Crystal Ball time once again! (1 Viewer)

[Guy Foulard]

Update. It is going to be a North American release!

Nice! Archive TV on DVD lives! I'm a bit shocked at all the stuff that's coming out.

 

[Darby67]

Update. It is going to be a North American release!

Awesome news, Neil; thanks for sharing it.

I take it you are not at liberty to revel who the distributor will be?

 

[Darby67]

Neil, does your crystal ball see anything in the way of future season releases of The Defenders?

 

[borisfw]

Somehow i missed this show when it aired . But i checked out info online and i will be getting this when it comes out . Not a big Frank Converse fan . But I do the the concept of the show .

 

[Neil Brock]

Neil, does your crystal ball see anything in the way of future season releases of The Defenders?

My crystal ball sees only darkness. Since this was a show that didn't have pre-existing transfers, sales would have had to justify the costs for the series to continue. They didn't.

 

[Flashgear]

Needless to say, I'm very disappointed to hear of that distressing outlook for further season releases of The Defenders, Neil Brock...obviously, I hope this isn't the last word, but thank you for conveying news of any kind, even if bad...I am deeply grateful to Shout Factory for taking the initiative (and gamble) on releasing season 1...I wish that the calculus was more favorable for them in going forward...I was hopeful that the advent of the new CBS MOD program (How To Marry a Millionaire, Young Lawyers, Best of the West, more Love Boat?) was a signal that their tv library might find easier exploitation to dvd...and that the prospective release of another PLAUTUS show like Coronet Blue might be a harbinger of more of The Defenders...if I'm allowed to dream here, I just wish that the right CBS corporate decision was made to transfer their entire holdings to new HD sources for streaming and the last of the physical media market...The Defenders and The Nurses are essential to my most hoped for collection...it would be great to have access to the whole Herbert Brodkin / Reginald Rose / PLAUTUS archive...Brenner, Espionage etc...the broad but uneven VEI deal (most recently yielding Petrocelli) being another apparent sign that CBS was intent on making their properties available through licensing...

If you're allowed to say, Neil Brock, is Coronet Blue coming from Shout, Madman or CBS MOD?

 

[Darby67]

My crystal ball sees only darkness. Since this was a show that didn't have pre-existing transfers, sales would have had to justify the costs for the series to continue. They didn't.

Even though the news is very disappointing, I do appreciate you sharing it with all of us fans of The Defenders. While the possibility appears remote, I do remain hopeful that sales for season one eventually get to the point where Shout considers proceeding.

 

[Darby67]

I just sent to the following email to Professor Michael R. Asimow who wrote Lawyers in Your Living Room!: Law on Television:


Professor Asimow:

My name is Sean William Doyle and, even though I was born two years after the show left the air, I am a passionate fan of The Defenders, the groundbreaking and Emmy Award-winning legal drama starring E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed that ran on CBS for 4 seasons from 1961-1965. I have long been an advocate for a home media release of the show and was overjoyed when Shout Factory released The Defenders: Season One on DVD on July 12, 2016. Since the show did not have pre-existing transfers as it has been rarely seen in syndication since it was cancelled, Shout Factory is paying for the transfers as part of their deal with CBS which consequently means their sales target to justify releases of the remaining three seasons is significantly higher than for other television shows released on DVD that already had existing transfers.

Even though Season One has glowing reviews on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Defenders-Season-1-G-Marshall/dp/B01DX0ND2K) and the release did have some media coverage in the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-defenders-come-to-dvd-20160826-snap-story.html), Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-defenders-was-a-golden-exception-to-tvs-vast-wasteland-1473285041), and Newsday (http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/why-quality-tv-comes-from-new-york-not-hollywood-1.12058054), unfortunately sales have not yet been strong enough for Shout Factory to consider releasing more seasons. Therefore, I am on a campaign to get the word out about the Season One release in order to increase sales. I have been reaching out to media outlets, DVD/Blu-ray review websites, and legal associations and publications to make them aware of the release.

Since The Defenders features prominently in your book, Lawyers in Your Living Room!: Law on Television, I am reaching out to you for your assistance and counsel. I am fully aware that you are practicing attorney and legal scholar, so I apologize in advance if my request seems trivial. I understand that Shout Factory is a business and not a charity, however I strongly feel that the entire run of such a thought-provoking and socially relevant television series should not linger in the vaults and instead should be available not only for fans from when it was originally broadcast but for new generations of viewers as well. If there is any way you can help spread the word about the Season One release or if you have advice on who I should contact to promote the release, I would be much obliged. I know you are very busy and I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this email. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Sean William Doyle

 

[Guy Foulard]

.it would be great to have access to the whole Herbert Brodkin / Reginald Rose / PLAUTUS archive...Brenner, Espionage etc...

Flashgear, the entire series of Espionage is available on a nice UK DVD set (http://amzn.eu/4ixivvd), though it would be nice to get it (and the rest of Brenner) released in the US. Right now things are looking dire for more Defenders, but I also hold out hope for more Brodkin product some time in the future...

 

[Flashgear]

Thank you Jason for that info...I have been buying R2 and R4 TV sets from the UK recently (Hitchcock Hour/Presents, McCloud, Banacek, Champions, Sandbaggers) and will check out Espionage...very happy to hear that Coronet Blue will be coming in R1...

 

[Guy Foulard]

Thank you Jason for that info...I have been buying R2 and R4 TV sets from the UK recently (Hitchcock Hour/Presents, McCloud, Banacek, Champions, Sandbaggers) and will check out Espionage...very happy to hear that Coronet Blue will be coming in R1...

As long as you're shopping R2, I'm going to suggest The Human Jungle and Gideon's Way--quality early 60s B&W filmed TV drama from the UK. (Just in case you haven't already checked them out) The DVD sets have been out for several years now, so they're pretty cheap.

 

[Darby67]

I actually received a response back from Professor Asimow today! He will be using The Defenders: Season One in one of courses this winter at Stanford and has offered to do all he can to help to promote the show. He even posted a review on Amazon today.

 

[Neil Brock]

If you're allowed to say, Neil Brock, is Coronet Blue coming from Shout, Madman or CBS MOD?

None of the above.

 

[Frank Soyke]

Is Run For Your Life seeing any semblance of light in the crystal ball. It is long overdue and one of the very few 60's hour long dramas running 3 seasons not released

 

[Neil Brock]

Is Run For Your Life seeing any semblance of light in the crystal ball. It is long overdue and one of the very few 60's hour long dramas running 3 seasons not released

I have not heard of any entity expressing any interest in the series and if they did, rights issues between Universal and Roncom might make a release problematic.

 

[Darby67]

None of the above.

Hmmm, VEI, Acorn/Image/RLJ, or A&E?

 

[Neil Brock]

Hmmm, VEI, Acorn/Image/RLJ, or A&E?

A company which I had never heard of but apparently is known among those who collect theatrical films. I don't believe they have ever done a TV series before this.

 

[Darby67]

A company which I had never heard of but apparently is known among those who collect theatrical films. I don't believe they have ever done a TV series before this.

So a new player to the classic TV on DVD game, huh? Very Interesting. Thanks for the clarification, Neil.

 

[smithbrad]

Possibly Olive or Kino then (guessing Olive). Both have more recently got into releasing movie serials, so maybe TV is that next step to explore.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Possibly Olive or Kino then (guessing Olive). Both have more recently got into releasing movie serials, so maybe TV is that next step to explore.

Olive has already finished off King of the Hill, Better Off Ted, and have Hooperman coming in January.