Ha ha. The old VHS curse. 
Sitcom release wish list Page 5
Quote: lofthouse @ October 3 2012, 9:37 PM BSTBut I now realise it's just part 2 of series 1
Well that's pissed all over my chips
Quote: Aaron @ October 3 2012, 9:39 PM BSTHa ha. The old VHS curse.
Even in this DVD day and age they release some shows' seasons/series in two parts...for example CSI New York (at least the German version). Clever money making scheme...bastards! 
Not a sitcom - but I wish they would release some series of It'll Be Alright on the Night.
If, like me, you're one of those people who used to love it as a kid.
Quote: Gordon Bennett @ September 1 2012, 6:00 PM BSTBrowsing through the BCG's sitcom list I noticed a show called "Happy Families" by Ben Elton starring Jennifer Saunders. Has anybody seen it? Is it any good?
I don't think that's released on DVD.
Has Faith in the Future -- sequel to Second Thoughts -- been released on DVD?
Not as yet.
Thanks. Is there some relatively standard length of time you can expect to wait. Faith in the Future ended in 1998. Yikes -- 14 years ago! We waited -- so to speak -- 18 years for the last series of Second Thoughts.
Yet there are shows that barely finished their first run that are already offered for sale with imminent delivery. Example, Hebburn.
I wonder whether new shows are offered more quickly because DVD publication is planned from the beginning, with rights and permissions sewn up before it even airs for the first time while rights, etc., for older shows have to be chased.
I guess sometimes it never works out. Rumours are that WKRP (American), for example, will never be released as it was aired because of music rights.
Well DVD wasn't around when many of these shows were broadcast. Something like Hebburn is contemporary to DVD and Blu-ray markets, and people who like the show will be wanting to buy it to re-watch and enjoy.
No matter how much people might've enjoyed it at the time, there's not going to be the same demand for a series that very few people have seen in 15 years.
It doesn't take much these days to sort out rights for (most) shows if there's sufficient will to release them, but it is true that modern contracts will include clauses specifically related to commercial availability, thus making their release that bit smoother. But mainly it's a question of (perceived) demand.
Thanks. And the fact that the first series or season of some shows are released but subsequent ones are not likely proves you're right. A very popular older US sitcom is one example. Only Season One of Murphy Brown has ever been released to my knowledge.
I do wonder, however, if the fact that owning DVDs is popular and people are building collections which include past favourites will make older series more profitable and, therefore, possible. On the other hand, perhaps streaming and DVRs will put an end to DVDs. (OH NO!)
I don't buy that argument: the rise of iTunes and Spotify has come at the same time as a resurgence in vinyl. There'll always be a physical market. (And I pray that the physical market continues to be fulfilled.)
Declining costs (of contracts, production and distribution) have made DVDs far easier to produce over the past 5 or 6 years, but it can still be an incredibly risky and expensive business if you're stuck with a show no one wants to buy.
Some shows, both new and old, don't get beyond a first or second series release. As you surmise, that's a strong hint that they didn't sell well.
I'm with you on the "physical market". Having stuff on a flash drive or hard drive can't compete with looking at DVD boxes, particularly the nicely designed ones with print extras. And I'm keeping the shelving manufacturers in work, too.
Quote: Benedict @ September 1 2012, 9:54 PM BSTI used to like the comedy series The Young Person's Guide To Becoming A Rock Star which I could never find on DVD.
It is available on VHS
Doctors And Nurses (with Adrian Edmondson and, as I found out today, David Mitchell).
I'm still holding out for.....
2point4 Children (series 4-8) - Yes that old bean again
Next of Kin
Dr Willoughby
Health & Efficiency
Dad
So Haunt Me
Office Gossip
Ain't Misbehavin'
Brighton Belles
Chalk (Series 2)
2point4 Children (series 4-8)
Liver Birds