Lorimar show hasn't had any sort of DVD release (as far as I know it's had no sort of DVD release).Mancuso, FBI - 20 episodes (not including the mini-series Favorite Son, which introduced Robert Loggia's character). Has this short-lived series from the late 80's/early 90's, had any sort of DVD release?

 

[Frank Soyke]

Great idea for a thread and great first post, Ethan!Not sure it was ever "Top Rated," but RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ran for three seasons and was at least critically acclaimed in some circles. Created by Roy Huggins it was very similar to his other creation, THE FUGITIVE, and ran concurrently, though on a different network.Ben Gazarra starred as an ostensibly wealthy attorney who is diagnosed with an unnamed fatal illness which in true Hollywood fashion never manifests itself in any symptoms or pain or inconvenience, just gives you a two year death sentence. He is also told that work is constantly being done to cure his illness, so there is some hope en route a potential final episode (though such never materialized and the series ended unceremoniously). All of this was set up in the prologue before the opening credits each week and from there the series focused on Gazarra's character trying to squeeze in a lifetime of adventures in the two years he had left to live and constantly embarking on death defying activities. As such he traveled the world and got involved with other people and their various situations.Sadly, unlike its counterpart THE FUGITIVE, which was able to utilize Southern California location work in effective disguise for the rest of America, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE mostly used terrible looking stock footage and the backlot to represent the world at large. In addition, the writing often veered toward the melodramatic and too often seemed to concentrate on Gazarra interacting with his former clients who all seemed to be very wealthy people with very wealthy people's problems, something that has sustained many a soap opera over the years, but wore thin in a dramatic series. Upon seeing 30 or so episodes of it a few years ago I generally liked it, but my fond childhood memories of it were not justified in the new viewings. It's an okay show and Gazarra is very good with his method intensity, but the cheap Universal production and the overwrought scripts fail to back him up.

My all time grail show. But, alas, probably never see it on DVD

 

[Frank Soyke]

Great idea for a thread and great first post, Ethan!Not sure it was ever "Top Rated," but RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ran for three seasons and was at least critically acclaimed in some circles. Created by Roy Huggins it was very similar to his other creation, THE FUGITIVE, and ran concurrently, though on a different network.Ben Gazarra starred as an ostensibly wealthy attorney who is diagnosed with an unnamed fatal illness which in true Hollywood fashion never manifests itself in any symptoms or pain or inconvenience, just gives you a two year death sentence. He is also told that work is constantly being done to cure his illness, so there is some hope en route a potential final episode (though such never materialized and the series ended unceremoniously). All of this was set up in the prologue before the opening credits each week and from there the series focused on Gazarra's character trying to squeeze in a lifetime of adventures in the two years he had left to live and constantly embarking on death defying activities. As such he traveled the world and got involved with other people and their various situations.Sadly, unlike its counterpart THE FUGITIVE, which was able to utilize Southern California location work in effective disguise for the rest of America, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE mostly used terrible looking stock footage and the backlot to represent the world at large. In addition, the writing often veered toward the melodramatic and too often seemed to concentrate on Gazarra interacting with his former clients who all seemed to be very wealthy people with very wealthy people's problems, something that has sustained many a soap opera over the years, but wore thin in a dramatic series. Upon seeing 30 or so episodes of it a few years ago I generally liked it, but my fond childhood memories of it were not justified in the new viewings. It's an okay show and Gazarra is very good with his method intensity, but the cheap Universal production and the overwrought scripts fail to back him up.

My all time grail show, but alas, probably never come out on DVD

 

[Frank Soyke]

Sorry for the double post. Computer trouble.

Ethan, the main thing I want to say about your post is WOW. Lots of info and well put. Not that my opinion matters, but I am impressed.


By the way, here's a couple more from the late 80's - Dear John (No releases), Head of The Class (No Releases), and A Different World (Singular release I think, maybe 2)

 

[Ethan Riley]

Thank you. I also did a "comedy" thread, which is somewhere. Happily, a lot of shows from the Original Post in this thread have since been released. I'll try to update this list later. Meanwhile, I reposted it below because the OP got scrambled when they moved the forum:




Since there was a lot of interest in the "Comedies" thread, I thought I'd try a similar one for all those Dramas that haven't made such a good showing on dvd. Again, I'm mainly concentrating on shows that ran at least 100 episodes, but we can make exceptions for any other notable show that deserves to be on dvd. Here's a (large) handful of shows that deserve some dvd (or blu-ray!) love, and you can add your own faves to the list: Edit: The list grew and grew due to other members' suggestions. All of the ones added by other forum members are marked in red or pink or whatever this color is. Since it is their commentary, you'll have to scroll through the thread to find out what they said about all these terrific shows!
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954) 166 episodes 5 seasons (Various PD releases only)
Barnaby Jones(1973) 178 episodes, 8 seasons (1st season released)
Baywatch (1989) 243 episodes, 11 seasons (1st 3 seasons released?) Baywatch dvds confuse me. I have no idea what's going on here. It was probably one of the most successful syndicated shows--ever, but apparently there are only two "official" releases. The rest of the series is either European releases or bootlegs. I'm not sure which. It's true that "Baywatch" was wildly successful overseas--even moreso than in its home country--but fans complain of shoddy dvd production and music replacement. Ditto that for the official studio releases in Region 1. We'll see if they ever get around to making a definitive Baywatch dvd series...
Ben Casey (1961) 153 episodes, 5 seasons NO RELEASES "MAN...WOMAN...BIRTH...DEATH...INFINITY..." intoned the (scary) narrator at the beginning of each episode, and thousands of 1960s kids got the crap scared out of them before the show began. Still, "Ben Casey" was a huge success. And not one single episode is available on dvd!! If things weren't bad enough, the show has rarely been in syndication since the 1970s! What would star Vince Edwards say to that??
The Big Valley (1965) 112 episodes, 4 seasons (1 and 1/2 seasons released) This is one that's been complained about on countless threads...so let's complain some more! Season One was released on double-sided discs that had playback problems for some purchasers (including ME.) Then Fox decided to switch to half-season sets for Season Two...and not only did they stick with flipper discs, but they were trying to charge the same price for half a season that they did for a full season. And then they sat back and wondered why it wasn't selling. And so the saga of the Barkleys of Stockton ended on dvd. For now, anyway. As I often like to point out, this series would look arrestingly beautiful on blu-ray. So maybe another pass is in order?
The Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre (1963) 98 episodes, 4 seasons NO RELEASES
The Bold Ones (1969) 86 Episodes 4 seasons NO RELEASES
Bourbon Street Beat (1959) 39 episodes, 1 season NO RELEASES
Bracken's World (1969) 41 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Burke's Law (1963) 81 episodes, 3 seasons (1st season released)
Cagney and Lacey (1982) 125 episodes, 7 seasons (2nd season released) This was a ground-breaking series that didn't quite make it on dvd. What happened was, they released Season Two calling it "Season One" due to the fact that the real Season One starred Meg Foster, rather than Sharon Gless as Cagney. Therefore, they skipped over the (very short) first season, not to mention the original tv movie that acted as pilot for the series (which in turn starred Loretta Swit!) That would have been acceptable, but it led to a bit of fan confusion. This is only a small part of why the series didn't sell too well on dvd; it started coming out just when the Recession was hitting hard, and there were a lot of other dvds to compete for its dollars. The reunion movies have made to shelves as "The Menopause Years," but there's still 6 other seasons waiting to be released. (Both seasons 1 and 3 were very short). Interestingly enough, some of these other seasons are available for streaming via Amazon, so it's obvious there's still some interest. Here's hopin' we'll see more one of these days.
Cannon (1971) 123 episodes, 5 seasons (1st and 2nd seasons released
Chicago Hope (1994) 141 episodes, 6 seasons NO RELEASES Thought of by many as the other "ER," Chicago Hope held its own for six terrific seasons. But it's been almost completely forgotten these days. I guess hospital shows have to have doctors making out in the supply rooms in order to survive these days.
CHiPS (1977) 139 episodes, 6 seasons (1st two seasons released) Here we have one of the most iconic series on the 1970s. It was hardly Shakespeare, but every kid had CHiPS toys and memorabilia lying around the house. Two seasons were released several years ago, but nothing since. The CHiPS '99 reunion movie (actually broadcast in 1998) has been released on vhs, but big whoop. Where is the rest of CHiPS?? (Special note: the thread originator acted as an extra in "CHiPS '99" and was treated to the sight of series stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox donning corsets before the filming began!)
Daktari (1966) 89 episodes 4 seasons NO RELEASES
Death Valley Days (1952) 452 episodes 18 seasons NO RELEASES
The Defenders (1961) 132 episodes, 4 seasons NO RELEASES
Dragnet (1951) 276 episodes, 8 seasons (a big parade of scattered PD releases) While it's great news that the color 1960s version is coming out currently, there has been no word on the original 50s classic that started it all. "Dragnet" is available on home video as an endless parade of cheapola PD versions, but there has been no official release as of yet.
Dr. Kildare (1961) 191 episodes, 5 seasons NO RELEASES Its star famously came out of the closet, but the series that made him famous has not come out of the vault! A lone Christmas episode came out on a "Christmas" themed collection from Warners, but what about the other 190 episodes? I can find Waldo or Carmen Sandiego quicker than I can find Dr. Kildare on dvd!!
Early Edition (1996) 90 episodes 4 seasons
Eight is Enough (1977) 112 episodes, 5 seasons NO RELEASES Five seasons would be enough to fill our lives with love. Except for a Christmas episode on the aforementioned compilation from Warners, there has been nothing from this fantastic show!Everglades (1961) 38 episodes 1 season NO RELEASES
Fantasy Island (1977) 157 episodes, 7 seasons (1st season released) "Welcome...to Season Two!" is something I fantasize about hearing. This show stalled ages ago during the big Sony cutbacks and nothing's been heard from it since. Like thousands of other fans, I wanna see Tattoo scamper up those stars and ring that bell...again and again.
Flipper (1964) 88 episodes 3 seasons (First two seasons released)
Freddy’s Nightmares (1988) 44 episodes, 2 seasons NO RELEASES (had a few vhs best ofs) Okay, this is a shorter series and doesn't necessarily fit in with the rest of the series we're considering, but it deserves mention here anyway. The problems I have with the lack of "Freddy" on dvd are these: genre shows almost always show up on dvd sooner or later. And here we have one of the most iconic Movie characters in American history...he has a 44 episode series, ready to go and yet the powers that be have given us nothing. His theatrical films continue to sell and sell on dvd and blu-ray, and yet the tv show has been completely ignored. Well, there are some scattered vhs tapes from back in the day and a cheapola Region 2 release that has a whopping 3 episodes on it. But due to the ongoing popularity of Freddy, you'd think we'd have had the entire series on dvd years ago.
Fury (1955) 115 episodes 5 seasons (PD releases and also available in Germany)
Gentle Ben (1967) 56 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Harbor Command (1957) 39 episodes 1 season NO RELEASES
Harold Robbins' The Survivors (1969) 15 episodes, 1 season NO RELEASES
Hart to Hart (1979) 110 episodes, 5 seasons (1st 2 seasons released) This is another stalled Sony show that irritates a lot of people. We've recently been getting the 8 made-for-tv reunion movies as MODs, but those final three seasons remain elusive.
Hawaiian Eye (1959) 134 episodes, 4 seasons NO RELEASES 4 fun-filled seasons, just waiting to be seen. Personally, I've never seen a single episode or this or its sister shows, "77 Sunset Strip" and so on. And I've really been wanting to, for years and years. Maybe they can just put out a sampler of some of these related shows and see if there's a little interest?? I mean, if "I Spy" and "Honey West" can survive on dvd, so can these shows.
The High Chaparral (1967) 98 episodes, 4 seasons (German releases only)
Highway Patrol (1956) 155 episodes 4 seasons (First Season Released)
Highway to Heaven (1984) 111 episodes 5 seasons (1st 3 seasons released)
Hill Street Blues (1981) 146 episodes, 7 seasons (1st 2 seasons released) Here's a hugely popular, Emmy-winning blockbuster of a cop show that's been stalled at season 2 out of 7! Hill Street Blues is like the all-time Grand Champion of its genre and yet we only have gotten 2/7th of it so far? What the...
I Led 3 Lives (1953) 117 episodes 3 seasons NO RELEASES
Judd: For The Defense (1967) 50 episodes, 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Judging Amy (1999) 138 episodes, 6 seasons NO RELEASES At this point, I'm sure Tyne Daly is getting a little frustrated that so little of her work is available on dvd!
Knots Landing (1979) 344 episodes, 14 seasons (2 releases)
Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963) 59 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Lassie (1954) 591 episodes, 19 seasons NO RELEASES Oh yeah, it's one of the longest-running series in the history of the planet, but it's not on dvd except for some lackluster PD copies and other "best of" junk. Is this a way to treat a dog who's saved so many kids from so many well-tumbling incidents?
Lawman (1958) 156 episodes 4 seasons NO RELEASES
L.A. Law (1986) 171 episodes, 8 seasons NO RELEASES Another long-running Bochco show; this one hasn't seen the light of day on dvd. I wish they'd put it out--I'm still trying to figure out the "Venus Butterfly."
Life and Times of Grizzly Adams(1977) 39 episodes, 2 seasons NO RELEASES
The Lineup (aka San Francisco Beat) (1954) 201 episodes, 6 seasons NO RELEASES
The Lone Ranger (1949) 169 episodes, 5 seasons (1st 2 seasons released) The first two seasons finally came out on a fair dvd release some time ago, but there's yet more to come.
Lou Grant (1977) 114 episodes, 5 seasonsNO RELEASES This dramatic spin-off from the Mary Tyler Moore Show has been talked about and rumored for years, but nothing's been done as of yet.
The Man Called X (1956) 41 Episodes 2 Seasons NO RELEASES
Maverick (1957) 124 episodes, 5 seasons (Only release was a three-episode sampler dvd)
Medical Center (1969) 170 episodes, 7 seasons(1st season released) The first season finally came out recently as a MOD, so there's hope the rest of the series will follow soon. They have to continue at least until the episode where Mr. Brady decides to have a sex change!
Men Into Space (1959) 38 episodes 1 season NO RELEASES
Mr. Novak (1963) 60 episodes, 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Movin On(1974) 48 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
The Name of the Game (1968) 76 episodes 3 Seasons NO RELEASES
New York Undercover (1994) 89 episodes 4 seasons NO RELEASES
The Nurses (aka "The Doctors and the Nurses) (1962) 98 episodes, 3 seasons NO RELEASES Note: also continued as a daytime soap in 1965, with a different cast.
NYPD Blue (1993) 261 episodes, 12 seasons (1st 4 seasons released) Another top cop show that got stalled on dvd. I can't figure this out.
Party of Five (1994) 142 episodes, 6 seasons (1st 3 seasons released) At least half of this series trickled out on dvd, which is a good thing. But the other half has been in limbo for many years--which is a bad thing. And they didn't bother to put it out when series star Matthew Fox was so popular from "Lost." And there's fan requests from time to time for a release of its spin-off "Time of Your Life," which starred ever-popular Jennifer "Ghost Whisperer" Love-Hewitt in the leading role. While that series was well-received, it was a ratings disaster and Fox never bothered to air its final 7 episodes. Maybe all of this deserves a second Time of Its Life on dvd.
Peter Gunn (1958) 114 episodes, 3 seasons (Part of 1 season released, with edited episodes)
Peyton Place (1964) 514 episodes, 5 seasons (1st 64 episodes released)
Picket Fences (1992) 89 episodes, 4 seasons (1st season released) A quirky, spooky weirdo show that retains a dedicated fanbase. It's kinda like a mixture of "Twin Peaks," "Desperate Housewives" and "Northern Exposure" all rolled into one. A very hard-to-define genre offering but it was critically acclaimed and won numerous Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series two years in a row! And yet it remains stalled at season one...
Police Woman (1974) 92 episodes, 4 seasons (1st season released) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely One-Season Release...
The Practice (1997) 168 episodes, 8 seasons (1st 13 episodes released) What is this crap...13 paltry episodes out of 168? We didn't even get to the part where the doctor cut off the girl's head and hid it in a duffel bag! Or the part where Henry Winkler played a fetishist who liked girlies to crush cockroaches with their toes. Or the part where James Whitmore played a judge coming to the slow realization that he was suffering from Alzheimer's. And never mind the surprising final season melding of this show into "Boston Legal." Aside from "Ally McBeal" and "Boston Legal," David E. Kelley's shows are just not out there on dvd! Not to mention his collaborator Stephen Bochco! Why so little dvd love for two of tv's most popular and prolific producers?
The Promised Land (1996) 69 episodes, 3 seasons NO RELEASES
Providence (1999) 96 episodes, 5 seasons (1 best of) I have no idea why, but instead of a complete season set, the studio chose to put out (an otherwise splendid) dvd set which featured nothing but scattered "best of" episodes. It would have been nice enough, except that Providence had continuing story threads throughout each of its 96 episodes, and it was impossible to tell what was going on. Another pass is in order, I believe.
Quincy, M.E. (1978) 148 episodes, 7 seasons (1st two seasons released)
Rescue 8 (1958) 78 episodes 3 seasons NO RELEASES
The Rifleman (1958) 168 episodes, 5 seasons (various PD releases) You'd think that Timeless would get around to this--one of the most popular tv Westerns ever produced. It certainly continued its long life into Syndication Land for years and years, whereas the majority of other 50s and 60s Westerns were quickly forgotten. We have seen some scattered PD releases, but they're real crummy.
Ripcord (1960) 78 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
The Rookies (1972) 92 episodes, 4 seasons (1st season released) Need I say--yet another Sony orphan.
Run For Your Life (1965) 86 episodes, 3 seasons NO RELEASES
Science Fiction Theatre (1955) 78 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Sea Hunt (1958) 155 episodes 4 seasons NO RELEASES
77 Sunset Strip (1958) 206 episodes, 6 seasons NO RELEASES One of those rare shows that had over 200 episodes and no releases. It's one of the "kookiest" shows of the swingin' 60s and kind of defined its genre. But it ain't on dvd.
Sisters (1991) 127 episodes, 6 seasons NO RELEASES One of those shows that everybody seemed to tape, week after week and watch later. It was quickly forgotten after its run, but it did boast Swoosie Kurtz in the lead and featured a family of adult siblings (something that wouldn't be tried again on television until the similarly-titled "Brothers and Sisters" in 2005). But it does have 127 terrific episodes and a supporting cast that reads like a Who's Who directory of Hollywood stars.
St. Elsewhere (1982) 137 episodes, 6 seasons (1st season released) Another abandoned show on dvd. And might I add--what is it with hospital shows not really making it on dvd? Aside from "ER" and "Grey's Anatomy," they never seem to get too far. Is it just that the genre doesn't hold up for repeated viewings? Or is it because everybody's always watching the current Doctor shows and they don't want to rewatch the older ones? I don't get it...it's usually one of the most popular genres on television at any given moment.
Streets of San Francisco (1972) 119 episodes 5 seasons (1st 2 seasons released) We are still holding out hope that this one will continue on dvd. It's not too late...
Surfside Six (1960) 74 episodes, 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Tarzan (1967) 57 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Then Came Bronson (1969) 26 episodes, 1 season NO RELEASES
Touched by an Angel (1994) 211 episodes 9 seasons (1st 4 seasons released)
Trapper John MD (1979) 151 episodes, 7 seasons NO RELEASES Another hospital show, really, but it broke genre just a little bit. And it's something of a spin-off from M*A*S*H. And it's got a naked Gregory Harrison popping out of the shower at the beginning of every episode. And yet it's been totally forgotten on dvd.
Twelve O'Clock High (1964) 78 episodes, 3 seasons NO RELEASES
Waterfront (1954) 78 episodes 2 seasons NO RELEASES
Whirlybirds (1957) 111 episodes 3 seasons NO RELEASES

Okay, there's my little list. I know there's dozens more for the rest of you to add lol. And aside for all this, there's still dozens more very short-lived shows I'd like to see like Summerland, Savannah, Second Noah, A Year in the Life, Central Park West and on and on and on. What else needs a little dvd love in these troubled times?

 

[jperez]

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
What Frank Soykes says above about this series is true: it sometimes bordered on the melodramatic and it's a shame it had to use stock footage for its outdoor scenes, specially since it was a series that roamed all over the world: Africa, East and Western Europe, Cuba.... wherever Ben Gazzara, as lawyer Paul Bryant, happened to jump to in his effort to live what remained of his life as its fullest.
But, if one takes into account that the scripts were not following a set formula, I found most to be fairly good and some of them really excepcional, specially since many of the stories went head to head with the notion of what it really would be like for a young man to know he has a short time to live.
And Gazzara's acting is something else... a tour the force, if there ever was one.
I think he was nominated for a Grammy the three years the series was on the air, and lost every time to Bill Cosby, who starred (with Robert Culp) in I Spy, a series with which Run For Your Life had a lot in common, including the globe trotting, the difference being that I Spy actually went on location.
Anyway, as another reader said, Run For Your Life is certainly a holy grail for me..