Search - 3rd Rock from the Sun - Season 1 on DVD

3rd Rock Edited

N. H. Gervais | NOLA | 08/08/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is a tough one to write for me. I loved 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN and was eagerly awaiting its release on DVD. Needless to say I grapped it the day it hit stores and popped it in that night. Within a few minutes my anticipation turned to frustration as I knew something was wrong. Not believing what I wasn't seeing, I dug through boxes to find my VHS copies of the first season and sure enough, the episodes on the DVD set are the syndicated versions...which means anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes are trimmed per episode. Take that out of a 22 or 23 minute running time and you get an idea of how much has been taken away.
I've been a huge supporter of Anchor Bay for years now, so I am even more let down and even more angry but this insult. Releasing cut DVD's is unacceptable and with no notice given on the packing, it also strikes me as a deceitful business practice. This may well be all they were given by Casey-Werner, as I've now discovered that THE COSBY SHOW S1 & the upcoming ROSEANNE S1 also feature the edited, syndicated versions but if this is what they are going to release, they owe to consumers & fans of those shows to let people know they are not getting the entire, uncut episodes.
For those of you who don't care that you are spending your money on a imcomplete product, clearly this isn't for you but for those of you who do care about wanting the see the entire episodes as they first appeared on their intial broadcasts, beware of this set."

Wise up people!

hapkidokid | Chicago, IL | 10/05/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"From DVDVerdict:

"So in case you've been living under a rock or have just returned from a sojourn to the stars, the major grumble against this otherwise well-constructed presentation is the fact that the episodes presented here are the shortened syndication versions. Yes, a tidy two minutes have been surgically excised from each episode, rendering this set about as appealing as home-made VHS copies (unless those would be first-run, non-edited episodes). Anchor Bay isn't readily 'fessing up to this injurious insult and is even fudging this fact with misleading box text reading, "...these 20 full-length episodes..." Lie! This is fast becoming the bane of long-awaited TV-on-DVD releases. Anchor Bay has some explaining to do and reparations to make before the release of the Season Two set, slated for October 25, 2005. However, this seems to be the studio's sole official response to the unacceptable situation:

"The issue that exists is the originally aired episodes vs. syndicated episodes. We were only permitted to distribute the syndicated version of the series, which is what is on the DVD. Carsey-Werner (the licensor of the series) maintains the rights to the originally aired broadcast & it is their decision whether or not those will ever be released. If we are ever able to secure these rights from them, we will certainly do so."-Anchor Bay

That's fine, but clearly Anchor Bay is reticent to be so forthcoming in their release notes, knowing this situation will not sit well with impassioned collectors and will surely impact sell-through rates. I wonder what Dick might have to say about this unscrupulous human trickery?"

So if you keep buying this s*** they'll keep giving us this shortened s***!"

Carsey-Werner holds the rights to the unedited versions. Te

Kyra Troyan | CA | 08/17/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Here is Anchor Bay Entertainment's response:
The issue that exists is the originally aired episodes vs. syndicated episodes. We were only permitted to distribute the syndicated version of the series, which is what is on the DVD. Carsey-Werner (the licensor of the series) maintains the rights to the originally aired broadcast & it is their decision whether or not those will ever be released. If we are ever able to secure these rights from them, we will certainly do so.

I've also contacted Jim Kraus President, Domestic Television Distribution at Carsey-Werner to let him know we want the unedited versions and although we love the show, we will not be buying this edited version.
(Especially when it sounds like the edits in episode one were made to appease some narrowminded ignorant fundamentalists who don't want women to learn about their own health/bodies!)"

Carsey-Werner Sneaks in Edited Episode on Disc 1

Sean M. Teague | Dallas, TX | 08/02/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"'3rd Rock From the Sun' is a brilliant sitcom and I was thrilled to learn of the DVD release. However, I noticed while watching the episode 'Dick's First Birthday' that a scene is missing. Described in the episode summary (both on the 1st disc and inside the accompanying booklet) is a sequence where- "Tommy brings her (Sally) to health class for his project on female reproduction."- However, this sequence is nowhere to be found in the actual episode, leading me to believe Carsey-Werner/Acnchor Bay slipped in an edited version of this episode from syndication. This news should hardly come as a surprise given that Carsey-Werner is dealing the same low blow to fans of their most famous property, 'The Cosby Show'.
It's such a shame really, because with a little more class and effort on the parts of C-W and Anchor Bay, I would have purchased every season of both shows. But, I won't pay good money for chopped versions of classic TV episodes. The talented men and women behind such gems as '3rd Rock' and 'Cosby' deserve much better, and so do we fans.


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