The Doctors

[Khan]

It seems like it is.  I flipped to their Pluto TV channel recently while taking a break from binge-watching "Unsolved Mysteries," and I saw that the episodes running on there only went back to, like, 2018?

I really believe Y&R, DAYS and others are afraid to go too far back into their archives, because of music clearance issues, and because they're afraid people will stop watching the current episodes and watch only the older ones.

[DramatistDreamer]

If the WGA strike continues for much longer, as many are predicting, the likes of Y&R and B&B may have little choice.

[Khan]

Fortunately, DAYS is good to go until 2034.

[DramatistDreamer]

Lol, which is exactly why I didn’t mention them.

[~bl~]

Another reason they don’t like to go back too far is HD…which considering how many FAST are very old shows is crazy….the residuals probably are barely anything, and most soaps had episodes posted on network websites for over 10 years. So it isn’t like they need to digitize again right?

[All My Shadows]

Pluto TV said, when the Soaps channel debuted, that late 2010s Y&R and B&B was just the beginning and that more shows from different eras would be added, but here we are, still with just those episodes of those shows.

It's funny because Pluto tab is filled with literally everything our grandmas loved (and that we loved as well, by extension). There are 24-hour channels devoted to Matlock, Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies, Love Boat, Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan, Julia Child, Bob Ross, Price is Right with Bob, Family Feud with Richard and Ray, etc. Then there are the variety channels showing long blocks of In the Heat of the Night, Ozzie and Harriet, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, MacGyver, etc. It just really really sucks that literally everything that appeals to the older TV viewer is represented - except. for. classic. soaps! I feel like a channel that starts ATWT and GL in 1979 and goes from there would fit in perfectly, but who knows.

[Liberty City]

The Young and the Restless has never shied away from going back into the archives. The fact they did it as much during the 2020 hiatus was shocking. Same with The Bold and the Beautiful. Probably also has to do with residuals of using actors no longer on the canvas, too.

[Khan]

I agree.  I emailed PlutoTV recently and asked them to consider adding "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "Solid Gold," "Soul Train" and the Ed McMahon version of "Star Search" to their lineup.  Again, music clearances might be an issue, but at least three of those four shows should be part of the Paramount/Viacom library. 

[Vee]

LOL this is me. I still haven't! That, Star Trek and MST3K is what I leave it on when I use Pluto. (BTW, for MST fans they've just added the recent Kickstarted season to the rotation - it's very good.)

[Khan]

We need an UM thread on this board, lol.

[dc11786]

Question: Did the episodes that aired on Retro really stop on December 29, 1979 or is that listed just to finish out the year? 

[Jdee43]

Has anyone found, since going free, that the video quality of the playback on the site has declined?

[Chris B]

I’ve found it’s completely unwatchable. I can hear the audio but the picture is frozen. I will be honest, I gave up. It’s sad because I was mid-78 and wanted to finish out what was uploaded, but it’s impossible wifi the new interface. Also, now that it’s free, nobody associated with the app will respond to you. 

[Jdee43]

 

My experience has been pretty much the same unfortunately 

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I wouldn't mind going back to paying 2.99 a month, for a quality stream, occasional customer service, and the hope that the rest of the episodes will be put up eventually. Now all those things seem to be gone

 

[Chris B]

Same. I tried my best to binge as much as I could because I sensed something was up. They follow me on Twitter and we used to message back and forth but then they ghosted me which made me feel things might change. I would use the show as my work binge to try and get through as much as I could, but unfortunately I couldn't make it to the end before they changed things.

The good thing I will say is that the show is out there for the most part. I know the company that owns it tried for years to get the show on the air. Hopefully they can find another home for it.