Message for Garry Shandling ...
CaptainPike
explanation for it, so I am going right to the source with this request:
Mr. Shandling, I am sure the sentiments of millions of people out there are
being addressed when I say, PLEASE RELEASE THE REMAINING SEASONS OF THE
"LARRY SANDERS SHOW".
I mean, this is ridiculous. It's been going on for years now, the
inexplicable absence of any more follow-up seasons of this timeless classic.
This past February marked a 4 year period from when the first season was
released and, to this day, nothing else. Mr. Shandling, I do not understand;
do you not like to make money? Is that what it is? Have you read the message
boards of some sites like www.amazon.com and www.tvshowsondvd.com. They are
literally filled with people who are demanding it. Yet, year after year, no
follow-up release. What is going on here?? There simply is no explanation
for it. Yes, I have heard that the first season did not sell as well as
expected. OK, I understand that. But, Hell, there was almost zilch
advertising promoting its release, so no one even knew about it or that it
was on the way.
Understand, I already have all episodes recorded on videocassette from their
original HBO broadcasts, but I would be the first in line to purchase their
official DVD release as well. I once heard of an announcement you made on
the Tonight Show with Jay Leno regarding an upcoming release of some more
episodes, and that was almost 2 years ago as of this writing! And yet,
still, nothing. What the hell?
You are probably a busy guy with nary the time or inclination to respond to
such a request. That's fine. Its understandable. But one day, you are going
to read this, and I know I am hardly alone when I ask when in the hell you
are going to release the rest of this fine series, quite possibly the most
hilarious in television history. In the meantime, keep making us laugh,
Garry.
idiotprogrammer
mystified why later seasons haven't already come out. I'm reading
between the lines here, but I'm guessing the reason is copyright and
clearance issues. Each episode showed live music from bands, and I have
a feeling that contracts were written to grant permission for HBO to
broadcast the show, not to sell it. Now that Time/Warner wants to put
out DVDs, it's hardly surprising that music companies would try to
extort as much money from Time/Warner as they can.
This may explain why there is talk of releasing selected episodes
(i.e., the ones they can get clearance for...or musicians already
cleared by Time/Warner).
They had a similar issue with WKRP in Cinncinnati. For better or worse,
WKRP could simply replace the songs with royalty free music without
damaging the show's substance. Unfortunately, the unique format of
Larry Sanders made the talk show guests an instrinsic part of the show.
They couldn't just substitute the guests, and often a vital part of the
scenes came when the characters were gesturing to one another during
the performances.
I may be way off base here, but based upon my knowledge of other
royalty disputes, the scenario I've painted here seems likely.
It's a shame, because people's recollection of the show will fade over
time and more bootlegged copies will become available. (BTW, I've seen
that demonoid torrents has torrents of all the seasons). The potential
value of this media property is declining.
Let's not shed tears for Time/Warner. They've pulled the same tricks on
shows trying to get clearance for the Warner/Chappell songs (Happy
Birthday, etc). If anyone has evidence to support or contradict my
hypothesis, feel free to email me or post a comment here.
Robert Nagle