TV series on 4K Blu-ray

[Anonymouse]

yeah, I've been burned enough by series on BD switching back to DVD only. i'm genuinely STUNNED venture bros hasn't gone back to DVD only. Castle Rock is the wake-up call, here. studios won't stop downgrading when sales are downwards trending. TV on 4K won't have much studio support, because the public didn't give TV on BD much sales support.

Hell, even HBO with GoT is looking iffy. season 1, then 8...but how long has it been since season 1's release? season 2 looks less likely with every passing day. watch, we get an entire box set, instead, a few years down the road, as a middle finger to those of us who bought 1 and 8.

[LoSouL]

Most of the stuff I'd want on UHD are shows on streaming platforms. Narcos season 1 & 2 (I don't need season 3 or Mexico), Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Too Old To Die Young.

I bought those Stranger Things VHS style UHD sets even though I'm not that into the show, and it seems like they passed on season 3? Is it really DVD only?

[Blufan777]

As far as 2019 TV shows go, I'm hoping for releases of HBO's Watchmen, Stranger Things 3, and The Mandalorian Season 1 on 4K Blu-ray.

[Farerb]

I only have the first seasons of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things on 4K and tbh I don't plan to get anymore TV shows on either Blu-ray or 4K. I just find rewatching TV shows to be time consuming and I don't really have time to spare plus the price doesn't worth it.
The only exception is Buffy and that's only if they do it right, but that seems very unlikely at this point.

[Poya]

Chappelle’s Show would be nice.

[Bostonyte]

Firefly

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by jFug

WHY SHOULDN'T THESE SHOWS BE ON 4K DISC?

Because no-one buys them on 4K disc. Brand new content has a better chance than most of being released, like Stranger Things, Westworld and the last season of GoT, but even then that's no guarantee: as mentioned above, it looks like Castle Rock is one and done on 4K disc which is a shame as it looks STUNNING in 4K. Any show has to be a bit of a phenom for the execs to even think about putting it onto 4K - hell, that we're still getting TV stuff on 1080p Blu and not having it downgraded to DVD counts as a victory these days.

Of course there's some shows I'd love to see on 4K disc, and some of them may be high profile enough that they've got a chance e.g. Band of Brothers (though HBO downright mangled the HD remaster of From the Earth to the Moon, I hope they'd treat a 4K rebuild of BoB with more reverence), but if TV on disc can barely sustain Blu-ray then what chance does 4K have? Pretty much everything that has been or is going to be mentioned in this thread is going to remain as wishlist material.

[Mister B Gone]

I watched Castle Rock Season 1 on 4K UHD and can recommend it. It looks really great on UHD and its a good show. However, nothing announced for Season 2 which is a real bummer so things do not seem to be trending upwards when it comes to TV season releases on UHD.

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Brand new content has a better chance than most of being released, like Stranger Things, Westworld and the last season of GoT, but even then that's no guarantee

Definitely. On the HBO tip, Chernobyl being skipped over stings, and I'm no longer as hopeful as I wish I were about Watchmen later this year. Warner also bypassed several series that actually aired in 4K/HDR, among them Doom Patrol, Titans, Young Justice Outsiders, and (as Gretiem mentioned) Swamp Thing, although maybe they want to keep those bells and whistles exclusive to their streaming services.

Originally Posted by kevin87

If you look at it, with the exception of Stranger Things, all TV on 4K has been released by/through WB.

Ultra Q would be another exception, although that obviously hasn't made its way to the U.S. (I'd buy the damned thing too if it weren't, y'know, $700.)

[tyrok]

Everyone needs to bring their hopes way down unfortunately. The vast majority of the public is fine watching these shows in 4K via streaming subscriptions. Warner and Netflix are the only ones supporting TV on 4K disc and Warner has already given up on Castle Rock and Stranger Things continues to sit on the clearance shelves in Target. Even a full box set of Game of Thrones and Westworld 3 aren't sure things with Warners focus on getting people to subscribe to HBO Max.

[Geoff D]

I reckon that we might well see a complete 4K GoT set at some point, but only once they're satisfied that they've sold enough of that fancy complete BD set. Given the ridiculous amount of times this series has already been re-released on Blu then they might as well chance their arm with one more. But yeah, even if it happens it's not a sign of a major change in how TV is represented in 4K, it's just another trip to the GoT well. (Not unlike Disnee releasing Star Wars 1-9 plus Rogue One on UHD, it's not rocket science that they'd seek to cash in on one of the biggest movie series of all time once the current crop of movies came to an end, and does nothing to convince me of an improvement in their attitude towards 4K catalogue releases, especially older live action material.)

[Alwayshappy]

At this point it already makes my day when a personal TV favorite gets a blu-ray release honestly. Even better when an entire show gets a blu-ray release. Hell, some shows don't even appear on dvd anymore. Think 13 Reasons Why, Unbelievable, How to Get Away With Murder, Superstore, and many more. I think I've bought every 4k release possible...just to support the idea, but I even doubt Westworld will have their future seasons in 4k.

[Eurbane132]

I somehow want the loud house to be on blu Ray 4k

[HD Goofnut]

Would sure love The Mandalorian on UHD, but I'll take BD.

[JEArgumedo]

4K Blu-ray for most TV shows is a pipe-dream simply because most shows are not only finished in HD, but SDR/Rec. 709. Unless it's a show that would make it's money back, the investment to go in to re-grade every episode of a long-running show is probably astronomical and not worth it. Game Of Thrones is really the only show I can think of it happening for because HBO can also put it up on their new service.

Walking Dead is 10 seasons long with 139 episodes. It's also one of the last few shows to still shoot on film. Are they really going to go back to the 16mm negatives and scan them all over again at 4K? Could you imagine CBS remastering Star Trek AGAIN? I think most studios and networks probably agree that HD is good-enough for audiences. And you know what, it is. I have shown 4K HDR movies to people who just shrug and say they don't notice much of a difference. The enthusiasts will care obviously (which is why we're all on this board) but the general populace will go meh.

But since we're wishing for stuff in here:
The rest of Game Of Thrones
Westworld for as long as it runs
Chernobyl
Adventure Time
Cowboy Bebop
The Eric Andre Show (Just to see that first season which was shot in SD upscaled)
Space Dandy
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

That's probably enough

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by JEArgumedo

4K Blu-ray for most TV shows is a pipe-dream simply because most shows are not only finished in HD, but SDR/Rec. 709. Unless it's a show that would make it's money back, the investment to go in to re-grade every episode of a long-running show is probably astronomical and not worth it. Game Of Thrones is really the only show I can think of it happening for because HBO can also put it up on their new service.

Walking Dead is 10 seasons long with 139 episodes. It's also one of the last few shows to still shoot on film. Are they really going to go back to the 16mm negatives and scan them all over again at 4K? Could you imagine CBS remastering Star Trek AGAIN? I think most studios and networks probably agree that HD is good-enough for audiences. And you know what, it is. I have shown 4K HDR movies to people who just shrug and say they don't notice much of a difference. The enthusiasts will care obviously (which is why we're all on this board) but the general populace will go meh.

But since we're wishing for stuff in here:
The rest of Game Of Thrones
Westworld for as long as it runs
Chernobyl
Adventure Time
Cowboy Bebop
The Eric Andre Show (Just to see that first season which was shot in SD upscaled)
Space Dandy
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

That's probably enough

Most of the very latest shows are being finished in HDR to begin with, especially those that originate on streaming and they often have mandates for 4K finishing as well, VFX included. So for new content then availability of HDR and/or 4K masters to put onto disc isn't the problem.

[JEArgumedo]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Most of the very latest shows are being finished in HDR to begin with, especially those that originate on streaming and they often have mandates for 4K finishing as well, VFX included. So for new content then availability of HDR and/or 4K masters to put onto disc isn't the problem.

Streaming shows are in the minority. The majority of TV shows are being made for, well, TV networks. Netflix and Amazon are the only ones who mandate it. Everyone else's delivery specs are still HD. I can imagine some shows going the extra mile and finishing in HDR for a future streaming release, but "Most"? Nah. Maybe once HBO Max, Disney+ and Peacock are more established and if there's a demand, we'll see them mandate as well, but for at least another year, HD is the majority for television.

[Troy73]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Would sure love The Mandalorian on UHD, but I'll take BD.

I’d be willing to bet The Mandalorian gets a 4K UHD release before the end of the year. They may drop a Blu-ray release first around the time the SW 4K sets come out in March. Then, before season 2, drop a UHD release of season 1.

[redc22]

How about Star Trek Discovery series. That should look good in 4k

[LexInHD]

Back in the day, the plan at Sony was for The Shield to (probably) be the first TV show released on UHD-BD, but obviously the market for discs and players changed for the worse after the (VERY EXPENSIVE) 4K restoration and remastering began on that show and Sony then punted the US video rights for much of it's TV and film library to Mill Creek Entertainment, who likely won't ever release it on UHD-BD. Sony retains it internationally, so it's possible - but still unlikely - that the show gets a foreign market release that can be imported, likely from Japan. Sony had the series in 4K on their UHD streaming service, but that service was restricted to specific Sony sets and players and is no more.

Some Asian dramas (Korea, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc.) from the past few years were shot and finished at 4K for broadcast or streaming in 4K, so there's a bit of content there, but most of it is not likely to ever be seen in 4K outside of the native markets and none of those markets really support Asian TV releases on BD, so no UHD-BD release is likely, as DVD and streaming reigns supreme there. However, Netflix is starting to use 4K masters with some of the Asian content it licenses for International use and works that it co-finances with Asian studios/networks.