Rules for failed TV series getting DVD treatment?
 

I noticed that ABC's "Miracles" is coming to DVD. I think less than six episodes made it to air. It was ABC's darkest and creepiest series at the time that it aired. But it was cursed with a lousy lead-in show and a terrible "reglious" name. My interest was piqued when I learned that "Angel" executive producer David Greenwald left Joss Whedon's Mutant Enemy to work on this project. I felt the show was on too briefly for it to gain a cult following. But I'm happy to see it on DVD!

The recent spat of one-season-or-less TV shows getting the full DVD treatment is really terrific. But are there general rules or guidelines that determine what failed shows get released on disc?

It seems some are based on who made the show, as the case of Chris Carter's dreadful "Harsh Realm" and promising "Lone Gunmen" (Contractual obligations?). Some failed series have critical acclaim, like "Freaks and Geeks" and "Wonderfalls". And some have write-in campaigns.

Personally, I would LOVE to see Darren Star's failed WB teen-angst spoof "Grosse Pointe" get the DVD treatment. It was too clever and too self aware to appeal to the teenage "O.C." crowd that it lampooned.

whatever the rules are...they should all be as nice as the freaks and geeks set...

on a side note, I wonder if the pilot for the new dark shadows series will ever surface.

So I'm not the only one!!!

I've been talking with my friends about how much money networks would make if you released their failed pilots on DVD. Most networks film 7-9 drama pilots, picking up about 3 on average, that leaves 6 unused pilots... 2 disc set MSRP of $29.99, they would make a killing!

Actually Fox has been doing this for just about anything and everything that has been canceled. The general idea is to strike while the iron is hot and release it ASAP. There was an article not to long back about how Fox has been finding an afterlife on dvd for it's failed tv shows.

Why would anyone want just a bunch of pilot episodes? Especially for a failed show?

The OP answered his own question. Most of the time it is somehow related to the creators. Take what you mentioned, Harsh Realm, a promising show from Chris "X-Files" Carter, if only a handful of X-files loyalist picked this up with a small percentage of blind buys they easily make their money based on Carter's name alone. As for the Gunmen, they have their own built in audience, I'd say most of the people that bought the X-files sets will pick this up.

Same for other shows like Freaks and Geeks, the creators are die hard about their show and they campaigned to bring it to the fans. Critical acclaim helps, along with a couple of actors who are pretty famous now.

I would actually like to see a set for EZ Streets. It may have failed in ratings but it was still a very promising crime drama.

It would depend on the pilot episode and why it didn't get picked up. I think DVDs like that WOULD sell, because just because it didn't get picked up doesn't mean it wasn't good, and even if the pilot isn't good doesn't mean it doesn't have something in it people want to see: the actors involved, the camp value of the episode, whatever. ABC recently had an entire show devoted to clips from all these lost pilots and most of them seemed VERY interesting. And I know some of them have made the underground bootleg circuit at conventions and such so why not make money off of it legally?

As for shows that were cancelled that they could release series sets of, while it wasn't my favorite show on TV, I am extremely surprised we haven't seen a BIRDS OF PREY series set yet. The show was no Smallville, but it wasn't that bad.

Maybe the TRIO network should put out DVDs under the "Brilliant But Cancelled" banner, and become like the "Criterion Collection" of failed but good TV series. I know they have some good ones on their channel that deserve the DVD treatment.

Oh look, I've discovered the rule. If the DVD is likely to make the studio some money, they will release it (barring any rights limitations).

Give this man a prize. Why sit on a product that cost you so much per episode if you can sell it on dvd and make some profit back?

Ditto for Police Squad! Only six episodes before ABC cancelled it because,"without a laugh track, the viewer would have to pay attention to get the jokes". It spawned three movies, but can't get a DVD release? Sheesh.

There are two pilots I would love to see on disc. One is Conan O'Brien & Robert Smigel's "Lookwell" starring Adam West (sometimes shown on Trio and incredibly funny). The other is "Heat Vision and Jack" -- a Ben Stiller creation with Jack Black as an super genius ex-astronaut and his talking motorcycle chopper voiced by Owen Wilson.

Another cool show I would like to see was Fox's "VR.5", which starred then-unknown Folger's Choice pitchman, Anthony Stewart Head.

i really want fastlane to go on dvd

My most desired short-lived series in recent years is karen Sisco...absolutely loved everything about that show...10 episodes would make a nice inexpensive 3 disc set. Seems like it would make a great tie-in with an Elmore Leonard movie..gosh maybe they should have released it around the time 'Be Cool' came out even though it didn't turn out to get very good reviews;)

Michael

Good point. I would like to see Glory Days and that American Summer (?) series on dvd.

I am still patiently waiting for the Logan's Run TV series to come to DVD.

How about picking 5-6 pilots and releasing them on DVD BEFORE airing them and letting us vote for our favorite 1 or 2. There could be a comedy set, drama set, etc. that would come with a unique code to enter online. This would probably be a larger, broader sampling than whatever test audiences they use.

That would be SO fine! I wish we had TRIO. They're currently airing <I>The Invisible Man </I> which I'd kill to see, but we don't have TRIO. I'd buy the DVDs in a heartbeat.

They're not failed shows, but I'm still waiting for Boston Public and Mama's Family.

On the topic of failed shows, I want "Hype!"

I heartily second the vote for Karen Sisco.

I'd also like to see a complete set of episodes from Peter Berg's "Wonderland", about doctors working in a Bellevue-like hospital for the criminally insane. The two episodes that aired were both fantastic, but ABC yanked it due to complaints from the mentally ill that it made them look crazy or something (true story). 13 episodes were produced and all aired in Europe, but the show was never heard from again in the US.

Hear here. When I saw this thread, that's the first show that came to mind. This is the first time I've heard a reason for why they canned it; I always assumed that it was due to poor ratings, since ABC in their infinite wisdom ran it in ER's timeslot.

I've never seen it, but I'd love a chance to blind buy the Party of Five spin-off "Time of Your Life", which I hear was pulled with a few episodes still to go. It's a Fox title so should be a safe bet for a DVD release at some point?

Mind you, having said that, be nice to get Season 2 onwards of Party of Five :rolleyes:

I think this "failed show on DVD" phenomenon has a darkside. I suspect that it it contributes to even more premature series cancellation. Hollywood is ridiculously risk-averse - to the point where all their attempts to avoid risk bring on new risks of stagnation.

Anyway, my point is that if a network thinks a show is borderline, and they believe they can lock in some amount of revenue based on DVD sales, then they have incentive to cancel the show ASAP, avoiding any continuing costs involved with promotion and possibly opening the timeslot up for something more profitable. In doing so they also reduce the chance for a borderline show to find its niche and blossom.

Please oh please god let them release Andy Richter Controls the Universe on DVD (with the unaired episodes of course)!!

Along with Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Karen Sisco, I would kill for a Nightmare Cafe release. It's been so long since I've seen an episode of it and as far as I know I might think it's crap if I saw it today, but my friends and I loved it when it ran briefly while we were in high school. Then again, I'll probably watch just about anything with Robert Englund in it.

I'm suprised WB has been sitting on this one for so long. You'd think they'd release it in time for Batman Begins, or along with the Batman SEs. At least I have all of them downloaded so that will hold me over til a real release.

Funny enough, I was at a comic/toy show earlier today and alot of people were looking at bootleg Birds of Prey sets. WB may have already lost the window to sell this title since it's already been selling like that for over 2 years.