My Top Eight MIA TV DVDs
Who could have predicted, at the dawn of the DVD age, that one of the format’s hottest commodities would end up being television? These days it seems like virtually every show you ever loved (or currently love) is at your fingertips and available for rental or purchase. But as we all know, not quite everything is out there… yet. Here’s my personal list of my top 8 MIAs (recently-announced releases such as Newhart have knocked a couple off the top ten). My rule of thumb is, if even one season of a show has been released, it can’t make the list, even if the subsequent seasons have been ridiculously delayed (hello Barney Miller). Also, I’m narrowing this to include only U.S./Region 1 releases, for better or worse. I also reserve the right to revise the list if I think of something I’ve stupidly forgotten. J
8. Designing Women (1986 - 1993) - One of those shows that did not quit while it was ahead (the later seasons are pretty unwatchable, especially as the cast members started defecting), but the first four years or so are golden, and this is one of the last great ‘80s sitcoms that is still on the missing list (one “Best Episodes” disc has been released, but no season sets are forthcoming; apparently the licensing of music is part of the problem). A fantastic ensemble cast and razor-sharp writing made this a must-see show back in the day.
7. People Like Us (1999 / 2001) - This brilliant British mockumentary series has been shown on American PBS stations, which is more than enough reason for a R1 DVD release, but I’m not holding my breath. Even in the UK, the second (and final) series of the awesome show is still MIA on DVD. Chris Langham's fictional documentarian "Roy Mallard" follows people in various professions for a day in their life, to show that they are "just like us,” but most of the time they’re just misguided and sad. This superbly-played series centers on people making fools of themselves, but manages to not be insanely mean-spirited, if you can believe that.
6. Stark Raving Mad (1999 - 2000) - One-season sitcom starring Tony Shaloub as a possibly-crazy horror writer, and Neil Patrick Harris as his fussbuget of an agent. Not an all-time classic, but this dark-edged show had lots of good episodes and at least two great episodes. Given the subsequent popularity of the two stars, I’m hoping this one might actually surface someday.
5. Jonny Sokko and His Giant Flying Robot (1967-68) - My “other” adolescent obsession (Ultraman finally got a U.S. release two years ago), this is Japanese Giant Monster junk food, but boy did I love this show as a kid, and I still have my bootleg VHS tapes from the ‘80s. I’m really hoping to be able to upgrade them one of these days.
4. Thriller (1960-62) - The great Boris Karloff hosted this erratic but often terrifying anthology series from the 1960s, and no other show - with the possible exception of a handful of Outer Limits episodes - brought terror to the tube so successfully. I got all excited a couple years ago when the release of Thriller was announced, but it turned out to be that lame British series from the ‘70s.
3. Life on Mars (2006-07) - Doomed to an impending U.S. remake (which will hopefully prod a R1 release of the stunning original), this infectiously entertaining, insanely well-written UK series - a cop from contemporary times gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973 - is one of the best shows of the last twenty years, with sixteen perfect episodes.
2. Batman (1966-68) - No big surprise here, this is on everybody’s MIA list, and some bizarre problem with rights is still tying up the release of the quintessential ‘60s pop art television series. There was a time I hated Batman with a passion for its degradation of my beloved Dark Knight, but my adult eyes now recognize the wit and wild imagination that makes this show sparkle. Yes, most of seasons 2 and 3 suck, but they’re worth having anyway (S3 is the only one with Batgirl… hubba hubba) for those candy-colored sets and big-name guests chomping the scenery as the villains. Atomic batteries to power… turbines to speed… release this damn DVD already!
1. Max Headroom (1987-88) - Cyberpunk comes to network television. No show instantly earned my insane loyalty like the debut of Max Headroom, a smart, fast-paced science fiction adventure set “20 Minutes into the Future.” I still have my VHS tapes of the show, of course, but they’re really starting to degrade, and I really really really need Max on DVD. In fact, I might even spring for Blue-Ray if they bring it out. It’s just that good.