Is it time to give up hope on seeing more Classic TV (1950-1980) released to Blu-ray?

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Apart from Kino-Lorber's and Olive's releases of Flipper, The Outer Limits, and The Martian Chronicles, it's been a good while since we've seen any classic TV shows released to Blu-ray. If I had to guess, I bet less than 5% of the TV shows on DVD have been released to Blu-ray. Is it unlikely we'll see any more classic shows hit Blu-ray?

As far as I recall, this is all that's been released:

• Batman
• Battlestar Galactica
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
• Flipper
• I Love Lucy
• Little House on the Prairie
• Lost in Space
• Roots: The Complete Original Series
• Shogun (James Clavell's Shōgun)
• Space: 1999
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• The Andy Griffith Show
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• The Honeymooners: "Classic 39" Episodes
• The Invisible Man
• The Martian Chronicles
• The Monkees
• The Outer Limits
• The Prisoner
• The Rockford Files
• The Twilight Zone

[The Great Owl]

No.

[GeoffOliver]

I just want Bewitched on Blu-ray. The DVDs don’t look great, especially the first two seasons which are literally the (hideous and inaccurate) colorized versions with the color turned off. You have to get the VHS tapes if you want the authentic black-and-white versions. Same with the first season of I Dream of Jeannie.

[lilboyblu]

Originally Posted by Jar Jar Stinks

Is it time to give up hope on seeing more Classic TV (1950-1980) released to Blu-ray?

No. This thread just came up a couple weeks ago, so there are still possibilities.

Blondie (1957) TV Series Kickstarter from ClassicFlix

[Clark Kent]

Speaking honestly, probably. Mill Creek looks more interested in licensing more recent shows from the 1980s. I wonder how their Rockford Files set sold.

I'm sure we'll get one or two stray classic television releases in the future, but they will be the exception and not the rule.

[Egons Ghost]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

I just want Bewitched on Blu-ray. The DVDs don’t look great, especially the first two seasons which are literally the (hideous and inaccurate) colorized versions with the color turned off.

Wait. They are?!

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by Egons Ghost

Wait. They are?!

That's been the rumor for ages.

However, some amateur comparisons done over at HTF a couple years back revealed that whatever was used for the current DVD masters looks identical to the early 1990s Columbia House VHS tapes that were done before colorization, and the only real difference is in PQ after a remastering job and by being released on a better format. So whatever was used is accurate.


https://www.hometheaterforum.com/com...posts/4443728/

[moviebuff75]

I want The Flintstones, Wonder Woman, and The Brady Bunch. Then, I will be happy.

[blahsi]

I would like to see Bewitched, Mary Tyler Moore, Newhart, and The Waltons at least brought to Blu-ray.

[zbinks]

1. Was the show shot on film?
2. Were the film elements retained and preserved?
3. Can the costs to transfer the film elements to HD be recovered via syndication, streaming and home video?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no," then it's probably time to give up hope.

Note: The scanning / restoration costs for shows with high episode counts can be exponentially more expensive than those for movies or short-lived series.

[Doctorossi]

If you have to ask...

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Originally Posted by zbinks

1. Was the show shot on film?
2. Were the film elements retained and preserved?
3. Can the costs to transfer the film elements to HD be recovered via syndication, streaming and home video?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no," then it's probably time to give up hope.

Note: The scanning / restoration costs for shows with high episode counts can be exponentially more expensive than those for movies or short-lived series.

HD masters exist for many shows. It's a matter of the studios choosing to sell them on Blu-ray.

[thecooldud]

You're missing out Classic Doctor Who there, which has just started being released. Unless you're only talking about US TV, of course.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

I want the Dukes of Hazzard on Blu-ray! (Yeah, I know. Never going to happen.)

[OneWayFilms]

I wonder if the poor sales for I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith are sending poor signals that classic TV shows on bluray are not a good investment?

I think what really hurt those two titles were the outrageous price of those season's, when the real fans already had a fairly decent DVD of the entire season already. And it isn't until NOW, since it's been announced that they will no longer continue to finish the series on bluray, that the prices have finally dropped to an affordable and reasonable price, just to get rid of the overstock.

But now, who wants to buy only a single season or two and not the entire series on bluray. Until the entire series is out on bluray, THAT'S when I'll start investing in upgrading my DVD collection of both shows.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I wonder if the poor sales for I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith are sending poor signals that classic TV shows on bluray are not a good investment?

I think what really hurt those two titles were the outrageous price of those season's, when the real fans already had a fairly decent DVD of the entire season already. And it isn't until NOW, since it's been announced that they will no longer continue to finish the series on bluray, that the prices have finally dropped to an affordable and reasonable price, just to get rid of the overstock.

But now, who wants to buy only a single season or two and not the entire series on bluray. Until the entire series is out on bluray, THAT'S when I'll start investing in upgrading my DVD collection of both shows.

Those two failures can be laid at the feet of Paramount/CBS's release strategies. They overpriced them and didn't get multiple seasons out at once. Their executives really thought they would sell like Star Trek.

[BluBonnet]

There's a few that are not on blu-ray, but are available in HD versions on iTunes:

• Gilligan's Island
• Hawaii 5-0 (classic)
• Mission Impossible
• Wonder Woman

[chrislong2]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Those two failures can be laid at the feet of Paramount/CBS's release strategies. They overpriced them and didn't get multiple seasons out at once. Their executives really thought they would sell like Star Trek.

Absolutely right. The problem was a complete failure on Paramount's part to understand their properties and how to release them. There is no reason that both I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith could not sell reasonably well if they would just release them as complete Blu-ray box sets. But when you come out and release one season of Andy Griffith at like $90 for the one season when the whole bloody show (8 seasons) could be had on DVD for around that price, I don't know what in the world they were thinking (well yes I do, they were thinking they would release like "Star Trek" as you said).

If they had (or even would still) release both shows for a price like $130-150 for each show complete on Blu, I bet there'd be plenty of takers for those 2 shows. They've already got the HD masters of both - all they have to do is stick the stupid things on some discs and port over the DVD extras. They could make a reasonable profit and please the fans. But alas, that makes too much sense, so Paramount will probably never do it...

Instead, no offense to fans of shows like Rockford Files and Flipper, but we get those complete on Blu-ray and not the iconic I Love Lucy or Andy Griffith? I don't know what Rockford File's or Flipper's fan base looks like, but it can't be on the level of Lucy and yet those are the types of shows that are the ones studios are using to see if they want to continue other shows on blu?

[Forneverland]

Yeah, especially with shows like 'I Love Lucy' where they released the first two seasons on blu-ray and then just stopped.

[GeoffOliver]

It’s only a matter of time before the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman comes out on Blu-ray. It already has HD masters, and Warner seems very willing to release the DC stuff on Blu, especially something involving a character as iconic as Wonder Woman. Even better that she’s a hot brand right now with last year’s blockbuster film and next year’s sequel (also supposedly featuring Lynda Carter). There’s also no crazy legal hurdles like the Adam West Batman.

I could also see Universal maybe releasing the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk TV series one day.

Mill Creek could release more of its Sony licenses on Blu-ray (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Charlie’s Angels), but only if Sony themselves prepare HD masters. I guess it’s possible for streaming/cable reruns. As mentioned above, Bewitched and Jeannie both need new 35mm film scans, at least for their black-and-white seasons. I guess the color seasons might be alright (the masters are from around 2005-2008).

Originally Posted by Forneverland

Yeah, especially with shows like 'I Love Lucy' where they released the first two seasons on blu-ray and then just stopped.

It’s always best to release any non-ongoing show all at once. There’s no reason to divide the seasons up, except maybe later after the complete set is out (ala Adam West Batman or Dick Van Dyke). If CBS/Paramount has no plans on finishing I Love Lucy or Andy Griffith, they should license them to Image, just like The Twilight Zone and Dick Van Dyke.