2006 Sitcoms on DVD Preview

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Today, we look at some sitcoms that are scheduled to be released on DVD sometime in 2006. We will also offer some of our own predictions of some new and returning sitcoms that we feel will have some chance to be available.

In 2005, the sale of TV Shows on DVD generated more than $2 billion in sales. Currently, there are over 5,400 TV related DVDs on the market. We expect that number to grow to over 6,000 by the end of the year. 2006 looks to be a big year for 1980's sitcoms as there will be several first-time releases as well as shows returning with additional seasons. There are currently over 150 different sitcoms available. It would not surprise us for that number to be near 200 by the end of the year.

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01/03:
All in the Family - The Complete Fifth Season
1st & Ten - Season 1
1st & Ten - Season 2

Comments: All in the Family returns after a nine-month break. I'm sure fans would like to see more than one season released per year as has been the case so far. I'm not sure why they are offering 1st & Ten season sets when the complete series can be bought at Walmart for under $20. The episodes on the complete series release are on six double-sided discs, and there are reportedly some altered and missing scenes.

01/17:
Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season Three
Good Morning, World - The Complete Series
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Third Season
Titus - Season 3

Comments: Doogie has been released at about the rate of one season every 5-6 months. We have heard April 18th as the date for the final fourth season. Good Morning, World was a one-year wonder that helped give Goldie Hawn her start. I'm sure Mary Tyler Moore fans are excited to see season 3 released only 6 months after season 2. That sure beats the three year wait between the first and second seasons. This is Titus' third and final season. Give this show a try if you like dark comedies.

01/31:
All-American Girl - The Complete Series
Archie Bunker's Place - The Complete First Season
Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete Second Season
Drake & Josh Go Hollywood - The Movie

Comments: Margaret Cho's sitcom All-American Girl, which ran for only one season, brought an Asian-American family to a television series for the first time. I'm a bit surprised that we are seeing Archie Bunker's Place before All in the Family is finished. It ran for four seasons, and there are four seasons left of All in the Family to be released, so maybe we will see some faster releases. Diff'rent Strokes returns after a 16-month break. Whatchoo talkin' bout Sony? This series needs to be released at a much faster rate.

02/07:
Grounded for Life - Season One
Growing Pains - The Complete First Season
Hearts Afire - The Complete Third Season

Comments: Grounded for Life makes it debut on DVD. It ran for five seasons from 2001-2005 on FOX and TheWB. You can show me that smile again as Growing Pains comes to DVD with some nice bonus features, including scenes from the unaired pilot which featured a different Carol Seaver. This is Hearts Afire's third and final season. The series starred John Ritter, Markie Post, and Billy Bob Thornton.

02/14:
The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Fifth Season
Charles in Charge - The Complete First Season
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Third Season
Gimme A Break - Season One
The Golden Girls - The Complete Fourth Season
Living Single - The Complete First Season
Significant Others (2004) - The Complete Series

Comments: Paramount is really flying through The Andy Griffith Show seasons. If only every sitcom were released at their rate! I think there's an excellent chance that all nine seasons will be available by the end of the year. Another 80's sitcom makes it debut on DVD: Charles in Charge. The first season aired on CBS before it moved to syndication several years later. A bonus episode from the second season will also be included. Will Smith and company return for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's third season -- only four months after the last release. This show is enormously popular on Nick at Nite, so I'm not surprised at the quickness of the releases. Gimme A Break is my most anticipated release of February. I remember watching it on the USA Network in the late 1990's, but the episodes were badly cut up. It will be a joy to see them unedited for the first time. The Golden Girls is back after only a three-month break. We could have the complete series by the end of the year at that rate. Living Single aired on FOX for five seasons from 1993-1998. The series starred Queen Latifah, Kim Fields, Erika Alexander, Kim Coles, John Henton, and T.C. Carson. Significant Others was an improv sitcom that ran on Bravo for two seasons in 2004. Only 12 episodes were produced.

02/21:
Action - The Complete Series
3rd Rock From the Sun - Season 3

Comments: Action ran on FOX in 1999. Only 13 episodes were produced. Jay Mohr, Illeana Douglas, and Buddy Hackett starred. 3rd Rock From the Sun returns after only four months since the last release. Fans of these shows must love the short wait between seasons.

02/28:

The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season Three
The Beverly Hillbillies - Ultimate Collection, Volume 2
The Drew Carey Show - Television Favorites
Ellen - The Complete Season Three
NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season
Night Court - Television Favorites
Welcome Back, Kotter - Television Favorites

Comments: The Adventures of Pete & Pete's third season comes just three months after the second season was released. This Beverly Hillbillies release will include 27 episodes of the series. It will be up to Paramount to release the remaining episodes as MPI only had the rights for a limited amount. Ellen's third season comes out nearly a year after the second season release by A&E. NewsRadio's third season was delayed a bit as they wanted to record some commentaries for the episodes. The Drew Carey Show, Night Court, and Welcome Back Kotter are being released as part of Warner Brothers Television Favorites lineup. These releases will include six episodes of that particular series. The Drew Carey Show and Welcome Back, Kotter were Best Buy exclusvies originally, but they will be widely available on this date. If you are a fan of these shows, I think it is important that you support these sets. They are usually very inexpensive. I would think if they have strong sales for these releases, it will increase the chances of season sets greatly. Night Court fans might be disappointed as season 1 was already released, but maybe they didn't sell as well as expected. I think the Markie Post years are more popular. Some early seasons of sitcoms are not the best, and unfortunately if those first season releases don't sell well, studios seem to push off future releases.

03/07:
The Brady Bunch - The Complete Fifth Season
The Cosby Show - Season 2
The Flintstones - The Complete Fifth Season
Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Third Season
Three's Company - Season 6

Comments: This is The Brady Bunch's last season. Kudos to Paramount for releasing the entire series in a little over a year! It was a bit disappointing, however, that only the first season had any special features. The Cosby Show returns after a seven-month break. These episodes will be the original network versions and not the syndicated versions that they used on the first season set. Hogan's Heroes continues to be released about every six months. Three's Company has also been released at about the rate of one season every six months. You can expect the usual big amount of extras on this set.

03/14:
I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season (Original Black & White Edition)
I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season (Colorized Edition)

Comments: This was recently announced by Sony. There will be two versions available for this release just like Bewitched: original black & white and colorized. Special features will include commentaries on the pilot episode and other cast interviews. An I Dream of Jeannie theatrical movie, starring Jimmy Fallon, will be released in September 2006. We could see the second season then.

03/21:
Roseanne - Season 3

Comments: Roseanne's third season is on the schedule after about only five months since season two was released. We can once again expect the original network versions, just like season 2.

04/04:
Full House - The Complete Third Season

Comments: Full House is hugely popular as new generations discover it on Nick at Nite. I'm sure these sets sell like hotcakes. It will only be a four-month break since season two was available.

05/02:
That Girl - Season 1

Comments: Nine episodes of That Girl were released in 2001 by Anchor Bay. That seems like quite a rare set. It would cost you an arm and a leg (currently $210) to buy that release now from Amazon.com marketplace sellers. A better bet would be to rent it from Netflix. Shout! Factory will release all 30 episodes from the first season on this date.

05/30:
A Different World - Season 2
The Doris Day Show - Season 3

Comments: A Different World will return after about a six-month break between releases. We can expect this set to have the original broadcast versions and not the syndicated versions which were used on the first season release. The Doris Day Show will be released by MPI. A Doris Day Special will be available on the same date. The first two seasons of this series had some nice bonus features.

06/27:
Alice - Television Favorites
Perfect Strangers - Television Favorites
Step by Step - Television Favorites

Comments: Alice will be a 6-episode release as part of a Television Favorites set. Visitors to SitcomsOnline.com helped select some of the episodes that were chosen for this set. The episodes are listed here. Perfect Strangers is another 6-episode Television Favorites release. SitcomsOnline.com visitors helped vote for episodes that they would like to see on this set, but we haven't heard which episodes the studio has selected yet. Step by Step is the third Television Favorites release set scheduled for this date. If these sets sell enough, it seems possible we could see season sets in the future.

The release dates were compiled with the help of vashti1999's 2006 TV-DVD Release List and news items from TVShowsonDVD.com

Other Sitcoms Expected On DVD In 2006:

No official dates have been announced yet, but these are expected to be released in 2006.

New Shows:

The Comeback - Lisa Kudrow's short-lived comedy on HBO is expected sometime in 2006. The show had only a 13-episode run.

Dinosaurs - It is expected that the series first and second seasons will be released combined sometime in 2006, possibly in the second quarter.

Designing Women - Sony has tentative plans to release the first season in early 2006. A Best-of special was previously released a few years ago.

Family Affair - The first season of the 1960's classic is slated to be released by MPI in April.

Family Matters - A six-episode set as part of Warner Brothers Television Favorites lineup is expected sometime in 2006, possibly in June.

The Flying Nun - Sony is said to be working on a first season release for the fall of 2006.

Get Smart - HBO is working on a release for sometime in 2006.

Gidget - Sally Field's earlier sitcom is expected to be available from Sony in the fall of 2006.

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - We originally heard the first quarter 2006 or January 2006 for Gomer, but that seems to have been pushed back. We still anticipate it sometime in 2006.

Kate & Allie - We heard back in December that the first season is expected from Universal in the spring 2006. A bonus episode of Kate & Allie will be included on the 02/14 release of Gimme A Break if you can't wait that long.

The Love Boat - Paramount is said to be working on a release for this year, possibly for August. John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, Scott Baio, Meredith Baxter, Richard Mulligan, Robert Reed, Dick Sargent, Don Adams, and so many more guest starred. And that's just season one!

Mama's Family - Warner Brothers is considering a release of Mama's Family for 2006. This will be a full-season set, and not one of those 6-episode best-of deals.

Maude - Sony has said Maude is in the works. It will likely be paired up with a future All in the Family release.

The Odd Couple - Paramount is said to be working on a release for the spring 2006, possibly in April.

Police Squad! - Paramount is scoping out this 6-episode series for a possible release in 2006.

Wings - We originally heard about a February 7th release date for seasons 1 and 2 of Wings. It seems that date has been pushed back as we still haven't heard any official announcement about it or seen any artwork. We will keep you posted on any new information as it develops.

Returning Shows:

Boy Meets World - This fourth season set was delayed from a January 2006 release. No new date has been announced yet.

Cheers - More seasons of Cheers are expected in 2006.

Frasier - More seasons of Frasier are expected in 2006.

Good Times - The final sixth season should be released in 2006.

The Jeffersons - More of The Jeffersons are expected in 2006.

M*A*S*H - Season 10 will likely come from Fox in June.

Seinfeld - We will surely see Seasons 7-9 in 2006. If they follow the same schedule as 2005, we should see Season 7 in May and Seasons 8-9 around Thanksgiving. No official dates have been announced yet. Those are just my guesses.

Taxi - More of Taxi is expected from Paramount in 2006.

Three's Company - We've heard June 6th for the seventh season. The final eighth season appears to be headed to DVD in the fall.

Predictions:

These are my predictions and opinions only. Some of them probably have zero chance, but I still have them on my wishlist. None of these titles have been announced.

Returning and New Shows:

Bosom Buddies - This one was rumored as far back as 2003. It needs to be put back on the map. The Complete Series of Bosom Buddies would make a great gift. Tom Hanks is a name that everybody recognizes. Not many people have seen his early work on this under-rated series though.

Chico and the Man - I hope that the Television Favorites set sold enough copies to warrant a full season release.

Dharma & Greg - Thomas Gibson and Jenna Elfman are both on prime-time CBS shows. I think we will see Season 1 sometime this year.

The Facts of Life - I think the case is strong for a release. It is currently the #5 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com . Most of the core group of fans are in that coveted 18-49 age group that have a lot of money to spend on DVDs. This looks to be a big year for '80s sitcoms DVD releases. Hopefully Sony will pair it up with Diff'rent Strokes this year.

Family Ties - This seems like the year for '80s sitcoms making their first appearance on DVD. This is a hugely popular and highly wanted sitcom. Family Ties was one of the best. It deserves a DVD release.

Happy Days - I predict we will Season 2. Music licensing rights and lower than expected sales to cover those rights seemed to have delayed it. I hope things can be worked out. If they need to charge a little extra for the licensing, I think most fans would happily pay it to preserve the original music. I believe much less music was used in the later seasons than the early seasons.

Here Comes the Brides - Sony seems to be considering it for sometime in 2006.

Laverne & Shirley - I think it's being delayed because of Happy Days. Once that is worked out, I would expect to see Season 2. I don't remember much music being used in Laverne & Shirley, so that shouldn't be a major factor.

The Lucy Show - With I Love Lucy's sixth and final season set to be released on May 2nd, I think we will see the start of season sets for another one of Lucille Ball's series.

Mork & Mindy - It's connected to Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. I think we will Season 2 once the music licensing rights issues for Happy Days are worked out. Mork & Mindy didn't seem to use much music. There was one disc on the first season set that mentioned that some music had been changed for this home entertainment version. This show really hasn't been over-exposed on cable in recent years.

One Day at a Time - Season 1 was mentioned as coming soon in one of Sony's booklets that you find in their DVD sets in 2004. It has never materialized, but I predict this is the year for it. The show coming to Comcast's On Demand service could also be a positive sign.

The Phil Silvers Show - Paramount is rumored to have it on their list of classic shows coming to DVD.

The Ropers - I think we will see the Three's Company spin-offs released after Three's Company is finished.

Silver Spoons - This one seems like a bit of a longshot. A lot of '80s sitcoms are being released this year and if they have big sales...you never know. Does an online petition with 2,300+ signatures help its cause?

Three's a Crowd - This seems like a possibility after Three's Company wraps up.

WKRP in Cincinnati - If they can do the music licensing rights for Freaks and Geeks, why not WKRP?

The Wonder Years - The first season had like only six episodes. Music licensing rights are a major issue, but hopefully a company like Shout! Factory could work on this set. Currently the #4 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com .

I would also predict that we will see additional seasons for ALF, All in the Family, Arrested Development, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, Charles in Charge, The Cosby Show, Diff'rent Strokes, Ellen, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Full House, Gimme A Break, The Golden Girls, Green Acres, Grounded for Life, Growing Pains, Hogan's Heroes, Home Improvement, The King of Queens, Leave it to Beaver, Married with Children, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, My Favorite Martian, The Nanny, NewsRadio, Night Court, The Partridge Family, Reba, Scrubs, The Simpsons, That '70s Show, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Too Close for Comfort, and Who's the Boss?.

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Post your predictions here.

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Wednesday, January 04, 2006

2006 Sitcoms on DVD Preview

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