Soaps on DVD

[Cashton]

With all the budget woes and lackluster ratings, why don't the soaps ever release shows on DVD? Obviously you can't introduce whole shows but just favorite storylines. I'd pay money to have my fav Y&R storylines on DVD - Sheila, Cassie's death, Nikki and Victor's first wedding. With some smart editing, they could make some truly epic DVD box collections and show gag reels, old interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff that has been lost.

I just can't fathom why no soap exec has ever thought of this or tried it. Look how well the GH: Night Shift dvds sold? Or even those awful books. There's a market there.

[DavidsMuse]

There certainly is a market for me and classic '70s-'90s GL! Enduring fans' poor home video quality in order to see treasures from the past is wearying!

[Cashton]

It really could be a boon for soaps. Like hidden treasure. I'd pay big money to see the olod Sonny/Solita josh s/l on GL - or good old evil Annie.

[Sindacco]

I wonder the same, I would definitely buy DVDs of DAYS and maybe GH.

[Cheap21]

probably copyright issues and royalties associated with redistributing old episodes

[Cashton]

i thought of that too - but many actors from prime-time say they never got a dime when their old shows were put on DVD - most famous was Joan Collins from Dynasty.

[jcar03]

Too bad we are not living in the mid to late 90's, then I could still see someone doing soaps on DVD.

Simply put, they are not going to make enough money to cover costs.

[Cashton]

I don't agree with that. There's been so many old tv shows - even old tv movies that have been mild to wildly successful. Soaps are a dying breed for sure, but there's a lot of nostalgia and who wouldn't buy their grandma a soap DVD box set for Christmas? I think if GH released the Luke and Laura s/l on DVD it'd be a big hit, for example.

Bottom line - i just wish they'd TRY! Could be a goldmine, could be a landmine - but try it damnit! LOL!

[R Sinclair]

Not to be a pisser, but the medium simply wasn't designed for this.

[Dion]

They already did the Luke and Laura s/l on VHS back in the 90s (Lovers on the run covering 1979 - 1980 and Greatest Love of All covering 1980 - 1984), don't know if there is a DVD version though. Though if there isn't then there should be...or perhaps an entirely new version with expanded and extra scenes that weren't in the two VHS releases.

[quartermainefan]

Has there ever been any info released on the success of Dark Shadows on DVD? That seems to be a good indicator for whether there is a market or not, although that soap is so unique perhaps their sales are augmented by vampire fans who wouldn't watch soaps otherwise.

[alphanguy74]

Ok you guys... I have a little bit of knowledge in this area. I don't think we'll see any SL compilations, EVER. Only individual episodes. That's because if you take an old TV show and edit scenes from various episodes together, from a legal standpoint, it's considered a NEW show, which means you must get all the original actors to sign releases, etc.. there was a famous occurence of this recently, when CBS did an anniversary reunion show on Knots Landing, and Constance McCashin refused to sign the release for any footage of her to be used. But if you rerun or release original episodes in their entirety on DVD, then the actor's legal releases have already been taken care of when the show was originally filmed. Having said that, soaps like Y&R, especially, whose entire run is still in existence.... should reap the financial rewards of their vaults. A box set, one for each decade.... perhaps 4 or 5 discs, with selected episodes, and introduced by cast members would be nice. It's also possible that they are waiting for Blu-ray to become more widespread, as with Blu-ray, you can fit much more programming onto one disc, something that a soap release would benefit from.

[brimike]

But even then, the expenses in residuals would be astounding. Never mind the actors, you're also looking at the directors, the writers, the producers - they all get back-end residuals when DVD's sell. And especially with the new deals in place, there's no way the studios would risk losing money over this. They'd end up losing their shirts, for a very small market.

[alphanguy74]

I always assume the union just requires minimum residuals. I thought the production companies just pay the various unions. There are lots of shows that have made good money with a much smaller audience than soaps. Heck, the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle show made a tidy profit. Even the short lived "Tabitha" from 1977 got a DVD release.

[brimike]

True, but it's per episode, as well as per flashback. So every single episode on every single DVD PLUS every single flashback on every single episode on every single DVD = a minimum residual to every actor, writer, director, producer, music director, main credits designer and composer. Now think of it on a global scale.