August 7, 2009

Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundup (August 7, 2009)

Highlander: The Series’ first season out on Blu-ray September 15, 2009, at least if one pre-orders the set through LegendaryHeroes.com.

Temporary package art for the Blu-ray set.  For Highlander: The Series‘ first Blu-ray release, “subtle” animated graphics fill bars left by the transition from full-frame to widescreen.

I think it’s a cheesy image, Super Game Boy meets the Quickening, but I’m not the consumer Davis-Panzer Productions is trying to impress.  Highlander: The Series is a cash cow, an immortal cash cow.  THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!  MOO!


Press release for Inspector Gadget: The Go Go Gadget Collection.  Don Adams’ and Frank Welker’s voiceover talents are noted.  What, no Cree Summer?  Brain gets credit over Penny?  Eh, what can you do.  It’s a press release and you’ve already forgotten about it by now.


TVOntario’s Get Ready For School DVD out since August 4, 2009.  I can’t believe it took TVO until 2009 to enter the world of consumer DVD, but it’s a start.  Yes, Polkaroo’s involved, although the godlike kangaroo mutant plays second fiddle to Gisèle’s Big Backyard.  Everyone does now.

Mongrel Media and TVO might each have a steady revenue stream on their hands, even if TVO entered the home entertainment game at a horrible time.  If the success of Get Ready For School leads to Eureka! and Prisoners of Gravity sets down the road, I’m all for it.  The story so far…


Just for Laughs Volume 3: Launching Pad on DVD October 20, 2009 through Image Entertainment.  Just for Laughs is selling this set on the strengths of Jeff Dunham, Dane Cook, Ray Romano, Russell Peters and other profitable comedians.

Has it ever occurred to JfL to release the Andy Kindler State of the Industry Addresses in their entirety?  They would be the DVDs to own, rather than the CliffsNotes run-throughs of stand-up comedy material.  The Just for Laughs merchandising juggernaut will continue unabated, so here’s a praying mantis puppet to end this post.

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July 1, 2009

Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundup (Canada Day 2009)

TVShowsonDVD.com receives news of the Road Hockey Rumble complete series box set.  This is old news by now, but at least TVShowsonDVD.com is talking about the series.  With trailer!


6teen “Season 2, Volume 1″ out September 22, 2009.  True to form, the second season of 6teen will be split into volume sets like the first.  At least the volume set is marked properly this time.  “Special Yearbook Edition,” my ass.


Friday the 13th: The Series‘ third and final season out September 22, 2009.  Ryan Dallion (John D. LeMay) leaves at the beginning of this season to make room for Johnny Ventura (Steve Monarque).

All three seasons of this series came out within a year.  That’s how you sell television on DVD, either that or the fanbase for Friday the 13th: The Series is voracious.  I can’t complain either way.


Fear Itself‘s “first” season out September 15, 2009.  The show is listed here as it was filmed in and around Edmonton, Alberta.  IMDb gives Canada and USA as countries of origin, so there you go.

I quote “first” as NBC lost interest in the series after the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.  Fear Itself won’t be back.  Nice packaging for the Fear Itself set, but I hope that’s not mag wheels on a dump truck.(© Arn Anderson)


Pre-order gubbins for Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Series.

Press release for Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods Final Cut.

In other news, MGM and Fox flog Stargate.  I know, how can you tell?


Television Obscurities and TV Squad make reference to the Swiss Family Robinson complete series set.

It’s not a great week for TV-on-DVD in general when a Parker Lewis Can’t Lose set is the highlight.  To combat the dearth of true “cult” TV-on-DVD titles, here’s ten minutes of The Vacant Lot.  Happy Canada Day!

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May 3, 2009

Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundup (May 3, 2009)

The complete Swiss Family Robinson series will come out June 30, 2009 through Image Entertainment.  TVShowsonDVD.com lists Swiss Family Robinson as a 1976 series.

There’s confusion about when the show debuted – it varies from 1973 to 1976.  I’ll defer to Wikipedia’s date of 1974.  The Wikipedia entry actually has sources.

This is the American release of Swiss Family Robinson, as Morningstar Entertainment released a series set in March 2007.  I assume the show is popular enough for Image Entertainment to release a similar set Stateside, Dove Family Approved logo and all.


Life with Derek‘s second-season set might come out August 11, 2009 through E1 Entertainment.  This is very early information, but I’m sure this set will come out.  Life with Derek has its fans and is part of a lucrative market.

For those who haven’t seen Life with Derek, it’s not like Hannah Montana or its clones.  As such, the show isn’t on the Disney Channel home page like Hannah Montanas I through IX are.  I refuse to believe people watch Wizards of Waverly Place.

Dumb aside: I’ve watched the Wizards of Waverly Place episode with the talking zit twice.  I don’t know why as I otherwise never watch WoWP.  It’s not even the best show on Disney Channel where an anthropomorphic pimple has featured.  Please don’t ask further about this.


Survivorman third-season box set art.  I assume this is the American release, as Canada hadn’t adopted the current Discovery Channel logo at the time of the announcement.

You know a show is popular when a King of the Hill episode bases a subplot – a Dale subplot, yet – around it.  Mind you, I prefer Mantracker to Survivorman.  I’ll be honest, I’ll watch a documentary on TVO before watching Survivorman.  All survival-oriented reality shows give me that “might be fake” feeling.  Television, you know?


Finalized list of extras for Corner Gas‘ sixth-season set.  It’s the final season, so buy the set and help restart Canada’s moribund economy!  Come on!  CORNER GAS!


The 2007 version of Flash Gordon comes out on DVD July 14, 2009 through Peace Arch Phase 4 Films.  It’s a Canadian-only set, so American fans will have to import the series for now.

From what I understand, Flash Gordon started off horribly and improved midway through the season.  The show is still a failure considering it’s Flash Gordon, the venerable grandfather of comic book sci-fi.  It won’t be until I’m 45, but there will be a good Flash Gordon television series one day!

As for Peace Arch becoming Phase 4 Films, I don’t see the point.  It’s not like the company will magically be better run due to the name change.  The change is about as pointless as Koch Entertainment becoming E1 Entertainment.  I’m sure VSC will merge with itself next week and become H831 Video Space Pow!  It seems to be the trend of the moment.


May 2009′s Acorn Media releases include a DVD compilation of Red Green Show-related specials.  Apparently PBS flogs the series like A&E Home Video flogs Monty Python’s Flying Circus DVDs.

This release is mainly for Red Green Show completists.  I’ll just wait for more season sets.  Maybe I’ll wait until the Dave the Barbarian series set with the talking z


Sun Media article about the Nature of Things: Visions of the Future two-disc set.  Wow, that news just slid by me.  Mongrel Media and CBC Home Video put the set out.

I don’t want to sound like an idiot, but did CBC advertise this heavily?  The Nature of Things is an institution more battered than even Marketplace, but David Suzuki is still a well-known Canadian icon.  I know of Mongrel Media through its release of Manufacturing Dissent and other documentaries, but it’s not a familiar face in the world of TV-on-DVD.

Mongrel Media/CBC Home Video will also put out India Reborn on May 5, 2009, if you’re into CBC documentaries.


Finally, here’s an American “newspaper” reference to Slings and Arrows‘ DVD sets.  I quote “newspaper” due to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer being an online-only news outlet these days.  Changes, aren’t they sweeping?

I’m amazed Slings and Arrows is so loved in America.  It never received that love in its own country, though that’s not surprising for Canadian television.

As a bonus, TV Guy’s opinion on the future of Canadian television.  I thought it was a good article, if a bit simplistic.  Your mileage may vary since, you know, Canwest.

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