# Deficient television disc releases **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437 "2012-07-06T17:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/1 "2012-07-06T17:18:22Z")
Hopefully this is not too similar to the thread on DVD pet peeves, so if it is, please delete. The question is, which DVD releases of television series have you found to be deficient after one manner or another? Possible deficiencies could be: didn’t like the series in question, the discs were packaged wrong, the video/audio quality wasn’t to your liking, there were musical replacements/cut scenes, wrong production house logos (“production house logo” meaning things like Paramount’s Blue Mtn., CPT’s 80s Torch Lady, etc.), et al. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/2 "2012-07-06T19:01:03Z")
The obvious one to me was when _WKRP in Cincinnati_ was finally released on DVD (well, the first season was, at least). The long-time hold-up for the release had been the music rights; in the DVD release, much of the music was replaced with no-name songs. I was still happy to see _WKRP_ again after all these years, and I completely understand the issue with the music, but it still took some of the luster off of it. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/3 "2012-07-06T19:16:08Z")
Season One of [Beavis and Butt-Head](http://www.amazon.com/Beavis-Butt-head-Mike-Judge-Collection/dp/B000B5XOWU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1341601545&sr=8-11&keywords=beavis) was released with: -Only a small percentage of the music videos that B&B criticize; -Massive dialogue cuts all over the place -Several episodes missing (apparently Mike Judge thought some episodes were too embarrassing to include). I think most of these problems continued at least through the Season 2 release (which at least didn’t have the dialogue cuts). Of course there are going to be copyright issues with the music videos, but that was _extremely_ disappointing, since the highlight of B&B to me was the snappy comments during videos. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/4 "2012-07-06T19:30:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The obvious one to me was when _WKRP in Cincinnati_ was finally released on DVD (well, the first season was, at least). The long-time hold-up for the release had been the music rights; in the DVD release, much of the music was replaced with no-name songs. I was still happy to see _WKRP_ again after all these years, and I completely understand the issue with the music, but it still took some of the luster off of it. Concur with bells on. The hallmark of the stupidity of the season 1 release is that _Jennifer’s frakking doorbell_ (“Fly Me to the Moon”) has been replaced with generic doodles. It is thirteen notes long. Some of the _Quantum Leap_ seasons have this problem as well. The worst offense is committed when “Georgia on My Mind” is replaced when Al dances with Beth in one episode. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/5 "2012-07-06T19:54:18Z")
Meant to add a different kind of problem I’m having with TV on DVD: Cancelled shows (specifically, _King of the Hill_, _Good Eats_, and _Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends_) which now may never see the rest of their seasons released. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/6 "2012-07-06T19:58:23Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Concur with bells on. > > The hallmark of the stupidity of the season 1 release is that _Jennifer’s frakking doorbell_ (“Fly Me to the Moon”) has been replaced with generic doodles. > > It is thirteen notes long. > Some of the _Quantum Leap_ seasons have this problem as well. The worst offense is committed when “Georgia on My Mind” is replaced when Al dances with Beth in one episode. Likewise, one of the most memorable episodes of “The Greatest American Hero” centers on repeated playing of “Eve of Destruction” - so a DVD version which replaces the song is just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/7 "2012-07-06T20:35:46Z")
One of mine was that of _Blue Thunder_, the short-lived '84 ABC adventure series. I looked at it all the way through, and IMHO, it was a pretty good series (your opinion may differ), but there is one glaring caveat: CPT’s 80s Torch Lady (aka the 80s Coke Lady) was not included; rather, the current SPT logo was there. The reason why this was a caveat to me is because the series was copyrighted to CPT, which in the beginning of the series was “a division of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.” then later was “a division of CPT Holdings, Inc.” That being so, I would have expected the Coke Lady. However, for SPT to replace that with its logo made the release feel very incomplete. Shout!, on the other hand, IMHO, has been pretty good with production house logos, from the original Universals on _McHale’s Navy_ and _Marcus Welby, M.D._ (_McHale’s_ also had the Revue logo), to Paramount’s Blue Mtn. on _Webster_ (both standard and tall-peaked), to CPT’s Coke Lady on _Designing Women_ and later seasons of _Punky Brewster_, IIRC (earlier ones had the former NBC logo). Heck, even Paramount was pretty good on a couple of their series (_MacGyver_ and _The Brady Bunch_ [one had the Blue Mtn., one had the Split Box]). All that said, why is it that some releases have the proper age-appropriate production logo, and many more don’t? ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/8 "2012-07-06T20:38:14Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Meant to add a different kind of problem I’m having with TV on DVD: > > Cancelled shows (specifically, _King of the Hill_, _Good Eats_, and _Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends_) which now may never see the rest of their seasons released. Of course, of course! _St. Elsewhere_ has had only one season’s worth released since '06, and the odds are looking mighty slim. However, there has been some good news on that front; _Taxi_ did come out with nos. 4 and 5 (from CBS) after a 3-4 year dry spell since #3 from Paramount. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/9 "2012-07-06T21:39:13Z")
Count Duckula has never been fully-released on Region 1 DVD. The first season (now out of print) was, but appearantly it didn’t sell well enough to justify the rest. Of course, the limeys get to have the whole thing on a Region 2 DVD… but I’m not _quite_ enough of a fan to buy a region-free DVD player just for one show… ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/10 "2012-07-06T22:50:23Z")
> [@bmasters1](#): > > One of mine was that of _Blue Thunder_, the short-lived '84 ABC adventure series. I looked at it all the way through, and IMHO, it was a pretty good series (your opinion may differ), but there is one glaring caveat: CPT’s 80s Torch Lady (aka the 80s Coke Lady) was not included; rather, the current SPT logo was there. The reason why this was a caveat to me is because the series was copyrighted to CPT, which in the beginning of the series was “a division of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.” then later was “a division of CPT Holdings, Inc.” That being so, I would have expected the Coke Lady. However, for SPT to replace that with its logo made the release feel very incomplete. > > Shout!, on the other hand, IMHO, has been pretty good with production house logos, from the original Universals on _McHale’s Navy_ and _Marcus Welby, M.D._ (_McHale’s_ also had the Revue logo), to Paramount’s Blue Mtn. on _Webster_ (both standard and tall-peaked), to CPT’s Coke Lady on _Designing Women_ and later seasons of _Punky Brewster_, IIRC (earlier ones had the former NBC logo). Heck, even Paramount was pretty good on a couple of their series (_MacGyver_ and _The Brady Bunch_ [one had the Blue Mtn., one had the Split Box]). > > All that said, why is it that some releases have the proper age-appropriate production logo, and many more don’t? Seriously? This is what occupies your time? ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/11 "2012-07-06T22:53:43Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Count Duckula has never been fully-released on Region 1 DVD. The first season (now out of print) was, but appearantly it didn’t sell well enough to justify the rest. Same with Exo-Squad, except season two never came out in any other region, either. The Rocky & Bullwinkle DVDs have an annoying “station identification bug” that pops up in the corner periodically throughout each episode, as if you’re watching the R&B channel. The Secrets of Isis DVDs look like they’re mastered from home recordings made on an old top-load VHS VCR. (And this may very well be the case, it’s not the kind of show where the master tapes or films would have been lovingly preserved.) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/12 "2012-07-07T02:57:44Z")
Like most anime, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water includes a brief clip of animation when cutting out to a commercial and cutting back in. This has been included on the disk version. While this isn’t any different than many other shows, the cut-away animation in Nadia, is of the words, “The Secret of Blue Water”. While that displays, a chorus of women very distinctly sing the words, “The Secret Blue Water”. OF OF DAMMIT THE SECRET **OF** BLUE WATER At first, it’s fine, but after you’ve watched two dozen episodes, the incongruity between the words as written and as sung really creeps up on me and makes me want to bash things. ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/13 "2012-07-07T15:13:09Z")
Speaking of anime there’s always the incredibly stupid season sets of _Dragon Ball Z_ where they decided to take a series animated and broadcast in 4:3 and crop it into widescreen. This is annoying under any circumstance but it’s even more annoying when there’s not a single shot where at least 1/3 of every characters impossibly large hair is chopped off, making it virtually impossible not to notice. Want to know about the worst part though? They overdid the DNR so much that a lot of the detail and grain is gone, in fact it’s so bad that there are certain spots where are **actual lines of animation are removed**. That is an absolutely inexcusable thing to do to anything animated. But everything’s fine right? They released the new Dragon Boxes that use the gorgeous Japanese remasters right? Yes, yes they did, but it turns out those fine releases were limited editions. So it’s nearly impossible to find sets 1,2 and 4 for less than $100. Want to know what’s worse? The Dragon Boxes have entirely different episode layouts so you can’t even fill those gaps with the cheaper sets without missing episodes, and they canceled the Blu-Rays so you’re basically stuck with the season sets. TLDR- Screw you FUNimaiton ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/14 "2012-07-08T00:11:37Z")
I bought Walking Dead season 1 on Bluray right when it first came out. There were hardly any extras, but I figured that’s just how it was, sometimes it happens. Then a few months later they released a 2nd version with tons of extras… I know this sort of double dipping happens all the time with movie releases, but it’s the first time I ran across it with regard to a TV show release. Not saying it’s the first time it’s happened just first time I noticed it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/15 "2012-07-08T01:10:15Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Season One of [Beavis and Butt-Head](http://www.amazon.com/Beavis-Butt-head-Mike-Judge-Collection/dp/B000B5XOWU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1341601545&sr=8-11&keywords=beavis) was released with: > > -Only a small percentage of the music videos that B&B criticize; > -Massive dialogue cuts all over the place > -Several episodes missing (apparently Mike Judge thought some episodes were too embarrassing to include). > > I think most of these problems continued at least through the Season 2 release (which at least didn’t have the dialogue cuts). Of course there are going to be copyright issues with the music videos, but that was _extremely_ disappointing, since the highlight of B&B to me was the snappy comments during videos. What you link to is clearly labeled as the “Mike Judge Collection, Volume 1”—they were never marketed as complete seasons. But you’re right that this is a great example of a “deficient” TV DVD release. I wish they had released the B&B episodes as they originally appeared on TV, with all the music video commentaries intact. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/16 "2012-07-08T07:21:34Z")
The first couple of seasons of _Frasier_ on DVD lacked a **Play All** option. Kind of irritating when you’re trying to enjoy a Frasier Fest AND do other things. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/17 "2012-07-08T11:04:31Z")
I bought Northern Exposure season 1 on Region 1 (it wasn’t available in the uk at the time) and it had appalling picture quality and sound. It was like a copy of a copy of an old VHS. So bad that I bought the Region 2 version when that came out, it might have as bad quality, haven’t watched it yet… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/18 "2012-07-08T12:04:10Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Count Duckula has never been fully-released on Region 1 DVD. The first season (now out of print) was, but appearantly it didn’t sell well enough to justify the rest. I have the whole of _Count Duckula_, because I do have a Region Free player. But they haven’t released the last two seasons of _The Muppet Show_ yet (!!!), or the second _Gummi Bears_ set, after many years of waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deficient-television-disc-releases/627437/19 "2012-07-08T18:09:11Z")
The original “Hawaii Five-O” DVD release did not include the episode [Bored, She Hung Herself](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0598018/). It aired only once, and never again. Not in syndication, and not on DVD. Of course. . . there are “unofficial” releases of it floating around. . . somewhere. [Walks away whistling. . . .]