Gizmo

So My Name is Earl S4 just got announced with pictures of its packaging. From what's shown, its clearly just a normal DVD case that will house 3-5 DVDs inside instead of the usual cardboard. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with this if the previous three seasons looked just like this but they are instead in typical TV Show packaging. While the show has been canceled and the chances of future seasons are not happening why couldn't they have just made them all look the same? Why such a drastic change? Its not like this is Scrubs S7 with a shorter season.

Mr. Cinema

Family Guy Volume 7 is the same way. I saw it in a clear amaray case with slipcover. The previous 6 volumes were in slimpaks. I've also seen Arrested Development in clear cases now.

I usually don't care what packaging it comes in, but changing after several volumes is sort of annoying.

Gizmo

If they are re-releasing all of them (i.e. show is completed and done) I get that. Buffy, Angel, Roswell, X-Files etc. all had changes to make them cheaper and be able to stock more copies on store shelves. But halfway through the show is such a pain. I've been wanting to complete my Earl collection but it looks like I will just wait till they are eventually all released in slim packaging. Such a pain in the ass.

Travis McClain

Burn Notice - Season One had a slipcase containing two slimline cases. Season Two is a standard case without a slipcover. I think this constantly changing package trend is one more reason I'm inclined to simply wait for complete series releases.

islandclaws

They did the same thing with Tales from the Crypt. Started off with digipack fold-outs, then switched the slimline cases. Is it annoying? Yes, but I have more important things in life to worry about.

jjcool

I can see where this is frustrating for some. However, I actually welcome this change, as the other three seasons of Earl I have are in a similar style case as the fourth season appears to be in. These cases can be had for cheap, and covers can be found on the internet.

Gizmo

All the Earls I have seen have been in the typical Fox Digi-pack like packaging. Have they been re-released in slimmer sets?

joltman

ER did this in a nice way, they changed the packaging for their most recent release (10th season), but you wouldn't know it from the outside. They were previously in fold-out digipaks, but this last release was a wide six-disc case.

Corey31

I think what jjcool is referring to is he bought empty cases that hold the disks and just printed out artwork for the case. Earl hasn't been re-released in slim packaging

leitmotif

It looks like a lot of upcoming TV show DVDs are switching from slimpacks to standard cases with slipcovers this fall (It's Always Sunny, Family Guy, American Dad, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, and more) which I assume has to do with cost cutting by the studios.

kstublen

The least they could do is release them with slipcovers so there is at least some uniformity. It is going to look so crappy on my shelf to have the side-entry slipcovers and then a random plastic case. They changed 24 (again) but at least they gave it a slipcover. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they are going to do that with any of the other releases.

drak b

oh sonofa... *sigh* I know I will eventually want to buy the 4th season of Earl but I really, really hate this sort of move by the studios. It's as if they aren't even aware of the possibility that people might own other seasons or might care how they look on a shelf.

jjcool

Corey is correct. Apologies if I gave the impression that they had been re-released. I dont find the single width cases to be much slimmer than the box. Maybe the two thinpaks make up the width of a single width case, with the only difference being the actual thickness of the two sides of the cardboard case.

jjcool

The thinpak cases have got to be cheaper than the old foldout case, right? At least with the thinpaks they can buy in trememdous bulk, and use the same cases for multiple releases. With the gatefild packaging, you have this huge cardboard case to be manufactured and printed specific to the dvd title. With the thin paks you ahve the outer cardboard, less cardboard, to be manufacttured and printed. Plus the covers of the thinpaks. Obviously the carboard case, and covers are specific to the dvd title. With the single multi disc case all they have to print is one cover, and maybe an insert. Plus they can use the multi disc case for any title with the same number of discs. So they can buy huge quantities of them.

critterdvd

Warner Brothers has been doing the same with "Everwood" and I'm assuming the next wave of "one tree hill," "gossip girl," and "Smallville" will be the same way...

Gizmo

So Everwood S2 is in a normal DVD case vs the cardboard foldout?

IIRC, Gossip Girl S1 was in a DVD case (housed in a slip cover).

komsik

Anything they can do to save a penny... It just encourages me to buy less.

WMAangel

I mentioned this exact same issue last month when the last season of Boston Legal was released in the single plastic case:
"Just picked this up this morning, and I have to give a BIG thumbs down to the packaging change from Fox....the previous four seasons featured plastic thin packs held within a cardboard box, now for this final season they switch to a clear standard size DVD case with two flaps inside holding the four discs....
Usually I will be happy about a smaller case size, due to my ever so limited shelf space, but not this time......I mean, come on Fox! This is the last season, couldn't you have just released it in the same format as the previous four?? Now it stands out like a red-headed stepchild, geez......"

dkedvd

I love the new change! I was never a huge fan of the box set look. I truly hated them when they used to be full sized cases, then they went thin and that was better, but now just a standard case is nice. It looks "clearer" I guess is the work I'm looking for. All in all I think they look much nicer this way.
Though I do see how it kinda sucks when half of a series is box set and the 2nd half is in a standard looking case. I personally do not mind it so much just as long as they keep the spines looking the same.

Brian T

They should've have used this kind of packaging from day one. Those big, clumsy boxed sets--for TV, animation, even movies--were such an unnecessary and unwieldy waste of packaging materials and shelf space! I don't buy TV on DVD as a rule, but these standard sized cases with trays sure make it tempting.

Doctor Zoidberg

I'm glad they've changed the packaging to these cases, and agree they should have been like that in the first place.

Gizmo

Problem is they were not like that from Day One which pissed me off.

DeanoBKN

I guess they figure the smaller the sets get, the more people will buy because they have more shelf space.

Look at 24 for example. The first few seasons were huge (Season 4 being the biggest, by god it's huge) and then 5 and 6 got slim, and 7 is in one of the new cases.

Travis McClain

I think it's more likely a matter of costing less to ship more to stores, and stores being able to stock more of a title that is behind the transition. In the beginning, I think TV releases were made larger and used more special packaging to convince prospective buyers that owning a season on DVD was, in fact, something special in a move to convince them to purchase something they could catch in re-runs on TV. Now that we're used to owning TV seasons, they don't need to lure us in as much and can shift their emphasis to more cost-conscious measures.

darkhawk

The Simpsons pissed me off when fox did a double. Changing the boxes for the heads and then after ordering a box, it's not the same as the others either. Then Season 11 changed.