DVD BOXED PROGRAMS Vintage TV shows become trend

Other shows besides the most popular ones also come out on DVD.
(MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL) STAR TRIBUNE
Meet George Jetson. The pixelated patriarch and his cartoon clan -- his boy, Elroy; daughter Judy; Jane, his wife -- arrive on DVD this week in a four-disc set that collects the first season of their popular animated show from the 1960s.
But "The Jetsons" (Warner, $64.92) isn't the only vintage TV show coming out this week on DVD. Right beside it on store shelves will be the multidisc, season-set debuts of the long-running family drama "The Waltons" (Warner, $44.98), the cartoon adventure "Jonny Quest" (Warner, $64.92) and the sharpshooting Western "Have Gun, Will Travel" (Paramount, $49.99) -- as well as two more three-episode volumes of the gritty crime thriller "Naked City" (Image, $14.99 each). All originally aired from the late '50s to the early '70s.
Classics popular
Although TV shows on DVD are nothing new -- it's arguably the biggest-growth genre in the digital format -- today's baby-boomer bounty demonstrates that classic series are coming out with increasing frequency. Call it a trend within a trend, one fueled by more older viewers' tuning in to DVD as it continues to gain mass appeal and by studios' digging deeper into their catalogs as they exhaust newer fare.
"There is a great sense of rediscovery as fans chase the titles they remember most fondly from their younger years -- not just classic movies, but classic TV shows," said Paramount executive Martin Blythe, whose company has released DVDs of "I Love Lucy" and "Star Trek" besides "Have Gun, Will Travel." "We have already seen this occur in the music business, but it's now redefining the home-video business."
Gord Lacey, who runs the definitive Web site called TV Shows on DVD (www.tvshowsondvd.com), added: "These shows represent a friendlier, family-oriented time on TV. More recent shows seem to be about pushing boundaries in terms of language and violence, while the older shows seem to focus on family values."
While some classic shows on DVD come decked out with supplements, such as recent releases of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Gilligan's Island," most of the shows hitting DVD today have minimal, if any, extras. Not surprisingly, the evergreen "The Jetsons" does the best in that regard with commentary by Janet Waldo (voice of Judy) on two episodes and a few retrospective featurettes. "Jonny Quest" has a featurette and some trivia, but the other releases add nothing to complement the episodes.
In many ways, though, just having an old show on DVD is its own extra. They often require restoration and other attention unique to their age, especially from the vantage point of a studio, which must balance production costs with potential profits.
"The main challenge to older shows is image and sound quality," Blythe said. "A major restoration can wipe out your revenues, so each case has to be carefully evaluated."
Meriting release
One encouraging aspect about today's DVDs for fans is that they prove a show doesn't have to be the most popular thing going to merit a release. Only "The Jetsons" has the cross-generational appeal that comes through decades of exposure in syndication.
But even "The Jetsons" can't compete with newer TV shows on DVD that have better name recognition and a more current fan base -- such as "Survivor" and "The X-Files," which also have season sets due out this week.
"While I've heard of 'Have Gun, Will Travel' and 'Jonny Quest,' I've never seen an episode of either show," Lacey said. "If a consumer hasn't seen an episode, how likely are they to drop the money on a set?
"Another advantage that a newer show has over an older one: buzz," he added. "I know a few people who bought 'Alias' and '24' without watching an episode, because they heard it was a good show. Most people aren't discussing these older shows around the water cooler, so someone is less likely to feel like picking it up without seeing an episode."
Of course, that doesn't matter to the avid fans who do know these vintage shows and are eager to collect them on DVD. Their main concern: "When will my favorite show be released?" Blythe suggests that it's just a matter of time:
"Most of the great TV shows will hit DVD sooner or later, and it doesn't make any sense to issue them all in a rush; the market couldn't support that."