Love Boat is NOT out on DVD?!?

I was browsing on that tvshowsondvd.com website and was shocked that not a
single season of Love Boat has been released on DVD. The shock was not
because it's the best show that ever existed, it wasn't, but more because
there are about a million other shows more obscure and that no one's ever
even heard of that *are* out on DVD, often multiple seasons or all seasons.
Hence my shock that not even the first season of Love Boat is out.
Something powerful is obviously at play here. What could it be?

Ubiquitous...

I am guesing there's too many legal issues. Are they any other similar
shows on DVD?

Eban1234...

This is the one show that I want on DVD more than any other, and to see
other Aaron Spelling shows released but not Love Boat just really
upsets me.
I still have hope that sometime it will still come out...

vr...

WKRP will never be released because of too many music rights problems.

Rob Jensen...

I would never say never about WKRP or even China Beach. Ally McBeal
had the same rights issues holding up its release on DVD beyond the
one "Best of" set that was released in the early days of DVD, but a
full s1 set is due by the end of this year. Similarly, rights issues
held up the release of Moonlighting sets until someone either at
Lionsgate (the DVD producer), ABC (which produced the show) or
connected to show creator Glenn Gordon Caron (who refused to let the
show be released without the music intact) came up the novel idea of
licensing the show to Lionsgate, whose lower overhead allowed them to
take on the music rights issues.

In the case of Ally, Fox apparently bit the bullet and coughed up the
additional money while in the case of Moonlighting, ABC outsourced the
show. IMO, we'll likely see WKRP *** and *** China Beach come out on
DVD within the next year or so (two years, tops) as the studios have
finished mining everything else in their TV Show catalogs for DVD
release and realize they have nothing else left *but* these
high-viewer-demand shows with rights issues. They'll either pay 'em
up or otherwise find ways to make the sets do-able.

-- Rob

?woot?...

After I posted about this show I got really nostalgic about it, so I found
an mp3 of its theme song on the web. The quality of the audio is pretty
good too:

That song really brings back memories. Makes me want to go on a cruise
right now.

On a somewhat related note, I noticed that while the first five seasons of
the Golden Girls is out on DVD not a single season of Designing Women is.

Ubiquitous...

Are you sure about that? TVland (or was it Nick@Nite?) recently had a
marathon (but cancelled it partway) and those are usually timed to
coincide with a DVD set coming out.

Pidge...

I read DW is coming out on dvd.

Kind of surprising since Designing Women was immensely popular in it's time
as well. Wonder what's keeping it from being released. Dixie Carter is
very popular, so is Jean Smart. Even the much-maligned Delta Burke has a
large fan base (no pun).

stonej...

With Love Boat I wonder if it has to do with not being able to work out
agreements
with all of the guest stars that showed up. I assume they would be
entitled to some
of the profits.

Susan Bartholomew...

I'd say that's the most likely explanation. TLB's format - building
plots around a variety of very well-known TV and movie guest stars -
means that there are probably hundreds of deals that have to be made
with various performers or their estates. Maybe the owners of the
property think it's just not worth the hassle, or it may not even be
legally possible (like the music rights problems with WKRP).

?woot?...

It makes sense, BUT ... I just saw that the first season of Fantasy Island
is out, and wouldn't that show have faced the same issues?

Jude Cormier...

I've read in Home Media Retailing that a release can be expected soon of The
Love Boat.

Anim8rFSK...

I think the question is, how many other Spelling shows are on DVD?

manitou...

First seasons of "90210" and "Melrose Place" are due later this year.

Anim8rFSK...

k

how about HOOKER?

Rob Jensen...

At least one set of TJ Hooker is already out on DVD. You musta
blinked and missed it.

-- Rob