Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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*. A TTfl ITTTT THEY SAID IT I_I I J * m /1 I %/ “We are recorders and reporters of the facts — page 5 I I / I I yL not judges of the behavior we describe.” Friday, January 21, 2005 [ [ ^ Y I I y founder OF the institute FOR SEX research. INDIANA university -- ' .. .. . .. - - 1 ’ ► 44i4^lT With the explosion of DVD sales, a new market of television series on disc has been opened to new and old audiences of some popular shows. No more searching for reruns on TV Land or popping in a blank VHS tape to catch a favorite episode. Die-hard fans can relax and buy their favorite television show on DVD..."Only the fanatics of shows would probably buy [the DVDs],” Tim McLees, a third-year criminal justice student, said. “If I had to buy a series on DVD though, I would buy ‘The Simpsons’ or ‘The Wire.’” After the savvy marketing of shows such a$ “The Sopranos,” television shows surged onto DVD. In the past two years, thousands of television shows have been released, and viewers have flocked to the shelves to buy the box sets of their favorite shows. Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video have cleared shelves to make room for the influx. Even fair weather fans can catch up on a series. Hart Traylor, a second-year history student, said he owns the first four seasons of “The Simpsons,” his favorite show, on DVD. “I know I don’t have to wait for a rerun of the old episodes to watch them,” he said. According to www.tvshowsondvd.com, more than 60 television shows will release another DVD set in January. The genius^ behind DVD marketing comes from honing in on what fans love. When a show was cancelled in the pre-DVD market, there was no reviving it unless enough episodes were made for rerun heaven. Now, fans can buy their favorite show with bonus features to “I hadn’t watched [Sex and the City] before reruns, so I bought the series to catch up. I like being able to watch it anytime I want.’” CHRISTINA CLODFELTER SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT boot. Bonus features can include commentary, episode trailers and briefs, behind-the-scenes footage, actor biographies and even games. Besides bonus features, DVDs have given old shows new audiences. HBO and Showtime Original Series are not available to some because the channels are part of premium cable and satellite packages. But thanks to DVD box sets, new fans have fallen in love with the 30-something single gals from “Sex and the City” and the quirky comedy “Queer as Folk.” “I hadn’t watched [“Sex and the City”] before the reruns, so I bought the series to catch up,” Christina Clodfelter, a second-year political science student, said. Clodfelter also owns the “Friends” series on DVD. “1 like being able to watch it anytime I want,” she said. Other classic television shows such as “The Brady Bunch” and “The Waltons” have attracted new fans. Even quirky teenage classics such as “Saved by the Bell” are resurging on DVD. DVDs have become a way to revive shows that never quite found their niche on the air. “The Family Guy” was brought out of cancellation by Fox largely because of DVD sales and the success of reruns on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. The DVD market has also given fans of short-lived series a chance to see the last few episodes of shows that might not have aired, such as “Freaks and Geeks,” which originally aired on NBC. But some consumers balk at the price of DVD box sets, as most range from $50 to well over $ 100. According to a January 2004 article in Post magazine, marketers promote shows such as cartoons and children’s series by themes so they do not have to release as many episodes, thus selling the product for a cheaper price. “There is an advantage to having the whole series because some reruns aren’t in order,” Clodfelter said. Though the price of box sets might not drop any time soon, the craze to own a favorite show on disc is not waning. Most popular television shows can be found at most retailers, while older and more obscure series can be found online. Comments on this stoiy? E-mail gamecockfeatiires@givm.sc. edu fell...-___ * * i . .. ... ;j