Is NBC Making up for the past?

[nitcrt1]

Another long-running NBC series departs with style, and again I'm left shaking my head. Upon watching the series "Will and Grace" bid a fond farewell that was a perfect goodbye for any fan of the show, I was left wondering yet again..."Is NBC trying to make up for its mistake in the past of denying "Night Court" the same fitting farewell by making sure other long-running shows don't leave with fans scratching their heads and in total disgust?" It seems "Friends" and "Will and Grace" had endings that were pleasing to fans of both shows along with wonderfully assembled retrospectives. It was both pleasing and painful to watch the "Will and Grace" finale, because I was both moved by the ending but pained thinking... "Why couldn't "Night Court" have had something like this?" Thanks to the success of CBS's "Survivor," "Will and Grace" suffered a bit in the ratings the last few years, much like "Night Court" did, but still managed to satisfy the appetite of fans by producing an ending everyone can appreciate and discuss in positive retrospect unlike the "Night Court" debacle of 1992. Despite its decline in popularity, "Will and Grace" was given a night all to itself which I thought was great. There were no loose ends to be tied and the conclusion was very befitting of the show. I still will be left wondering why "Night Court" could not have been treated with the same grace and dignity as other long-running NBC shows. I guess one learns from his/her mistakes but NBC's "Night Court" faux pas will haunt me each time I see a long-running show receive a classy ending.


In my eyes...NBC will NEVER be able to make up for the "Night Court" fiasco. Of course, let's not forget that Warner Brothers is also to blame for forcing the tornado leaving crushed fans and bruised memories...or should I say nightmares.

Anyway, I was glad to see "Will and Grace" treated very well. It was a fun show that was the last survivor of the NBC Must See TV reign. Goodnight, Gracie!

[McFly121]

Hey Nitcrt1....

Just came across an old Markie interview I had on tape from Arsenio Hall in 1991, and she was saying they actually shot endings for the end of the 91 season, the ones we bandy about from time to time. What she said was that everyone shot their endings separate from the rest of the cast, so not even they would know what would happen to their co-stars. I hope to load the interview in the coming weeks when I get my computer connection fixed.

But these were the endings thrown out at that last minute renewal. So it would be AWESOME if NBC/Warner still has these in the vault for a future dvd release. Now *that* would be making up for lost time .

[nitcrt1]

Very interesting, McFly121! *That* is something I'd like to see myself. (Both the interview and the "final shots." Boy, now I *really* want to know what they had in store. That's interesting that they shot them all seperately. I wonder how things would have been pieced together or even if today the cast knows what those endings were. Gosh! now I'm curious. You're right though. If Those tapes are still floating around in the archives, wouldn't it be great to have them as extras on the DVD or even for them to re-edit the original episodes in some way to include those endings. I acquired a script of the episode two-parter in question and it backs up Markie's statement. It doesn't have and ending. I'd have to look at it again but I think it says somewhere at the end that it is to be determined...or something of that nature. THat would have been exciting and fun for cast members to find out what would happen to everyone like the rest of the fans. That would have been a scream. That's pretty cool information though. Thanks a lot for passing that along. Of course, now you've successfully made me nuts wondering what was going to happen to everyone. (LOL)

[ClassicTVGal]

WOW! Awesome news, McFly! Thanks! And yes, if Warner/NBC would place those in the DVD releases that would be fantastic! I never knew they did clips.. odd they were seperated, but *very* neat that they were made!

[nitcrt1]

This whole thing is really making me think. If these tapes *do* still exist, then Warner Brothers is sitting on a gold mine. I truly think there would be a lot of interest in something like this. Extras are what help sell a DVD sometimes and this is a great opportunity not to be missed. I'd still love to know what everyone shot. This whole thing, behind the scenes and all, is like an E! True Hollywood story screaming to happen. (lol)

In any case, Warner Brothers should really do some investigating. I think whoever would be responsible for those tapes would have been foolish to trash them. If they did, shame on them. I *really* would love to know what everyone's ending would have been, especially since some things have already been mentioned and put out there. I'd like to know/see the whole story unfold.

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by nitcrt1

This whole thing is really making me think. If these tapes *do* still exist, then Warner Brothers is sitting on a gold mine. I truly think there would be a lot of interest in something like this. Extras are what help sell a DVD sometimes and this is a great opportunity not to be missed. I'd still love to know what everyone shot. This whole thing, behind the scenes and all, is like an E! True Hollywood story screaming to happen. (lol)

In any case, Warner Brothers should really do some investigating. I think whoever would be responsible for those tapes would have been foolish to trash them. If they did, shame on them. I *really* would love to know what everyone's ending would have been, especially since some things have already been mentioned and put out there. I'd like to know/see the whole story unfold.

Oh gracious, I hope no one would trash *anything* like that! And they should feel regret and guilt if they have!! (no offense and sorry to them, but really...) Oh! Me too. Definately a E! THS thing.. I'd *love* to see those endings... you still have me excited... but let's not build our hopes up! (It's real hard in this situation, too.)

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by McFly121

Hey Nitcrt1....

Just came across an old Markie interview I had on tape from Arsenio Hall in 1991, and she was saying they actually shot endings for the end of the 91 season, the ones we bandy about from time to time. What she said was that everyone shot their endings separate from the rest of the cast, so not even they would know what would happen to their co-stars. I hope to load the interview in the coming weeks when I get my computer connection fixed.

But these were the endings thrown out at that last minute renewal. So it would be AWESOME if NBC/Warner still has these in the vault for a future dvd release. Now *that* would be making up for lost time .

They would make great extras and it would boost DVD sales for the show. If these clips are around, they should get the cast together to discuss the show as maybe a 10-15 minute commentary on the DVD. Sounds like the 'Benson' trend again, with the multiple endings.

[nitcrt1]

As I thought about it, I just have a bad feeling that those tapes were thrown out once the show got renewed for season nine, since the script did. I imagine we would have heard more about these tapes if they still existed. Still, can you imagine if they do still exist in the vault. With technology as advanced as it is today, I say again that they could re-edit the end of season eight, much like they were going to have to, to include those alternate endings. ( I think many of us would have no problem forgetting season nine. ) I hope someone important out there is reading all of this. This could be something *big* for "Night Court" fans yearning for a real ending. Plus I think it could be a money maker for Warner Brothers.

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by nitcrt1

As I thought about it, I just have a bad feeling that those tapes were thrown out once the show got renewed for season nine, since the script did. I imagine we would have heard more about these tapes if they still existed. Still, can you imagine if they do still exist in the vault. With technology as advanced as it is today, I say again that they could re-edit the end of season eight, much like they were going to have to, to include those alternate endings. ( I think many of us would have no problem forgetting season nine. ) I hope someone important out there is reading all of this. This could be something *big* for "Night Court" fans yearning for a real ending. Plus I think it could be a money maker for Warner Brothers.

Hopefully, I just read on tvshowsondvd.com that Warner Brothers announced that they had no plans for Night Court at the moment. The moderator hinted that the sales for season one were not up to Warner Bros expectations hence the delay in more seasons. But if this discovery for the show is true, things can change very quickly sales wise.

[nitcrt1]

Originally Posted by GSU2004

Hopefully, I just read on tvshowsondvd.com that Warner Brothers announced that they had no plans for Night Court at the moment. The moderator hinted that the sales for season one were not up to Warner Bros expectations hence the delay in more seasons. But if this discovery for the show is true, things can change very quickly sales wise.

I got that impression as well. Yet, in a recent chat I also got the impression that they were on the fence a bit about releasing more seasons, becasue the favorites may have sold just enough to make them go back and forth on the issue. My theory is that the favorites DVD may have sold a bit better than sesaon one to warrant a discussion about future releases, but may have not sold the number of quantities they had hoped for to make a definite decision right away. Again though, people weren't buying the favorites because they wanted season two. Additionally, there was very little publicity about its release *and* many stores weren't carrying it. If you got lucky you found one at a store, but most people had to purchase their copies online. I think Warner Brothers would fare best with this doing one of two things. Either consider packaging seasons two and three together or come out with a season two DVD that carries interesting extras. (ex. blooper reels from that season, more cast interviews, tidbits, trivia, inside information, Emmy highlights, etc...) They have to make it appealing to buyers in some who may have never seen the show too. Try to capture their interest somehow. If there are any intelligent people working for Warner Brothers, maybe they can come up with some kind of strategy. You have to invest some money in order to make it. I think Warner Brothers has more than enough to invest if the interest is there. (And I *really* think it is, otherwise they wouldn't be toying with "Night Court." They dropped "Murphy Brown" in a hurry.) For fans of "Night Court" I think the demand is there, Warner Brothers just has to give it time. It took the show a season or two to really take off. Brandon Tartikoff believed in it to keep it on, I think Warner Brothers should believe in it as far as DVD sales go. For crying out loud, shows that have been on one season and are cancelled get a DVD. "Night Court" was on nine seasons, had I believe 29 Emmy nominations (including best comedy series) and Warner Brothers can't decide if they want to go further with more DVD releases of it. Give me a break!

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by nitcrt1

I got that impression as well. Yet, in a recent chat I also got the impression that they were on the fence a bit about releasing more seasons, becasue the favorites may have sold just enough to make them go back and forth on the issue. My theory is that the favorites DVD may have sold a bit better than sesaon one to warrant a discussion about future releases, but may have not sold the number of quantities they had hoped for to make a definite decision right away. Again though, people weren't buying the favorites because they wanted season two. Additionally, there was very little publicity about its release *and* many stores weren't carrying it. If you got lucky you found one at a store, but most people had to purchase their copies online. I think Warner Brothers would fare best with this doing one of two things. Either consider packaging seasons two and three together or come out with a season two DVD that carries interesting extras. (ex. blooper reels from that season, more cast interviews, tidbits, trivia, inside information, Emmy highlights, etc...) They have to make it appealing to buyers in some who may have never seen the show too. Try to capture their interest somehow. If there are any intelligent people working for Warner Brothers, maybe they can come up with some kind of strategy. You have to invest some money in order to make it. I think Warner Brothers has more than enough to invest if the interest is there. (And I *really* think it is, otherwise they wouldn't be toying with "Night Court." They dropped "Murphy Brown" in a hurry.) For fans of "Night Court" I think the demand is there, Warner Brothers just has to give it time. It took the show a season or two to really take off. Brandon Tartikoff believed in it to keep it on, I think Warner Brothers should believe in it as far as DVD sales go. For crying out loud, shows that have been on one season and are cancelled get a DVD. "Night Court" was on nine seasons, had I believe 29 Emmy nominations (including best comedy series) and Warner Brothers can't decide if they want to go further with more DVD releases of it. Give me a break!

Well said!

And what were the 3 'endings' for "Benson"?

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by nitcrt1

I got that impression as well. Yet, in a recent chat I also got the impression that they were on the fence a bit about releasing more seasons, becasue the favorites may have sold just enough to make them go back and forth on the issue. My theory is that the favorites DVD may have sold a bit better than sesaon one to warrant a discussion about future releases, but may have not sold the number of quantities they had hoped for to make a definite decision right away. Again though, people weren't buying the favorites because they wanted season two. Additionally, there was very little publicity about its release *and* many stores weren't carrying it. If you got lucky you found one at a store, but most people had to purchase their copies online. I think Warner Brothers would fare best with this doing one of two things. Either consider packaging seasons two and three together or come out with a season two DVD that carries interesting extras. (ex. blooper reels from that season, more cast interviews, tidbits, trivia, inside information, Emmy highlights, etc...) They have to make it appealing to buyers in some who may have never seen the show too. Try to capture their interest somehow. If there are any intelligent people working for Warner Brothers, maybe they can come up with some kind of strategy. You have to invest some money in order to make it. I think Warner Brothers has more than enough to invest if the interest is there. (And I *really* think it is, otherwise they wouldn't be toying with "Night Court." They dropped "Murphy Brown" in a hurry.) For fans of "Night Court" I think the demand is there, Warner Brothers just has to give it time. It took the show a season or two to really take off. Brandon Tartikoff believed in it to keep it on, I think Warner Brothers should believe in it as far as DVD sales go. For crying out loud, shows that have been on one season and are cancelled get a DVD. "Night Court" was on nine seasons, had I believe 29 Emmy nominations (including best comedy series) and Warner Brothers can't decide if they want to go further with more DVD releases of it. Give me a break!

Good statement. The show does have credentials and if people didn't like it, then why was it on for 9 seasons with good ratings throughout its run, well except for the last season. I do agree about promoting and marketing, many people don't know about the DVD and then if its hard to find, then people are not going to buy. Some shows such as The Cosby Show, then they release DVD's, you see billboards, commercials, ads in magazines, the whole nine yards. Give the show some extras, add some bloopers, deleted scenes and such. They were able to get majority of the cast of 227 (another show that gets no respect) back together for their DVD release, im sure they can for Night Court.

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by ClassicTVGal

Well said!

And what were the 3 'endings' for "Benson"?

On the series finale of Benson, Benson was in the election against his boss, the governor. Initially the governor wasn't going to run until he discovered a technicality that allowed him to run as an independant. Of course, drama unfolded and on the last scene of the two part episode, Benson and Gatlin are sitting watching the results and then the announcer says the winner is and the credits roll leaving a nasty cliffhanger. The other endings that were shot showed Benson winning, Gatlin winning, and the senator winning (putting them both out of a job) and of course the cliffhanger. The producers chose to use the cliffhanger for reasons that I don't know.

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by GSU2004

On the series finale of Benson, Benson was in the election against his boss, the governor. Initially the governor wasn't going to run until he discovered a technicality that allowed him to run as an independant. Of course, drama unfolded and on the last scene of the two part episode, Benson and Gatlin are sitting watching the results and then the announcer says the winner is and the credits roll leaving a nasty cliffhanger. The other endings that were shot showed Benson winning, Gatlin winning, and the senator winning (putting them both out of a job) and of course the cliffhanger. The producers chose to use the cliffhanger for reasons that I don't know.

Oh brother! That's terrible. Ending a Series is not really a good thing, well in my opinion. At least frusterating. Even just episodes leaving on a cliffhanger and then the next ep they don't tell you, esp dramas. (Depends on the show) There is an episode of "Law and Order: SVU" that ends in a cliffhanger, one that comes to mind, anyway. A man in the jury box says, "We find the defendate...." and they cut off. It's in Season 7, I believe.

"Frasier" ended in a cliffhanger so to speak. And I've heard "Phil of the Future" did too, but I've never seen the Finale episode for that. It was Cancelled, so I have read many times. And even read that it hasn't aired in the USA yet. *If* that *is* true, I am not real sure.

I remember some years ago I think it was ABC (I could be wrong). They had this show where this guy went back in time, I think to try and win 'the girl of his dreams' this time around. They aired a couple eps and then showed a Preview for the next episode and it never aired! And it looked *really* good. Oh well... stations/companies can be so annoying.

P.S. Thanks for the information, GSU2004.

[ekkostar]

Am I the only one who saw the Dan/Christine thing for what it was... Dan was just trying to mess with Harry's head and make him jealous? It's what Dan does. He's mean. I don't think he was in any shape or form in love with her. Sure, he wanted to boff her, but what guy doesn't?