Top 10 TV Shows Not on DVD

By : John Latchem | Posted: 25 Sep 2009
jlatchem@questex.com

TVShowsOnDVD.com, a subsidiary of TVGuide.com, keeps track of what fans want to see on DVD that isn’t out yet. In the past few years, shows on the fan-requested list that have made their way to DVD include “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” “Get Smart,” “Mama’s Family,” “Third Watch” and “Family Ties.” So, what’s still on the list?

1. “The Wonder Years” — The show about growing up in the 1960s and 1970s relied heavily on music from the era, making music licensing particularly difficult for a DVD.

2. 1960s “Batman” — Warner sister company DC Comics owns the character, and Fox owns the show, but if the movie spin-off has made it to disc, why not the series? Settlement of the Watchmen lawsuit between Fox and Warner yielded rumors Fox would be allowed to put the show on DVD, but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, the rights issues may be more complicated, owing to the talent involved in making the show, likeness rights from cameos, characters from other studios, etc. Series star Adam West has already recorded his own recollections of the show and released them separately.

3. “Daria” — “The major issue with this was always music, but we’ve heard it’ll be coming in 2010,” said TVShowsOnDVD.com founder Gord Lacey. “Will it have all the original music?”

4. “Salute Your Shorts” — “Nickelodeon hasn’t seemed that interested in revisiting their older shows,” Lacey said. “That’s changed a bit recently, with Amazon doing burn-on-demand for some of their older shows. Maybe we’ll see this released that way.”

5. “The Six Million Dollar Man” — Lacey cites rumored rights/legal issues for a lack of a DVD release but notes it’s available outside of North America.

6. “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” — Lacey attributes “a perceived lack of interest” for the show not being on DVD. “I know Bruce Boxleitner would like to see it out.”

7. “Ed” — Music is the likely culprit, Lacey said.

8. “The Bionic Woman” — A spinoff of “The Six Million Dollar Man” is likely unavailable for the same reasons as its parent show.

9. “Hey Dude” — Another Nickelodeon show.

10. “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place” — “This is a huge question mark,” Lacey said. “You have two well-known stars in Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion, with Traylor Howard holding her own on ‘Monk,’ so why hasn’t Fox released this on DVD? No idea.”

How did SMK get to number 6 if no one is interested in it? Fan votes got it to that spot and that should say something. SMK has a very active message board that I visit every day and we lament the lack of DVDs constantly. Most of us paid good money for bootlegged DVDs with poor picture quality and are willing to pay top dollar for official DVDs to replace our bootlegged copies. If you sell it they will buy!

Commented by Sreya
Posted on 2009-09-27 13:22:12

Wait a second - SMK has been on top ten lists for shows to be put on DVD for YEARS, how can anyone think there's a lack of interest for this show?!

Commented by Mary Lynn
Posted on 2009-09-27 13:28:00

There have been countless Scarecrow and Mrs. King fan sites all over the web. Many of us have shared our homemade videotapes from the show's airing in the 1980s, and reruns from the 1990's and 2000s. All of us want the complete DVD set released so we can replace our fading home videotapes with quality production. There are three generations in my family that love the show. I can't imagine how someone perceived a lack of interest.

Commented by Katrina
Posted on 2009-09-27 14:01:30

I love SMK too! I'm in the UK and am really disappointed in the fact that it's not out on DVD. They didn't air the whole show for some reason but it was very popular over here in its day. If anyone cared to surf the internet, I think they'll find that the statement "a perceived lack of interest" does NOT apply to this show! It's still got a huge following and many people would love to see it released. Who do we talk to/petition?

Commented by AH
Posted on 2009-09-27 16:06:46

I am a fan of Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and would buy the DVDs in a heartbeat. Can you ask Lacey where the "perceived lack of interest" information came from? I just do not buy that. There are many fan sites devoted to this series, and fans both within and without the US.