Family Ties on DVD

[The Edge]

Season 6 just got announced for DVD release on 4/9/2013.

All I have to say is: It's about freakin' time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wintermute]

Any idea if it's better to buy the individual seasons vs. the Complete Series set?

I have a chance to buy them either way for around the same price, but I've read on Amazon reviews that the Complete Series has some of the episodes out of order.

That has me wondering if the individual seasons have the episodes in correct order, and if there are other discrepancies, like different bonus features or episodes edited differently---longer episodes chopped in half for later syndication or copyrighted music altered in one version but not the other, for example.

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I can't find discussion of this anywhere!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Wintermute

Any idea if it's better to buy the individual seasons vs. the Complete Series set?

I have a chance to buy them either way for around the same price, but I've read on Amazon reviews that the Complete Series has some of the episodes out of order.

That has me wondering if the individual seasons have the episodes in correct order, and if there are other discrepancies, like different bonus features or episodes edited differently---longer episodes chopped in half for later syndication or copyrighted music altered in one version but not the other, for example.

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I can't find discussion of this anywhere!

While I have not specifically looked deeply into this, I'm 99.999999% certain that it is the same discs from the individual season sets repacked into the Complete Series set.

The final season of the show was release in August of 2013, with a complete series set following in November. A year later, in November 2014, there was a repackaging of the complete series set.

In all instances, it is the same number of discs for the episodes, themselves.

However, one version of the complete series does have an exclusive bonus disc that the later repackaging doesn't have.

First Release (with bonus disc)


Repackaging (without bonus disc)



The bonus disc with that initial release has a couple of extras that IMO are somewhat notable, but how important they are to you may vary.

It includes the pilot to a spin-off show based around the Nick character that never became a full series (so only the pilot was filmed).

There's also an episode of a short lived sitcom that ran for two seasons in the late 80s called "Day By Day." Steven Keaton and Andy appear in this episode, with the explanation that Steven went to college with one of the main characters from this other show.

The thing that (IMO) sucks about this set is the packaging. It's not in any kind of normal DVD case. It is in the book style packaging with the discs sliding into pockets of each of the "pages."



The repackaging is far more shelf friendly, but lacks the bonus disc.

That said, with the exception of the bonus disc in the case of that first complete series set, both sets otherwise have the exact same number of discs as the individual seasons added up. So I highly doubt that they went out of their way to re-author new discs rather than just repackage the ones that they already made. From the studio's standpoint, there would have been little to no reason to do so.

If the extras sound like something that you REALLY want, and you can live with the odd packaging, go for that book-style set (though it may cost somewhat more compared to other options). If the extras are not important to you, then going with either the individual seasons or the repackaged complete series would be fine. The box set will take up less space than the individual seasons, but in both instances it would at least be normal, shelf-friendly packaging.

[Wintermute]

Super-helpful reply, thank you so much!

Do you know if both version of the Complete Series have the TV movie (Keatons on vacation, I think)? I believe I read that's not on any of the individual seasons' sets---and that matters more to me than the spin-off bonuses you mentioned (which I didn't know were in that original Complete set).

That does make sense that they would just re-use the same discs, so the individual seasons probably have those same order errors, and editing (long episode in the season 5 set being chopped into two episodes like it was for re-runs, etc.). I didn't realize that the re-packaged Complete set came out so soon after the original---I thought more years had elapsed between the two, which might've allowed for more changes to be made (for better or worse).

Well now I'm leaning toward getting the repackaged Complete Series---with Target's current 20% Off Books & Movies sale (and 5% Red Card discount), it would only be about $36.50 or so.

Thanks again for your help, it's a pain trying to find any discussion of this show & its physical releases. I guess most people have forgotten about it, never knew or cared about it, or just casually stream it and don't mind the details---which is a shame; this show's a classic, one of my favorites growing up!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Wintermute

Super-helpful reply, thank you so much!

Do you know if both version of the Complete Series have the TV movie (Keatons on vacation, I think)? I believe I read that's not on any of the individual seasons' sets---and that matters more to me than the spin-off bonuses you mentioned (which I didn't know were in that original Complete set).

It says that it is included on the Season 4 set. Since these are likely the same discs, I would therefore assume that it is included in the complete series set. Apparently it is on disc 1, per these images from Amazon








The irony of this is that I have the book-style complete series set with the bonus disc.... but I collect so many shows that I have yet to watch most of it despite owning it for nearly a decade. LOL

I did, however, check out that bonus disc after I got it. Here is a really unimportant detail that I noticed and found interesting...

Despite not being otherwise significant to Family Ties in any really meaningful way, Julia Louis-Dreyfus played 3 different characters that are technically part of the Family Ties "universe."

She was in a single episode of the series in season 6...

Family Ties with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - YouTube

She also plays a completely different character in the Nick spin-off pilot. And she was a regular cast member on that Day By Day show as another character (the crossover episode of which is also on the bonus disc).

[Wintermute]

Those Original Air Date lists on the inside of the individual seasons sets are a nice touch, I doubt the repackaged Complete set has those. Strange that they'd have that and still mess up the episode order on (some of) the discs. But having those air dates handy would make it easy to watch the episodes in the correct order....Now I'm on the fence again.

[BluGalaxy]

I wonder if there's any chance of a HD remaster down the road. Was this on film or tape?

[Wintermute]

Originally Posted by BluGalaxy

I wonder if there's any chance of a HD remaster down the road. Was this on film or tape?

I hadn't even considered that until recently, when someone commented (in the News section on Kino's recent announcement of their Columbo blu-ray set) that many '80s shows will never get HD remasters due to being on tape instead of film.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, I think, and Family Ties is indeed listed as being on videotape. That's when I decided I might as well get them on DVD, since probably nothing better will be coming. I'd never even realized that was an issue---glad I saw that comment; I probably would've kept holding off for who knows how long.

[LokiMok]

Something I posted last year in another thread:

I don't have the complete set, but have some of the individual seasons on DVD and some episodes are cut. The one that stands out to me is the episode where Elyse finds out she's pregnant again. She asks Alex if he remembers the song they used to sing when he was little. He says yeah & sings "We're in the Money" and then they all sing "I'm a Little Teapot." That whole scene is cut. I don't think METV plays it either.

I don't know what else might be cut. I don't remember music playing a huge part on the show other than the Billy Vera song being very prominent in the Tracy Pollan 2-parter (which is still present on the DVD).

[J999]

Originally Posted by LokiMok

Something I posted last year in another thread:

I don't have the complete set, but have some of the individual seasons on DVD and some episodes are cut. The one that stands out to me is the episode where Elyse finds out she's pregnant again. She asks Alex if he remembers the song they used to sing when he was little. He says yeah & sings "We're in the Money" and then they all sing "I'm a Little Teapot." That whole scene is cut. I don't think METV plays it either.
.

I don't have the DVDs either, so this may not be that helpful, but I do watch the show sometimes on Pluto TV and that scene is there for sure (so at least it hasn't disappeared completely). Definitely the Little Teapot bit, but I think they both are.

Pretty sure it turns up in a clip show too, where they are recalling musical moments.