I still wonder if the last two years do exist in an archive somewhere, but since it hasn't exactly been a break out success they settled with the explanation that it's been wiped. I just have a hard time seeing a show from the early 80s not being saved.

I wish whatever existed from 1963-1967 would be made available somehow, but it looks like whoever is behind the project of making The Doctors available has decided to call it a day?

On 7/25/2026 at 10:09 PM, te. said:

I still wonder if the last two years do exist in an archive somewhere, but since it hasn't exactly been a break out success they settled with the explanation that it's been wiped. I just have a hard time seeing a show from the early 80s not being saved.

I never believed it was wiped. I think what happened is, they assumed they had everything and only realized years into the digitization process that they didn't have those final two years. They probably didn't even know NBC had bought the show back. I doubt they asked NBC about those episodes because it would've meant them having to pay for them.

12 hours ago, Jdee43 said:

I wish whatever existed from 1963-1967 would be made available somehow, but it looks like whoever is behind the project of making The Doctors available has decided to call it a day?

I agree! That would've been a nice collection and helped soften the blow of losing the last two years.

2 hours ago, Chris B said:

I never believed it was wiped. I think what happened is, they assumed they had everything and only realized years into the digitization process that they didn't have those final two years. They probably didn't even know NBC had bought the show back. I doubt they asked NBC about those episodes because it would've meant them having to pay for them.

This is possible, but at the same time, NBC was still regularly airing other shows that were being erased/wiped as late as 1985. The original network run of "Wheel of Fortune" is mostly lost until then, as is "Sale of the Century." Those were wiped by their producers, but given NBC took ownership of "The Doctors" at a time when it was barely making a blip in the ratings, I wouldn't be surprised if they just reused the tapes.