The Wonder Years finally on DVD!

As much as I'd like to see the show remastered for HD from original film elements, I just can't see it happening at this point. I guess one big question is: do the original film elements even exist still?? It's possible the show was completely edited to video and then the film lost or trashed.

Imagine how much better this show would look if mastered from film, though.

 

Definitely shot on film. I've heard original elements exist - but only as heresay. If they do exist, mastering to whatever current HD format would be relatively straight-forward - it's not like its "Star Trek TNG" where effects elements were completely re-imagined. Though most certainly forever as 4x3, since expanding to 16x9 or wider for shows shot in this era would surely uncover the usual off-screen elements such as light stands, crew, etc...

This show has had many incarnations in syndication, always in reduced form to accommodate commercials, sometimes at the expense of important scenes. While I've not attempted to do so, it might be worthwhile to determine if these episodes are complete. If so, one would surmise StarVista would have had to have used original stock, no?

History has shown these Time-Life / Guthy-Renker and similar efforts tend to re-surface over time - sometimes with dispatched rights ("Shout Factory?"). Witness "The Dean Martin Show," "Midnight Special," "The Monkees," admittedly to little effect. "My So Called Life" had an initial release, then a much improved release some years later. Even "Star Trek" itself has certainly seen a plethora of versions of variable quality and content.

One would hope if sales are robust and the public response to video quality is "loud" enough, improved versions might eventually surface.

Probably around the time Haley's Comet returns...

 

The show was edited to video tape. There's no way it could be profitable to go back to the original 16mm film elements for a dvd or blu-ray release, assuming they still exist.

 

http://noreruns.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Wonder-Years-S1-DVD-Back.jpg

Season One is very aggressive announcing the music clearances printed right on the back cover. Even implying EVERYTHING was cleared.

 

I'd think that whether or not there is a 2nd wind in syndication will decide if HD upgrades are worth the effort.

 

I'd be surprised. That'd have to be a pretty hearty wind - I imagine it'd be expensive and time-intensive to go back to the source and redo this.

I know they did that for "ST:TNG", but that's a series with a much bigger core audience - and a core audience that has demonstrated a willingness to spend money over the decades.

I think "Wonder Years" is more of a niche show and it'd be tough for them to justify the cost of the visual upgrade...

 

I'm fully aware that's it an extreme long shot. Just saying that I think Wonder Years has a better chance at syndication than Pee Wee and that got a makeover.

 

Hmm, I wonder if the versions airing on Amazon have been updated. Because when I watched it on Amazon a couple of years ago, there were definitely songs that were changed.

 

The last few seasons hold up better than I remembered. It's kinda weird watching this show and being nostalgic for the time when it aired, late 80s, which was a time when I wished it was the 60s.

 

Yes they were changed, starting with a bad Joe Cocker imitation. The DVD of season one though, is packed with original songs.

 

Surely no excuse for the appalling quality in this set. Unless "video tape" is meant to imply SVHS, SuperBeta or Hi8...

 

Kevin,Winnie & Paul were on GMA - when I saw them I wondered who was the tall guy. Turns out it was Paul! Fred and Danica haven't changed that much but Josh looks nothing like Paul...

 

"Paul" was on Law and Order SVU a few weeks ago playing an attorney. I believe his first acting gig since The Wonder years, He was wise to stick with college

 

I think he's an attorney in real life - so not that much of a stretch!

Tough for child stars to make it as adult actors.

 

Also a Yale graduate with a degree in Political Science. Not too shabby.

 

Interesting. I watched it without even knowing who he was.

 

What are you guys talking about? Everybody knows that "Paul" grew up to be Marilyn Manson!

 

I was kinda disappointed Saviano didn't discuss this more in the interviews. The set comes with 9 million hours of interviews, and I thought it'd be interesting to hear him comment on this. He once alludes to it but doesn't really say anything about it...

 

Ha, yeah that would be interesting. What was the allusion he made?

 

Just out of curiosity, I just checked out S3E07 "The Family Car" on Netflix. The Neil Young song is still here on this version. The only other licensed music I spotted was Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" and a recorded-for-the-show rendition of the "See the USA in a Chevrolet" jingle, but it seemed completely intact to me aside from the soundalike, awful version of "With a Little Help."

Makes me wonder if the other missing songs aren't still intact here too.

 

I know many here would like to see this show done as high rez as possible to see every little detail and I can understand that, but I always felt the artistic intent was to make it a little rough (or soften up?) on purpose. Even the opening titles reflect 8mm home movies complete with the dots at the end of the films, the show also translated, not quite to that level, but to get more a feel to that era. Although it would be interesting to see these episodes in crystal clear and pristine, but the stories and characters are what made this show, not the sets and makeup.

 

I think having the show look like film would match more with the era. Instead it's always had that fuzzy "mastered on video" look to it.

Still, I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. I can't see them going back and re-editing the show in HD from the original film elements, assuming they even exist anymore.

 

He just referred to it as part of the series' afterlife. He made no comment about the Manson thing other than to vaguely acknowledge the existence of the rumor...

 

Yes, the series would have to garner re-syndication over and over again like Star Trek to warrant such a remastering. The numbers just aren't high enough to do a total restore unless the studio felt compelled to do it even if it meant losing money. I don't know off-hand if there was ever a series put on DVD that they did not care if it made money or not.

 

"Paul" did mention MM by name on one of the recent cast TV interviews.