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2007 Sitcoms on DVD Preview

Welcome to our 2nd Annual 2007 Sitcoms on DVD Preview and Predictions Issue! First, we will look at some of the releases that have been officially announced or rumored to be coming to DVD in 2007. Then we will offer some of our own predictions of some new and returning sitcoms that we feel have some chance to be released this year.

TV on DVD is now a $3 billion-a-year business. There are currently over 6,200 TV DVD releases on the market. Over 200 individual sitcoms are available on DVD. According to figures compiled by the DVD Release Report, there were 158 shows that debuted on DVD in 2006. That is up from 137 in 2005, so there doesn't appear to be any slow down in releases. Making their debut on DVD in 2007 will be Martin, Anything But Love, Men Behaving Badly, Family Ties, Girlfriends, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Bosom Buddies, McHale's Navy WKRP in Cincinnati, What I Like About You and George Lopez. That's only what has been announced for the next few months. Hopefully there will be a lot more later in the year. Making their returns after a very long wait will be Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and Mad About You.

The below links go to Amazon.com where you can pre-order these titles at up to 30% off their list price. We are an affiliate of Amazon.com and receive a commission for each sale. Please consider ordering through our links. Thanks for your support!

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January 2007:



01/03 - Martin - The Complete First Season

Martin finally arrives on DVD on a 4-disc set. It was one of the most requested shows at TVShowsonDVD.com and looks to be a hot seller. At the time of this writing, it is #16 on the Top 100 list at Amazon.com . You can read our review of the set here.



01/16 - Gimme A Break - The Complete Second Season (Canadian Release)
01/16 - The King of Queens - The Complete Seventh Season

VEI is releasing the second season of Gimme A Break in Canada. You can order it online if you live in the US from Amazon.ca, and it will play fine in your DVD player. This title was previously announced for October 3, 2006, but it was delayed for an unknown reason. Some people that pre-ordered it did receive it, while the old date was still in the Amazon.ca system. No word yet on if/when Universal will release the second season in the U.S. It is nice to have VEI as a fallback. It has been just 4 months between the sixth and seventh seasons of The Kings of Queens. Fans have to love that release rate.



01/30 - I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Third Season
01/30 - Lucky Louie - The Complete Series
01/30 - Three's Company - Capturing the Laughter - Jack's Favorites

It has been about 6 months between releases for I Dream of Jeannie. There will be no extras, just the 26 episodes. HBO releases the complete series of Lucky Louie. The sitcom, which aired on HBO in the summer of 2006, was not renewed for a second season. Anchor Bay releases a 5-episode set that contains some of John Ritter's favorite episodes. For more details on this set, please visit Jack's Bistro. We heard that there was going to be a Janet's Favorites set released exclusively by Best Buy on the same day, but that sets seems to have been delayed. Hopefully Anchor Bay will release the two spin-offs, The Ropers and Three's a Crowd this year.

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February 2007:



02/06 - Anything But Love - Volume 1 (Seasons 1-2)
02/06 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Third Season (Canadian Release)
02/06 - Mad About You - The Complete Third Season

A couple of romantic comedies for Valentine's Day. The Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis sitcom, Anything But Love, which aired on ABC from 1989-92, makes its debut on DVD. The set will have several featurettes and commentaries by Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis. FOX plans on having two releases: Volume 1 (Seasons 1-2) - 28 episodes and Volume 2 (Seasons 3-4) - 28 Episodes. Many people, including myself, thought we had seen the last of Mad About You on DVD when Sony released The Mad About You Collection in February 2005. The hope for any more season sets seemed remote... not so fast! Sony surprises us with the 3rd season - nearly 4 years after the second season release. VEI brings us the third season of Kate & Allie. This is a Canadian only release, but you can still order it online if you live in the US from Amazon.ca and it will play in your DVD player. They say that this set will contain all unedited episodes. Their season 1-2 set had some syndicated episodes. No word on if/when Universal will release seasons 2-3 in the U.S. Once again, it nice to have VEI as fallback for series such as Kate & Allie and Gimme A Break.




02/13 - All in the Family - The Complete Sixth Season
02/13 - The Golden Girls - The Complete Seventh and Final Season
02/13 - Men Behaving Badly (US) - The Complete Series
02/13 - Zoey 101 - The Complete First Season

Sony finally brings us the sixth season of All in the Family. Starting in 2002, they've released one season every year. It would be nice if they released them a little faster, but it seems safe to assume they aren't going to abandon the series until it is finished. Buena Vista Home Video releases the seventh and final season of The Golden Girls. All 7 seasons have been released in a little under 2 1/2 years, so that is not too shabby. Will the spin-off series, The Golden Palace be next? Shout! Factory releases the complete series (35 episodes) of the 1996-97 NBC sitcom, Men Behaving Badly, which starred Rob Schneider, Ron Eldard, Justine Bateman, Julia Campbell and Ken Marino. Nickelodeon offers the first season (13 episodes) of the sitcom which stars Britney Spears' little 'sis, Jamie Lynn Spears.



02/20 - Family Ties - The Complete First Season

What would we do, baby, without Family Ties on DVD? Family Ties makes its long-awaited debut on DVD. It has been rumored for the last couple of years, so it is nice to see it finally happen. One of the best and one of my favorite sitcoms of the '80s. Check out our extensive Family Ties fan site.



02/27 - The Doris Day Show - Season 4
02/27 - Girlfriends - The Complete First Season

MPI Home Video releases the fourth season of The Doris Day Show. These sets always have an impressive amount of special features. I only wish MPI had more series to offer, since they always do an excellent job with their releases. Paramount brings us the first season of the sophisticated and popular sitcom, Girlfriends. It began on the UPN in the fall of 2000 and currently can be seen on the new CW Network.

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March 2007:



03/06 - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - The Complete First Season

Paramount/CBS DVD releases all 24 episodes of the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. The popular TGIF sitcom starred Melissa Joan Hart, Carolina Rhea, Beth Broderick and Nick Bakay as the voice of Salem the cat. The studio is said to be planning the second season release already.



03/13 - Bosom Buddies - The First Season
03/13 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Seventh-Ninth Seasons (The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour)

Another sitcom which has been rumored to be coming out on DVD for awhile from Paramount, Bosom Buddies, finally has a release date. The series starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari and aired on ABC from 1980-82. This set will contain all 19 episodes from the first season. I noticed that the early artwork had labeled the set as "The Complete First Season", but the updated artwork simply says "The First Season". I hope that these episodes will be unedited. Paramount is releasing all 13 hour-long episodes of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour under the title of I Love Lucy - The Complete Seventh-Ninth Seasons. These episodes aired on CBS from 1957-1960. A number of special features including deleted scenes, flubs and commercials will be included.

03/20 - McHale's Navy - Season One

Shout! Factory has just announced today that McHale's Navy will be released on March 20th. See the press release posted at TVShowsonDVD.com for many more details.



03/27 - The Addams Family - Volume 2
03/27 - Family Affair - Season Three
03/27 - Full House - The Complete Sixth Season

Volume 2 of The Addams Family will contain the last 12 episodes of season 1 and the first 9 episodes of season 2. I'm not sure why MGM/FOX just didn't release this series in 2 seasons like Universal did with The Munsters. I think the better alternative would have been to have 2 releases with a slightly higher price.
MPI Home Video brings us Season 3 of Family Affair. It will include "The Family Affair Reunion Special" - a round table panel discussion with Kathy Garver and other crew members. Warner Bros. continues to release Full House like clockwork. The last four releases have come about every 4 months, so they must be selling like hotcakes.

April 2007:

04/03 - WKRP in Cincinnati - Season 1
04/03 - What I Like About You - The Complete First Season

As we first reported on December 11th, WKRP was listed as coming soon. TVShowsonDVD.com has followed up with many more details. The set will have some music replaced. It will include 2 audio commentaries and 3 featurettes: "Don't Touch That Dial - The Making of WKRP", "Turning A 'Turkey' Into A Classic" and "Doctor Johnny Fever, And I Am Burning Up In Here". What I Like About You makes its debut on DVD. It starred the hilarious duo of Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth and aired on TheWB from 2002-2006. This release will contain all 22 season episodes and a gag reel.



04/17 - George Lopez - The Complete First and Second Seasons
04/17 - Happy Days - The Complete Second Season
04/17 - Laverne & Shirley - The Complete Second Season
04/17 - Mork & Mindy - The Complete Second Season

Warner Bros. releases the first and second seasons of George Lopez. The show was originally called The George Lopez Show. This set will contain all 4 episodes from season 1 and and 24 from season 2. It will also have a "Inside the Comedic Mind" featurette and Gag Reel. Paramount brings back three of their popular sitcoms after a very long wait. Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley had their first seasons released way back on August 17, 2004. Will Happy Days have some replaced music? That remains to be seen. The first season of Mork & Mindy was released on September 7, 2004. This time all three will be released on the same day. Hopefully these sell well, and they can clear any music licensing rights issues and release more seasons at a much faster rate.

04/24 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete First Season
04/24 - The Odd Couple - The Complete First Season

Warner Bros. previously released a Television Favorites 6-episode compilation of The Drew Carey Show on February 28, 2006. This time they release the complete first season. It will include all 22 episodes from season one, a "Life Inside a Cubicle" featurette and Gag Reel. Paramount will release The Odd Couple in stores on April 24th. This set will likely be the same one that Time-Life sold exclusively through their website and on TV last August.

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Other Sitcoms Expected on DVD in 2007:

No official dates have been announced yet, but these are expected to be released sometime in 2007.

New Shows:

Sister, Sister - "The Premiere Episodes" Collection is expected to be released by Paramount/CBS DVD... possibly in March. This won't be a complete season release apparently.

Returning Shows:
The Cosby Show - First Look Home Entertainment is said to have acquired the rights to release more seasons. Season 3 is expected to be released soon... possibly in April.
A Different World - Season 2 was announced for last year. Artwork was available, and it was listed on Amazon.com . UrbanWorks was bought by First Look, so the rights had to be renogiated. First Look Home Entertainment is said to have acquired the rights to release more seasons. Season 2 is expected to be released soon... possibly in April.

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Predictions:

First, let's take a quick look back at my 2006 Predictions. I was not too far off on most of them. 2007 is really shaping up to be a big year for sitcoms to debut on DVD.

Bosom Buddies - I was a bit off on this one, but it is coming on March 13th. Better late than never.
Chico and the Man - A first season release hasn't happened yet.
Dharma & Greg - The first season was released on June 13, 2006.
The Facts of Life - Not just 1 release, but 2 in 2006.
Family Ties - A bit off on this one also. Season 1 arrives on February 20th.
Happy Days - I thought we'd see Season 2 in 2006, but it is coming on April 17th.
Here Come the Brides - Season 1 was released on May 16, 2006.
Laverne & Shirley - It was likely being delayed along with Happy Days. Season 2 finally arrives on April 17th.
The Lucy Show - Probably coming sometime in 2007. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour is up first.
Mork & Mindy - Probably connected with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley's delay. Season 2 will be released on April 17th.
One Day at a Time - Season 1 still hasn't happened. I really think it is only a matter of time now...
The Phil Silvers Show - The 50th Anniversary Edition was released on May 9, 2006.
The Ropers - I really thought we'd see the Three's Company spin-offs in late 2006, but there probably wasn't enough time after Three's Company was finished. I'm hoping we still see them in 2007.
Silver Spoons - Still hasn't happened. Silver Spoons has to be at least as popular as Punky Brewster, right? You can watch Silver Spoons on Comcast's On Demand Tube Time service while we wait.
Three's a Crowd - Probably too soon after Three's Company has wrapped up. Would be nice paired up with The Ropers.
WKRP in Cincinnati - Many people thought it would never come to DVD.. but it is finally being released on April 3rd. It will have some music subsititutions, but that seems better than not releasing it at all.
The Wonder Years - It probably has more music licensing issues than WKRP or any other series that has been released. I'd love to see Shout! Factory release it. They did such a wonderful job with Freaks & Geeks.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any additional seasons of Charles in Charge, Gimme A Break (though Season 2 will be released in Canada), Growing Pains, My Favorite Martian, Night Court, Too Close for Comfort or Who's the Boss?.

2007 Predictions:

These are my predictions for 2007 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. I predict we'll see these debut or have additional seasons released.

Returning and New Shows:

According to Jim - George Lopez is being released, so I think it will not be far behind.
The Addams Family - I'd expect the 3rd and final volume in 2007.
Alice - I'm hoping the Television Favorites Compilation sold enough to warrant a Season 1 release.
All in the Family - It would be nice if Sony released these a bit faster.
Archie Bunker's Place - Season 1 was released in January 2006. I think we'll see Season 2 sometime in 2007.
Bewitched - I'd expect another season or two this year.
The Bill Cosby Show - Season 1 was released on August 22, 2006. I'd expect to see the second season.
The Bob Newhart Show - I think we'll see another season or two this year.
Bosom Buddies - Hopefully the complete series will be available in 2007.
Charles in Charge - It has been awhile since Season 1 has been released. I hope Universal won't abandon it.
Cheers - We will likely see a season or two, but I'm not expecting the entire series by the end of the year.
Chico and the Man - A very popular show here at Sitcoms Online. I think it would be a popular release.
Coach - I predict we'll see Season 2.
Designing Women - Has been rumored forever. I think we'll finally see Season 1.
Dharma & Greg - I hope we will see a second season release.
Diff'rent Strokes - I wish Sony would release these faster.
Dinosaurs - Seasons 1-2 were released last May. I think we'll see more.
The Doris Day Show - MPI has released these at a pretty good rate.
8 Simple Rules - I think it would do well on DVD.
F Troop - I predict we'll see more of it.
The Facts of Life - A very popular show. 2 releases in 2006, the same in 2007?
Family Affair - Another season or two from MPI.
Family Matters - A Television Favorites Compilation was released last year. It would be nice to see the first season.
The Flying Nun - One season to go to complete the series.
Frasier - 3 seasons to go to complete the series.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air - A Nick at Nite staple.
Full House - These seem to sell like hotcakes.
Gimme A Break - Season 2 is being released in Canada by VEI. I hope Universal will do the same in the U.S.
The Golden Palace - The Golden Girls is very popular, so I think it only natural that the spin-off series could be released.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Should be popular enough for more seasons from Paramount.
Green Acres - These haven't been released as fast as I expected.
Grounded for Life - Only 1 season to go I think.
Growing Pains - I hope it isn't abandoned.
Hazel - I'd expect another season season this year.
Hogan's Heroes - Only 1 season to go to complete the series.
Home Improvement - Another season or two this year.
How I Met Your Mother - I'd expect the second season in the fall.
I Dream of Jeannie - Another season or two this year.
The Jeffersons - It would be nice if Sony released these a bit faster.
Kate & Allie - It would be nice if Universal released the second season and more, but there is still VEI in Canada as a backup.
The King of Queens - Pretty close to being finished.
Leave it to Beaver - Hasn't been released as fast as I would like.
Living Single - Should be popular enough for a second season.
The Love Boat - Was rumored for last year. Is this the year?
The Lucy Show - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour is up next with The Lucy Show likely to follow it seems.
Mama's Family - I think we'll see Season 2.
Married with Children - These have been released at a pretty good clip.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - We should see another season or two this year.
Maude - Would be nice paired with an All in the Family release.
Murphy Brown - A bit of a longshot, but I think we'll see season two this year.
My Favorite Martian - Hopefully we get the third season to complete the series.
My Living Doll - Lots of rumors posted about this one-year wonder on our message board.
My Name Is Earl - Season 2 should be released in the fall.
My Wife and Kids - Popular in syndication. Can a DVD release be far behind?
The Nanny - I think we'll see Season 3 this year.
NewsRadio - I'd expect more seasons.
Night Court - A Season 2 release would be nice.
The Odd Couple - I'm not sure why they didn't release this as a complete series set like Get Smart, but I'd expect that we see more seasons.
The Office - Season 3 should arrive in the fall.
One Day at a Time - I say every year is the Cubs year to win the World Series. I say the same about One Day at a Time coming to DVD. It has been rumored as far back as 2004. Along with Maude, I think it has a good chance at a release by Sony... someday.
The Partidge Family - I predict we'll see Season 3 this year.
Perfect Strangers - A Television Favorites Compilation never materialized last year. I think it would do great on DVD. Currently the #9 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com .
Punky Brewster - One season to go I believe.
The Ropers - Hopefully Anchor Bay will release it.
Roseanne - We should see another season or two this year.
Scrubs - Still going strong on NBC, but it seems like this could be the last year.
Seinfeld - A couple more seasons to go. We only saw 1 season in 2006.
Silver Spoons - Looks like a good year for '80s sitcoms. Currently can be seen on Comcast's On Demand Tube Time service. Vote for it at TVShowsonDVD.com!
The Simpsons - Many seasons to go, but they've been released at a good rate.
Square Pegs - A one-year wonder that would be perfect for a DVD release.
Taxi - These releases have been sort of sporadic, but I'd expect we'd get the complete series at some point.
That Girl - Shout! Factory has done a nice job with the releases so far.
That '70s Show - Another season or two this year.
Three's a Crowd - Tons of new Three's Company fans in recent years that haven't seen it that I'm sure would like to someday.
Two and a Half Men - Network TV's currently #1 ranked sitcom should see a DVD release soon.
Welcome Back, Kotter - I hope we'll see a Season 1 release.
What's Happening Now!! - It is listed on Sony's latest DVD Poll. Tons of What's Happening!! fans out there.
Will & Grace - Still some seasons left to release.
Wings - We should see another season or two.
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 #1 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com .

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What do you think we'll see on DVD in 2007? Post your predictions on our message board.