Do you keep/collect tv series that are incomplete?

[Jay Ellis]

We all know the ruthless reality of tv ratings. Sometimes a tv series you love can suddenly be canceled after one or more seasons leaving an unresolved cliffhanger and incomplete story in its wake. It can be really frustrating especially when you've invested time and money into its story and developing characters. My question is, do you keep tv shows in your collection that are incomplete i.e. without a final season to provide a satisfying conclusion? Better yet, have you ever bought a tv series released on blu-ray or dvd that had already been canceled?
I have a few series that I really enjoy having in my collection despite their incompleteness. My attitude is, some story is better than no story.

They are:

Dracula (fantastic cinematography and musical score with compelling characters cut short after one short season)
V the series (2010) (great sci-fi show that lasted only two seasons with a huge cliffhanger at the end)
A.D. The Bible Continues (surprisingly violent and gritty rendition of the book of Acts cancelled after only one season)
Dominion (one of the best shows from sci-fi channel I've seen in years with great mythology, compelling characters, and surprisingly good production values for a budget show that was cancelled after two seasons and, again, a huge cliffhanger.

What about you? Do you own any incomplete series you revisit from time to time?

[Moviefan2k4]

I can't think of any right now, but I do want to get the single-season program "Forever", which was a truly great effort. Ioan Gruffudd was probably at his best with that, and everyone else brought their "A-game" to the table, too. Plenty of people wanted a renewal, and I stand by my opinion of ABC's poor advertising being the main cause of low ratings.

[mysticwaterfall]

Off hand I can think of AD and Joan of Arcadia. For shows I don't have, flash forward.

[tiger_qc]

I have Dollhouse, Terminator TSCC & Firefly.

[MechaGodzilla]

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom (Riget) never got its planned third season (it even ends with a preview), but it's still a fantastic miniseries that always makes for a rewarding viewing experience and I'm happy to own it.

[JamesOttoSweetHeart]

I wish that the rest of the show named Perfect Strangers was available.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

P.S. To me, if the powers that be can't get a show out there in its entirety, it shouldn't be out there at all.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by JamesOttoSweetHeart

I wish that the rest of the show named Perfect Strangers was available.

I love that show, too. It ran eight years and only gets the first two on DVD...while far worse programs get released every year to desensitized masses. I'd love for an independent company to release a complete series set, like Visual Entertainment did with "Diagnosis: Murder".

[leburn98]

Just Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Blu-Ray) and Overthere (DVD). I do agree that generally it makes it more difficult to purchase a series that you know is cancelled and ends on a cliffhanger. I've skipped shows like Jericho (which I have yet to see) because of it. Funny enough, there have been shows that were brought back due to high DVD sales (Family Guy, Futurama, etc.)

A common trend with many of the abruptly cancelled shows I like is that they are FOX shows

[ElectricPeterTork]

Why would I not have a TV series in my collection just because it didn't have a "satisfying ending"?

Most shows before MASH in the '80s didn't even have endings. The exceptions were The Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke Shows. The rest just ended when they were canceled, and that was that.

Now, if I'm getting it wrong, and you mean if I keep shows in my collection that are abandoned on DVD, well, yes, I do. I usually keep them until Shout or someone else forces me to sell them off because of the nice shiny new Complete Series set, though they usually are nice enough to put out the remaining seasons by themselves over time.

But not keeping an entire series just because there's no lame, forced final episode? Technically, I wouldn't even own The Sopranos, because that sure as hell doesn't have an ending.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I love that show, too. It ran eight years and only gets the first two on DVD...while far worse programs get released every year to desensitized masses. I'd love for an independent company to release a complete series set, like Visual Entertainment did with "Diagnosis: Murder".

You don't want VEI releasing anything. They are bottom of the barrel.

If the recent Barnaby Jones set is any indication, all they care to provide is edited episodes with horrible picture quality.

I can live with horrible PQ, but edited episodes?

Though many people will just tell you to shut up, bend over, and accept what they so generously decide to give you because missing 4 minutes from each episode is better than nothing, I still find edited episodes, especially with no warning, pretty much unforgivable.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by ElectricPeterTork

You don't want VEI releasing anything. They are bottom of the barrel.

If the recent Barnaby Jones set is any indication, all they care to provide is edited episodes with horrible picture quality.

I can live with horrible PQ, but edited episodes?

Though many people will just tell you to shut up, bend over, and accept what they so generously decide to give you because missing 4 minutes from each episode is better than nothing, I still find edited episodes, especially with no warning, pretty much unforgivable.

Was it ever confirmed that the episodes of "Diagnosis: Murder" were edited for the complete set? I'd never heard that.

Back on topic, I remember another show I'd like to own on DVD, that only lasted two years: "Time Trax". WB released it through their "Warner Archive" label.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Jay Ellis

My question is, do you keep tv shows in your collection that are incomplete i.e. without a final season to provide a satisfying conclusion?

Yes, absolutely. The journey is the reward. My most recent examples are Almost Human and Intelligence, which were sadly both cancelled after only one (great) season. I think it's mainly shows with great characters and chemistry that remain popular even after a premature cancellation (see Firefly etc.).

[Tony208]

Incomplete, to me, is a series like 24 where the first six seasons are not on blu-ray. I don't own those.

I have no problem owning prematurely canceled shows on Blu-ray. Got a bunch of them, Dracula, Firefly, Dollhouse, Pushing Daisies, TSCC, and more.

[tiger_qc]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Incomplete, to me, is a series like 24 where the first six seasons are not on blu-ray. I don't own those.

What about the shows that are doing the opposite, like Modern Family? I keep buying them even if they stopped releasing the series in Blu-ray after 4 seasons but it really makes me angry.

[TheLaughingMann]

Let me see...

Ended before their time? I have Firefly, Camelot, Dollhouse, Pushing Daisies, Terminator: TSCC, Deadwood.

The only series I own that is incomplete (intentionally) is True Detective: Season 1. Unless it comes back for a Season 3 that blows us all away after how Season 2 came along...this is where it'll stay.

[Tony208]

Originally Posted by tiger_qc

What about the shows that are doing the opposite, like Modern Family? I keep buying them even if they stopped releasing the series in Blu-ray after 4 seasons but it really makes me angry.

That's the same thing, not gonna buy that show.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Personally, whether or not a show is on Blu doesn't matter to me.

90% of what I'd buy as far as shows go will never make it to blu either because it was videotaped or the companies see no chance of making a profit off of it.

Though I'd never start a series on Blu and go back to DVD for it, or vice versa. So, shows like Modern Family I have on DVD only. Even the horrible 5th season release, where the PQ was so bad I thought I had accidentally bought a bootleg until I looked it up and saw it came directly from Amazon and that everyone was complaining about the look of the episodes.

As far as shows with no ending or a Cliffhanger ending I own? Duckman, Sliders, and My Name Is Earl are three that come to mind as ending on cliffhangers.

[tiger_qc]

Originally Posted by Tony208

That's the same thing, not gonna buy that show.

Well if you really wanted to own it you would be realizing it after 4 seasons like I did and be left to decide if you still buy them or stop. When I love a TV show I buy every seasons as soon as they're available I never wait for the complete set to be out, unless I start to watch a series when it already ended.

Originally Posted by ElectricPeterTork

Though I'd never start a series on Blu and go back to DVD for it, or vice versa. So, shows like Modern Family I have on DVD only. Even the horrible 5th season release, where the PQ was so bad I thought I had accidentally bought a bootleg until I looked it up and saw it came directly from Amazon and that everyone was complaining about the look of the episodes.

When I start buying MF I didn't expected it to go back to DVD only after 4 seasons so I start on blu and now I'm back to DVD. I still have MF season 5 on my PVR's HD since the PQ is truly awful on the fifth season. I usually remove everything as soon as I own a physical copy but didn't remove MF s5 yet.

[Samus Aran]

A big issue with TV shows is that unless they plan on releasing a complete series box set, a lot of the older stuff will never be fully released (NYPD Blue). I have the first two seasons of Once and Again on DVD, but because of the poor sales, there will never be a third season.

[Tony208]

Originally Posted by tiger_qc

Well if you really wanted to own it you would be realizing it after 4 seasons like I did and be left to decide if you still buy them or stop. When I love a TV show I buy every seasons as soon as they're available I never wait for the complete set to be out, unless I start to watch a series when it already ended.



When I start buying MF I didn't expected it to go back to DVD only after 4 seasons so I start on blu and now I'm back to DVD. I still have MF season 5 on my PVR's HD since the PQ is truly awful on the fifth season. I usually remove everything as soon as I own a physical copy but didn't remove MF s5 yet.

I'd rather buy digital HD than DVD.