Keep Circulating the Tapes/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

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== Trope Namer ==
== Trope Namer ==
''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000 (TV)|Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' is the [[Trope Namer]]. The phrase "keep circulating the tapes" was a line in the credits from Seasons 1-4, inserted to give a winking consent to sharing tapes with others in order to popularize the show; it was removed in Season 5 for many of the legal reasons this entry concerns itself with. During the show's run, the hosts would give a [[Shout Out]] to fans in places where the series wasn't aired (including a group of tape-sharing aficionados in Paris, France during the third season). Although many of the movies shown fall into the [[Missing Episode]] category and are unlikely to see wide release due to copyright issues, a fair number are available for purchase legally. In this case, the problem is the reproduction rights to the movies since nobody expected there to be such a market for home recordings down the line, so movie rights were only secured for the show's on-air run. Episodes are released on DVD as the rights issues are ironed out. Many episodes were uploaded by Best Brains themselves to Google Video - many others are uploaded to [[YouTube]] at random, with some having been pulled by NBC Universal.<br /><br />One of the creators has actually said "Keep circulating ''some'' of the tapes," meaning fans should buy the episodes available on DVD, but the others are fair game...which is what most of the dedicated fans do anyway. Special mention should be given to ''The Amazing Colossal Man'' and ''Godzilla vs. Megalon'', released but quickly withdrawn due to rights issues.
''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000 (TV)|Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' is the [[Trope Namer]]. The phrase "keep circulating the tapes" was a line in the credits from Seasons 1-4, inserted to give a winking consent to sharing tapes with others in order to popularize the show; it was removed in Season 5 for many of the legal reasons this entry concerns itself with. During the show's run, the hosts would give a [[Shout-Out]] to fans in places where the series wasn't aired (including a group of tape-sharing aficionados in Paris, France during the third season). Although many of the movies shown fall into the [[Missing Episode]] category and are unlikely to see wide release due to copyright issues, a fair number are available for purchase legally. In this case, the problem is the reproduction rights to the movies since nobody expected there to be such a market for home recordings down the line, so movie rights were only secured for the show's on-air run. Episodes are released on DVD as the rights issues are ironed out. Many episodes were uploaded by Best Brains themselves to Google Video - many others are uploaded to [[YouTube]] at random, with some having been pulled by NBC Universal.<br /><br />One of the creators has actually said "Keep circulating ''some'' of the tapes," meaning fans should buy the episodes available on DVD, but the others are fair game...which is what most of the dedicated fans do anyway. Special mention should be given to ''The Amazing Colossal Man'' and ''Godzilla vs. Megalon'', released but quickly withdrawn due to rights issues.




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== BBC ==
== BBC ==
* The 1982 production of [[Bertolt Brecht (Creator)|Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''Baal'' featuring [[David Bowie]] as the title character has never been released on video. A tie-in EP with Bowie performing fully-orchestrated versions of its songs was released on vinyl and cassette tape, but only two of the five songs made it to CD (via best-of collections).
* The 1982 production of [[Bertolt Brecht (Creator)|Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''Baal'' featuring [[David Bowie]] as the title character has never been released on video. A tie-in EP with Bowie performing fully-orchestrated versions of its songs was released on vinyl and cassette tape, but only two of the five songs made it to CD (via best-of collections).
* ''[[Blake's Seven (TV)|Blakes Seven]]'' is not available on Region 1 DVD (although it has been released in the UK).
* ''[[Blake's Seven|Blakes Seven]]'' is not available on Region 1 DVD (although it has been released in the UK).
* ''[[Screenwipe|Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe]]'', "a show all about television", will never be released on DVD. Brooker claimed as much himself because of the licensing issues related to all the shows and music played during the course of its current six-season run. In one episode, Brooker discusses the "fair use" clause, and how the BBC can use certain assets from television and music for free. He is known to (highly unofficially) support efforts to [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]].
* ''[[Screenwipe|Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe]]'', "a show all about television", will never be released on DVD. Brooker claimed as much himself because of the licensing issues related to all the shows and music played during the course of its current six-season run. In one episode, Brooker discusses the "fair use" clause, and how the BBC can use certain assets from television and music for free. He is known to (highly unofficially) support efforts to [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]].
* ''[[Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow (TV)|Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow]]''; not rights issues here, as they did all the music in-house. Perhaps parents aren't keen to shell out for DVDs of anarchy and [[Covered in Gunge|gunge]]? Snippets are on Youtube, and there's been a [[Clip Show]], but most of the madness has disappeared into the ether.
* ''[[Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow (TV)|Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow]]''; not rights issues here, as they did all the music in-house. Perhaps parents aren't keen to shell out for DVDs of anarchy and [[Covered in Gunge|gunge]]? Snippets are on Youtube, and there's been a [[Clip Show]], but most of the madness has disappeared into the ether.
** There was in fact a DVD release which contained highlights from Series 3 (broadcast 2003- 2004), but this was released way back in Autumn 2004 and has since gone out-of-print. The 20 clip show episodes from 2009 contain a resonable amount of highlights and the such, but there is still a lot that has disappeared, particularly the first two series (only shown on Digital CBBC when it was still in its infancy).
** There was in fact a DVD release which contained highlights from Series 3 (broadcast 2003- 2004), but this was released way back in Autumn 2004 and has since gone out-of-print. The 20 clip show episodes from 2009 contain a resonable amount of highlights and the such, but there is still a lot that has disappeared, particularly the first two series (only shown on Digital CBBC when it was still in its infancy).
* The thirtieth-anniversary ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' charity [[Reunion Show]] [[Doctor Who (TV)/Recap/30th AS Dimensions in Time|"Dimensions In Time"]] will never be officially released on home video: the actors and crew all gave their time for free on the contractual agreement that it would be broadcast once and never be made available again in any form. Nobody actually minds much, as it's notoriously one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen in connection with the show.
* The thirtieth-anniversary ''[[Doctor Who]]'' charity [[Reunion Show]] [[Doctor Who/Recap/30th AS Dimensions in Time|"Dimensions In Time"]] will never be officially released on home video: the actors and crew all gave their time for free on the contractual agreement that it would be broadcast once and never be made available again in any form. Nobody actually minds much, as it's notoriously one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen in connection with the show.
** Another ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' example: The BBC are happy for people to openly distribute audio-plus-still image "reconstructions" of destroyed episodes on video tape, as long as they don't do it on digital formats that might get file-shared.
** Another ''[[Doctor Who]]'' example: The BBC are happy for people to openly distribute audio-plus-still image "reconstructions" of destroyed episodes on video tape, as long as they don't do it on digital formats that might get file-shared.
* ''Fist Of Fun'' and ''This Morning With Richard Not Judy'' have vanished into the BBC archive. Given the recent revival in popularity of Stewart Lee and Richard Herring on the stand-up circuit and on TV, perhaps they might emerge one day...
* ''Fist Of Fun'' and ''This Morning With Richard Not Judy'' have vanished into the BBC archive. Given the recent revival in popularity of Stewart Lee and Richard Herring on the stand-up circuit and on TV, perhaps they might emerge one day...
** [http://www.gofasterstripe.com/ Go Faster Stripe] is your friend. Official legal DVDs of Fist of Fun season 1 with lots of lovely special features. If it sells well, more will follow. (Herring and Lee will be selling them at their gigs so you can get them signed, too.)
** [http://www.gofasterstripe.com/ Go Faster Stripe] is your friend. Official legal DVDs of Fist of Fun season 1 with lots of lovely special features. If it sells well, more will follow. (Herring and Lee will be selling them at their gigs so you can get them signed, too.)
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* ''Sesame Park''. Yes, there was a Canadian version of ''[[Sesame Street (TV)|Sesame Street]]'' produced on CBC in 1996. The show ran for six years, and consisted of almost-entirely Canadian content with unique Muppets created specifically for the show, including Basil The Bear, Chaos and the wheelchair-bound Katie. Despite the fact that it was a critical darling during its run, the show was unceremoniously cancelled, and nothing has been said of it ever since.
* ''Sesame Park''. Yes, there was a Canadian version of ''[[Sesame Street (TV)|Sesame Street]]'' produced on CBC in 1996. The show ran for six years, and consisted of almost-entirely Canadian content with unique Muppets created specifically for the show, including Basil The Bear, Chaos and the wheelchair-bound Katie. Despite the fact that it was a critical darling during its run, the show was unceremoniously cancelled, and nothing has been said of it ever since.
* DVD releases of ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'' stalled after the second season due to unknown reasons. This could possibly be because of low sales - the show never really hit its stride until the 1996-1997 season, which saw the cast start interacting in increasingly outlandish ways with Canadian politicians. This one's less painful than most, because you can still catch repeats of later seasons of the channel, but if you're looking for the famous incidents like Rick Mercer's "Doris Day" petition or Paul Martin putting Greg Thomey in a headlock, you'll have to go search it out on Youtube or try iTunes.
* DVD releases of ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'' stalled after the second season due to unknown reasons. This could possibly be because of low sales - the show never really hit its stride until the 1996-1997 season, which saw the cast start interacting in increasingly outlandish ways with Canadian politicians. This one's less painful than most, because you can still catch repeats of later seasons of the channel, but if you're looking for the famous incidents like Rick Mercer's "Doris Day" petition or Paul Martin putting Greg Thomey in a headlock, you'll have to go search it out on Youtube or try iTunes.
** In the same vein, the one-off special ''Talking To Americans'' (where ''22 Minutes'' co-host Rick Mercer travels around the United States getting random U.S. residents to verify ridiculous statements he makes, simply because he claims to be a journalist). It was the highest-rated special in the channel's history. It propelled Mercer to the big leagues. Had him making fun of future President [[George W Bush]] and Mike Huckabee months (and years) before they would reach the national stage. Won several Gemini Awards. Got repeated in syndication for years afterwards. Online copies of the special still get tens of thousands of hits. Yet, the special still hasn't been released because Mercer feels it was in bad taste after the events of September 11, 2001. You can still watch it online, though.
** In the same vein, the one-off special ''Talking To Americans'' (where ''22 Minutes'' co-host Rick Mercer travels around the United States getting random U.S. residents to verify ridiculous statements he makes, simply because he claims to be a journalist). It was the highest-rated special in the channel's history. It propelled Mercer to the big leagues. Had him making fun of future President [[George W. Bush]] and Mike Huckabee months (and years) before they would reach the national stage. Won several Gemini Awards. Got repeated in syndication for years afterwards. Online copies of the special still get tens of thousands of hits. Yet, the special still hasn't been released because Mercer feels it was in bad taste after the events of September 11, 2001. You can still watch it online, though.




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* ''[[Central Park West]]'', a primetime soap opera about a pair of siblings (played by Madchen Amick and [[John Barrowman]]) living it up in the world of rich, backstabbing New York socialites. The show, produced by Melrose Place co-creator Darren Star, was an attempt by CBS to cash in on the success of Melrose Place and featured major stars as part of the cast (including Mariel Hemingway and Lauren Hutton). It floundered in the ratings, though, and disappeared without a trace after a disasterous [[Retool]]. It still hasn't been released on DVD, even though it had two seasons.
* ''[[Central Park West]]'', a primetime soap opera about a pair of siblings (played by Madchen Amick and [[John Barrowman]]) living it up in the world of rich, backstabbing New York socialites. The show, produced by Melrose Place co-creator Darren Star, was an attempt by CBS to cash in on the success of Melrose Place and featured major stars as part of the cast (including Mariel Hemingway and Lauren Hutton). It floundered in the ratings, though, and disappeared without a trace after a disasterous [[Retool]]. It still hasn't been released on DVD, even though it had two seasons.
* If you try to buy [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (Film)|Cinderella]]'' on DVD, you could find the original version, with [[Julie Andrews]], even though it only aired on TV once since its initial performance. You could also find the 1997 ''Wonderful World of Disney'' remake. What about the first remake, which starred Lesley Ann Warren and became the most popular version after numerous re-runs and VHS releases? Sony pulled the DVD out of print after a few years. Old copies at Amazon can cost as much as ''$70''.
* If you try to buy [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (Film)|Cinderella]]'' on DVD, you could find the original version, with [[Julie Andrews]], even though it only aired on TV once since its initial performance. You could also find the 1997 ''Wonderful World of Disney'' remake. What about the first remake, which starred Lesley Ann Warren and became the most popular version after numerous re-runs and VHS releases? Sony pulled the DVD out of print after a few years. Old copies at Amazon can cost as much as ''$70''.
* ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_to_Home_(TV_series) Close to Home]'' was a legal drama that ran from '05 to '07. ''And nothing has been said of it since''. Fans believe that the backlash that resulted when the main character's husband was killed off resulted in the studio deciding not to put any effort into releasing it.
* ''[[wikipedia:Close to Home (TV series)|Close to Home]]'' was a legal drama that ran from '05 to '07. ''And nothing has been said of it since''. Fans believe that the backlash that resulted when the main character's husband was killed off resulted in the studio deciding not to put any effort into releasing it.
* ''[[Cold Case (TV)|Cold Case]]'' used roughly five popular songs per episode. Unfortunately, removing them would ruin the flashback sequences, which are the whole point of the show.)
* ''[[Cold Case (TV)|Cold Case]]'' used roughly five popular songs per episode. Unfortunately, removing them would ruin the flashback sequences, which are the whole point of the show.)
* ''[[Early Edition (TV)|Early Edition]]'' was a victim of this for a long time, though Seasons 1-2 have since been released. No word on the last two, though.
* ''[[Early Edition (TV)|Early Edition]]'' was a victim of this for a long time, though Seasons 1-2 have since been released. No word on the last two, though.
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* ''[[Shining Time Station]]'' appears to be headed for this, likely never to get a DVD release despite having been nominated for three Emmy Awards and having Ringo Starr and George Carlin playing the Conductor. Luckily, episodes can still be found online. Rights issues are likely the problem, since it used footage from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, whose rights currently resides with [[Hi T]] Entertainment.
* ''[[Shining Time Station]]'' appears to be headed for this, likely never to get a DVD release despite having been nominated for three Emmy Awards and having Ringo Starr and George Carlin playing the Conductor. Luckily, episodes can still be found online. Rights issues are likely the problem, since it used footage from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, whose rights currently resides with [[Hi T]] Entertainment.
* ''[[Square One TV]]''
* ''[[Square One TV]]''
** Same for ''[[Three Two One Contact]]''. Broadcasters actually encouraged taping of the show. A handful of episodes were commercially released on VHS, but they're [[Crack is Cheaper|very expensive]] now. Worse, the first season is older than VHS, so many of its episodes, especially those that weren't rebroadcast later, have been [[Missing Episode|lost forever]].
** Same for ''[[3-2-1 Contact]]''. Broadcasters actually encouraged taping of the show. A handful of episodes were commercially released on VHS, but they're [[Crack is Cheaper|very expensive]] now. Worse, the first season is older than VHS, so many of its episodes, especially those that weren't rebroadcast later, have been [[Missing Episode|lost forever]].
* There was a 1990s PBS miniseries called ''[[The United States Of Poetry]]'' that featured poems being read by the authors and widely varied cinematography like artistic music videos. You may be able to find a VHS copy languishing in your local library, but otherwise it's gone — although, oddly, its very dated [http://www.worldofpoetry.org/usop/ website] is still being hosted.
* There was a 1990s PBS miniseries called ''[[The United States Of Poetry]]'' that featured poems being read by the authors and widely varied cinematography like artistic music videos. You may be able to find a VHS copy languishing in your local library, but otherwise it's gone — although, oddly, its very dated [http://www.worldofpoetry.org/usop/ website] is still being hosted.
* ''[[Where in The World Is Carmen San Diego]]?'', and all of the original tunes by Rockapella that its episodes included. Ditto its successor series ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego]]?''
* ''[[Where in The World Is Carmen San Diego]]?'', and all of the original tunes by Rockapella that its episodes included. Ditto its successor series ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego]]?''
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== SKY UK ==
== SKY UK ==
* ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strangerers The Strangerers]'' (sic) was a science fiction comedy drama made for [[Sky One]], starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty and written by [[Red Dwarf (TV)|Rob Grant]]. Desite the fact that it had good writing, nicely quirky acting and some excellent VFX, [[Screwed By the Network|Sky cancelled it]] because they didn't think it fitted in with the rest of their <s>rubbish</s> programming, and there's never been a DVD.
* ''[[wikipedia:The Strangerers|The Strangerers]]'' (sic) was a science fiction comedy drama made for [[Sky One]], starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty and written by [[Red Dwarf (TV)|Rob Grant]]. Desite the fact that it had good writing, nicely quirky acting and some excellent VFX, [[Screwed By the Network|Sky cancelled it]] because they didn't think it fitted in with the rest of their <s>rubbish</s> programming, and there's never been a DVD.
* ''Ten Minute Tales'': A series of shorts run over 11 days on Sky Television over Christmas 2009. Despite having some of the best actors around and some of the best writers (Neil Gaiman being one), the network has no plans to put it on DVD, so those who want to re-watch (which you will, as most of them are pretty deep and require several viewings to fully understand them) and/or those who don't have Sky will have find them elsewhere.
* ''Ten Minute Tales'': A series of shorts run over 11 days on Sky Television over Christmas 2009. Despite having some of the best actors around and some of the best writers (Neil Gaiman being one), the network has no plans to put it on DVD, so those who want to re-watch (which you will, as most of them are pretty deep and require several viewings to fully understand them) and/or those who don't have Sky will have find them elsewhere.


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* ''[[The Big Comfy Couch]]'' ran for seven seasons on YTV (over a period of 14 years), but it has never received a proper DVD release. Time-Life Video released many episodes of the series on VHS in the mid-90's, but releases have been all over the place as far as DVD goes. The series got a release of several early episodes featuring Alyson Court (the original actress who played Loonette) in the early 2000's, which subsequently went out of print. The "remake" season in 2006 is still incomplete despite receiving a partial release, and the only way to see the rest of the episodes is to catch a repeat on Treehouse TV.
* ''[[The Big Comfy Couch]]'' ran for seven seasons on YTV (over a period of 14 years), but it has never received a proper DVD release. Time-Life Video released many episodes of the series on VHS in the mid-90's, but releases have been all over the place as far as DVD goes. The series got a release of several early episodes featuring Alyson Court (the original actress who played Loonette) in the early 2000's, which subsequently went out of print. The "remake" season in 2006 is still incomplete despite receiving a partial release, and the only way to see the rest of the episodes is to catch a repeat on Treehouse TV.
* The YTV series ''Catwalk'', about a group of young adults trying to establish themselves as a musical group. The show was notable for starring a pre-''[[Party of Five]]'' Neve Campbell, and the episodes dealt with mature subject matter and themes, and was very progressive for its time. Despite the success of the first season, the show was cancelled in 1994, and half the episodes were never broadcast. It's never been released on DVD, likely due to a lawsuit arising between the show and a Connecticut-based band (also named Catwalk) regarding the name of the show.
* The YTV series ''Catwalk'', about a group of young adults trying to establish themselves as a musical group. The show was notable for starring a pre-''[[Party of Five]]'' Neve Campbell, and the episodes dealt with mature subject matter and themes, and was very progressive for its time. Despite the success of the first season, the show was cancelled in 1994, and half the episodes were never broadcast. It's never been released on DVD, likely due to a lawsuit arising between the show and a Connecticut-based band (also named Catwalk) regarding the name of the show.
* ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniac_Mansion_(TV_series) Maniac Mansion]'', the Canadian television spinoff of the Lucasarts game of the same name, hasn't been seen in North America since it stopped airing in syndication in Canada on YTV in 2002. Despite the level of critical acclaim the series received when it first debuted, the fourth-wall breaking humor, and a cast made up of alumni from the Second City Theatre Company, none of the three seasons have ever been released in their entirety on DVD (two Season 1 episodes were released on VHS more than a decade ago). You can find the complete series through torrents.
* ''[[wikipedia:Maniac Mansion (TV series)|Maniac Mansion]]'', the Canadian television spinoff of the Lucasarts game of the same name, hasn't been seen in North America since it stopped airing in syndication in Canada on YTV in 2002. Despite the level of critical acclaim the series received when it first debuted, the fourth-wall breaking humor, and a cast made up of alumni from the Second City Theatre Company, none of the three seasons have ever been released in their entirety on DVD (two Season 1 episodes were released on VHS more than a decade ago). You can find the complete series through torrents.
* ''Stickin' Around'' was a well-loved animated series that aired on the network from 1996 - 1998, and ran in syndication for almost a full decade afterwards. A proposed Region 1 DVD release collapsed in 2000, and the only official release the series had was in Australia. The only way to find the episodes now is to hunt for the old VHS releases (which had all the episodes) or look up episodes on Youtube.
* ''Stickin' Around'' was a well-loved animated series that aired on the network from 1996 - 1998, and ran in syndication for almost a full decade afterwards. A proposed Region 1 DVD release collapsed in 2000, and the only official release the series had was in Australia. The only way to find the episodes now is to hunt for the old VHS releases (which had all the episodes) or look up episodes on Youtube.
* ''System Crash'', a sketch comedy series about a group of students in a media club at the fictional Lambton High School, aired from 1999-2002 and garnered a significant amount of popularity. However, it disappeared after the network began transitioning its programming block to younger audiences. It never received an official DVD release, and the only remnants of the series are occasional episodes that float around on Youtube or torrents.
* ''System Crash'', a sketch comedy series about a group of students in a media club at the fictional Lambton High School, aired from 1999-2002 and garnered a significant amount of popularity. However, it disappeared after the network began transitioning its programming block to younger audiences. It never received an official DVD release, and the only remnants of the series are occasional episodes that float around on Youtube or torrents.
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