What you missed on the MTV2 syndicated edit - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

408sitcomfan · 02-15-2017, 03:47 AM

I am a first time viewer of Martin. Decided to DVR the episode "Variety Show" off MTV2 from today.

Overall it was a funny episode. However I checked the time marks of the commercial breaks and noticed that sans commercials the episode was nearly ~20:00! The closing credits normally would take an additional ~0:45, but MTV2 squeezed the credits under the final scene.

So I found a full length version of the "Variety Show" episode online (don't ask publicly), which had a 22:46 length (back in the early '90s, half hour shows had around 22-23 minutes of content) - and here are the differences I found:

The fade out between the cold open and opening theme was sped up by around a second.
After the opening theme, the syndicated version cuts out the original first scene: a character named Ms. Porter auditions for the talent show at Martin's house singing "I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston. Martin turns down Porter. That scene accounted for ~1:20 in the original episode. In fact, the syndicated version also re positioned the teleplay/created by credits to account for this edit.
MTV2 (I'm assuming) inserted a commercial break between the auditions at Martin's house and the rehearsals at the theater. It also skipped the original commercial break between the rehearsals and talent show and inserted a break during the talent show scene, after Stan retreats backstage when having food thrown at him.
By credit squeezing, MTV2 cut out the ENTIRE tag scene that showed the audience filing out - and a lone remaining audience member who has dialogue in the way end. Worst edit there is.

So it seems that both MTV2 and BET use the syndicated 20-minute cut versions of Martin. From what I saw on my electronic program guide, BET has super long commercial breaks because episodes run for around 35 minutes (do the math).

Another interesting aside: I am aware that some episodes of Martin (including the one I watched) have musical performances. I saw a clip on YouTube of The Notorious B.I.G.'s performance of "One More Chance" on the show. And in the "Variety Show" episode, Tichina Arnold sings gospel songs, namely "Hold Up the Light" and "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow", and another character sings a Whitney Houston song.

As viewers realized when WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-82) was first released to DVD, music licensing costs became far greater for DVD than when originally arranged for broadcast only. Because TV on DVD didn't exist back then, it should be safe to say that music on that show was licensed only for TV when Martin was originally broadcast.

Another factor in the DVD's keeping the original music: HBO distributing them. As the parent company of a premium cable network, HBO probably has a higher profit margin that allowed it to subsidize the music licensing.

02-15-2017, 03:47 AM	#1
408sitcomfan Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 06, 2015 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 34	What you missed on the MTV2 syndicated edit I am a first time viewer of Martin. Decided to DVR the episode "Variety Show" off MTV2 from today. Overall it was a funny episode. However I checked the time marks of the commercial breaks and noticed that sans commercials the episode was nearly ~20:00! The closing credits normally would take an additional ~0:45, but MTV2 squeezed the credits under the final scene. So I found a full length version of the "Variety Show" episode online (don't ask publicly), which had a 22:46 length (back in the early '90s, half hour shows had around 22-23 minutes of content) - and here are the differences I found: The fade out between the cold open and opening theme was sped up by around a second. After the opening theme, the syndicated version cuts out the original first scene: a character named Ms. Porter auditions for the talent show at Martin's house singing "I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston. Martin turns down Porter. That scene accounted for ~1:20 in the original episode. In fact, the syndicated version also re positioned the teleplay/created by credits to account for this edit. MTV2 (I'm assuming) inserted a commercial break between the auditions at Martin's house and the rehearsals at the theater. It also skipped the original commercial break between the rehearsals and talent show and inserted a break during the talent show scene, after Stan retreats backstage when having food thrown at him. By credit squeezing, MTV2 cut out the ENTIRE tag scene that showed the audience filing out - and a lone remaining audience member who has dialogue in the way end. Worst edit there is. So it seems that both MTV2 and BET use the syndicated 20-minute cut versions of Martin. From what I saw on my electronic program guide, BET has super long commercial breaks because episodes run for around 35 minutes (do the math). Another interesting aside: I am aware that some episodes of Martin (including the one I watched) have musical performances. I saw a clip on YouTube of The Notorious B.I.G.'s performance of "One More Chance" on the show. And in the "Variety Show" episode, Tichina Arnold sings gospel songs, namely "Hold Up the Light" and "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow", and another character sings a Whitney Houston song. As viewers realized when WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-82) was first released to DVD, music licensing costs became far greater for DVD than when originally arranged for broadcast only. Because TV on DVD didn't exist back then, it should be safe to say that music on that show was licensed only for TV when Martin was originally broadcast. Another factor in the DVD's keeping the original music: HBO distributing them. As the parent company of a premium cable network, HBO probably has a higher profit margin that allowed it to subsidize the music licensing.