August 22, 2010

News: The Red Green Show‘s Global seasons on DVD November 2010

On November 2, 2010, The Red Green Show‘s fourth through sixth seasons will be released on DVD through Acorn Media, under the title The Red Green Show: The Toddlin’ Years.  The title shows up on quite a few retail sites, including amazon.ca, amazon.com and DeepDiscount.com.

The Red Green Show: The Toddlin’ Years is also mentioned in an Acorn Media wholesalers’ listing.  I don’t think the title has been formally announced at this point.  The November 2 street date, of course, is subject to change.

The Red Green Show “rebooted” itself as The New Red Green Show for its three seasons on Global.  Despite the fact that The Red Green Show had to pay its way on Global, to the point of selling its own advertising, the Global era is when the show started to take off.  Despite the modifier “new,” The New Red Green Show‘s formulae and running jokes were by and large set by 1994.

The Red Green Show: The Toddlin’ Years is formatted like The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years, with three 24-episode seasons on a total of nine discs.  The price is the same as The Infantile Years – $99.99 US/$124.99 CDN.  As I said in my piece on The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years, this release is just for the hardcores.

I honestly don’t get the “Infantile/Toddlin’” way of selling the early years of The Red Green Show.  The show’s format never underwent any major changes over 15 seasons.  Who’s the target market for The Red Green Show: The Toddlin’ Years?  Are the hardcore fans that snobby that $100 US for three seasons of television is acceptable?  I don’t get it.  I blame PBS for this.

 
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October 20, 2009

News: The Red Green Show‘s first three seasons on DVD January 2010

TVShowsonDVD.com’s David Lambert has posted news of The Red Green Show‘s first three seasons coming to DVD through Acorn Media.  On January 26, 2010, the first three seasons will be packaged in a 9-disc box set, titled The Infantile Years.  The set covers The Red Green Show‘s two seasons on CHCH and its lone YTV season.

Previous Red Green season sets have come from the CBC era of the show, which began in 1997-98.  If Wikipedia is to be believed, this will be the first time The Red Green Show‘s second season will be on DVD.

It’s odd how Acorn Media’s blowing through the early years in one shot, unless the individual seasons are to be sold later.  The box art for The Infantile Years is, uhhh, infantile.  I’m curious to know why the CHCH/YTV era of the show is being sold this way.

With an MSRP of $99.99 US/$124.99 CDN, this set is only for the hardcore fans.  I realize Acorn Media markets The Red Green Show heavily – the compilations, Red Green Is Special, this.  Will the three Global seasons be similarly lumped together?  Acorn Media’s usually more logical than this.

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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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November 29, 2008

Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundup (November 28, 2008)

Friday the 13th: The Series second-season set out February 10, 2009 through Paramount Home Entertainment.  Tales from the Darkside‘s first-season set is being released on the same day by the same company.

I know, Tales from the Darkside isn’t Canadian.  Still, it’s a great title to release, isn’t it?

There’s a market for classic horror anthologies, which is a shame as Tales from the Crypt is already out in its entirety.  Thriller has a first-season release.  Night Gallery‘s second-season set came out recently.  There isn’t very far to go before Freddy’s Nightmares and Monsters get dredged up for DVD release.

Oh, here’s package art for the second-season set.  Care.


The Red Green Show’s eleventh season will be out February 24, 2009 instead of March 10, 2009.

In addition, here’s package art.  Wow, a new license plate and the same old picture of Red Green on the cover!  Acorn Media could do a better job of differentiating its Red Green Show season sets, but at least they’re out regularly.


Two new Goosebumps discs, “Return of the Mummy” and “The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight,” come out March 31, 2009 through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.  The discs are obviously popular, which begs the question of why Goosebumps isn’t released in season sets.  Scholastic Media sure does like to maximize Goosebumps‘ profit margins.


Lionsgate has a disc replacement program for the Fraggle Rock complete series set.  The lower-sitting discs sometimes dislodge during shipping.

This must bother Fraggle Rock fans even more than the fourth season not receiving a stand-alone DVD release.  When TVShowsonDVD.com calls your package design an “epic failure,” you know your company has done wrong.


The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin gets a complete-series set courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment.  While I never liked the series during the decade-plus Global endlessly reran it, I wish a better company was releasing this.  I wonder why anyone thinks this set will make money.


URBMN aStore.  Don’t forget to buy the This Hour Has 22 Minutes sets!  It won a Gemini for Best Comedy Series over Kenny vs. Spenny this year, which isn’t bullshit at all!  Really!

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November 9, 2008

Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundup (November 9, 2008)

Press release for The Border‘s first-season DVD.  True story – when I received the press release it had this in it:

WHITE PINE BOILERPLATE HERE

Good job editing the template, VSC.  The company does good work, don’t get me wrong, but one usually doesn’t see placeholders in finished press releases.  I’m sure White Pine Pictures was thrilled to see that.


Life With Derek sampler DVD out February 10, 2009.  I hate sampler discs – they end up in $5 bargain bins and landfills.  I hope these DVDs are recycled if they don’t sell, otherwise it’s a waste of plastic and aluminum.  Shit knows I’m beyond sick of those Trading Spaces samplers and five hundred copies of Kid Paddle.


URBMN BOILERPLATE HERE


The Red Green Show‘s eleventh season out March 10, 2009.  The eleventh season, a/k/a “the 2001 season,” is where the show starts to show its age – Patrick McKenna comes back to the show after a long-enough absence, but somehow he’s not as funny as before.  Acorn Media still has three more seasons to go until The Red Green Show completely bottoms out.

No Smith & Smith/Smith & Smith’s Comedy Mill DVDs on the horizon, though.  Is that a good or bad thing?  I know Smith & Smith has its detractors, but the show ran forever on CHCH.  If Hilarious House of Frightenstein is worthy of multiple DVD sets, so is Smith & Smith.


The Georgia Straight mentions ReGenesis in its latest article on new DVD releases.  The Georgia Straight is a Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper, yet it needs to mention ReGenesis‘ Canadian status.  I love this country.


Blogcritics.org review of The Red Green Show‘s 2000 season.  What can I say, it’s been a dire week for Canadian TV-on-DVD news.  When the most exciting news is a Red Green Show release that won’t come out for another four months…well, I don’t know how to finish that sentence with a proper ending.  Here’s a clip from Smith & Smith.


Don’t forget to visit the URBMN aStore, as I love blatant shilling!

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