Cocopugg

If you're a fan of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, then you have been left with a bad taste in your mouth by 20th Century Fox. Ok season 1 didn't sell too well, probably because it wasn't nearly as advertised as most DVD releases are today. As a result, no season 2. Does this mean it will NEVER happen? Why are we fans being punished? Everyone knows this show was as big a classic in the 70s as M*A*S*H was! Every fan also knows that season 1 of MTM wasn't the best. Is it our fault 20th Century Fox didn't release the best season first? If you are like me, then your heart skips a beat when you look at the TVShowsonDVD.com page for April releases and by the April 20th release section you read the words "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", next to it you'll find the words "Mary and Rhoda" and right underneath it you'll see the words "Complete 2nd series"...Wow what a treat! Nope, if you read closely it's referring to a show called "The Office", not MTM...What a tease! I really wish 20th Century Fox would come to their senses and release season 2. Season 1's sales must have at least done decent by now, it's only been about 2 yrs since season 1 came out. Come on, you can't tell me that all those sets are still on store shelves! The fans want the rest of the show...It's a classic, like M*A*S*H, it deserves to be COMPLETELY released!

CP

rasalas

Fox is trying to make MTM more viable on DVD. Fox exec Peter Staddon on a season 2 set: "We're looking at ways of bringing that out, so there is hope. We finished it, and there's just a question of can we make it work better than the first season worked."

Apples and oranges. From its start, M*A*S*H had a bare-bones DVD model that has been highly profitable. MTM did not and wasn't.

No, if they had, we'd have a season 2 by now.

Season 1 came out 17 months ago.

You're right. They're not on store shelves--but not because they have been sold. They've been returned to Fox, which is how it knows how poorly it sold.

Agreed. They'll be out eventually, but Fox is just trying to figure out how to make it work and how to make up for the loss on the first set. One thing is for sure: The presentation of the DVDs will be much more generic.

THX7966

It's not brain surgery. They need to take a look at MGM's release of Green Acres Season 1: 32 episodes on 2 discs for only about $20 on Amazon. Why can't they do that with MTM?

Cocopugg

On a side note, I wonder just how good the sale of Green Acres Season 1 is doing? That's another series that deserves to be completely released to DVD as well.

Cocopugg

Does this mean they finished remastering the 2nd season as well, with similar extras as the first season set?


Does this mean that seasons 3 on up may be released without being digitally remasterd, and with no extras?

CP

calhoun07

They just need to release it bare bones and priced the same as an average MASH set. Fox shot themselves in the feet here by trying to amass all this bonus material that nobody cares about, or at least they don't want to pay all that extra money for. MASH does well bare bones, and so would MTM.

rasalas

Essentially, yes. I talked to Ed Asner, who also was the executive producer for the first-season DVD set (his son was the producer), when the first season was released. At that time, he said Season 2 had just been finished and was ready to go.


I'm not sure about your terminology; every DVD is digitally remastered. But if you mean restored, chances are that basic restoration, if needed, would still take place. That's not a big expense on something like this, from my understanding, and those costs are essentially factored into the release of any catalog title of a certain vintage.

The key here is that Fox took a bath on the first release. It needs to come up with a plan that not only makes future sets viable on their own but also allows Fox to recoup the money it lost on Season 1 and has already spent on a similarly overpresented (if you will) Season 2.

From its vast experience with TV-related DVDs, Fox knows that the initial audience for a particular show doesn't vary that much. Once a first season comes out, those sales numbers generally remain constant on future releases. Annual sales figures, such as the ones posted by Video Business, back this up. And while you might think poor sales are a result of fans not liking a first season, figures for other shows--most of which might have the same complaint--don't support that. So, not only were sales of MTM S1 disappointing, but the actual audience for the show on DVD was below expectations. That is what has jeopardized the series on DVD. Even if Fox comes out with a bare-bones release at a small price, the audience might still not be enough to sustain it. That's partly what Fox is trying to figure out.

Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. Knowing what Fox does now, that would have been a good idea. But it could release the entire rest of the series in such a manner now, and--because of the lower profit margins--still not make enough money to pay for the other seasons and recoup the losses from the first season. There's no way Fox is going to release the rest of the series under any plan that doesn't make enough money to justify the other releases and regain the first set's losses. It's a Catch-22.

calhoun07

I thought the Mary and Rhoda movie was pretty mediocre. I did watch it on TV, and wasn't blown away by it. Not as bad as other made for TV movies based on sitcoms, but still not essential. And they plan on generating more interest in these season sets with this release??

rasalas

Fox is not releasing the Mary and Rhoda reunion movie on DVD. It's coming from independent distributor Ventura. Its release has nothing to do with the season sets of the show. If Fox thought anything of the movie or its chances of generating any interest in the series, it would have released it itself rather than licensed it to Ventura.

Classic Films

Friends and Law and Order are examples of shows that were first released at a higher price and then had their price reduced. Fox has never tried this with MTM. All we hear is that they can't give the show away.
It also appears that it is assumed other MTM shows like Bob Newhart's two shows will also not do well . They are still unreleased. Why doesn't Fox lease these shows to someone else if they don't want to release them themselves. It seems Fox is starting to do this with films such as Pick up on South Street. Why not with a TV series.

How are the sales of the Dick Van Dyke show? This show has a fairly high price with lots of extras. All five seasons of the Dick Van Dyke show will be out this year.

Cocopugg

I've never understood the higher price principal. Recently, The Abbott and Costello Volume 1 set of their Universal movies was recently released, and if you ordered the 2 disc set from Amazon when it was originally announced, the price was a mere $17 for 8 full movies! Come on, what's 20th Century Fox thinking? If MTM season 1 didn't sell well, why not re-release the set at a lower price? Only this time, why not advertise it more? Recently I've seen ads for Lost In Space, Green Acres and more, and I hear all these are selling well. I think MTM was released too early in the DVD game, when people weren't buying like they are today. Fox should seriously think about re-releasing season 1 and promoting season 2 while they are at it.

CP

Mhepburn20

WHOO-HOO! TV shows on DVD.com just posted some great news about this release, finally!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2972

Michael

billy9215

Now do a better job on the audio, Season 1 audio was unbearable.