MovieChat Forums > Hawaii Five-O (1968) Discussion > The Complete Series [sic] Release coming...

The Complete Series [sic] Release coming on DVD

posted 11 years ago by mister-mike
24 replies | jump to latest

Today's big news: The Complete Series release of Five-O on DVD.

http://bit.ly/13Ey4Vi

This "complete" box set is supposedly 73 DVDs. The original "complete set" made up of all the individual box sets of 12 seasons was 72 discs.

There is no mention whether they are including the Emme documentary from the first season box set. I'm sure the pilot ("Cocoon") is included, but the reason the Emme show was there was to fill out the 7 discs making up the first season. Without the pilot, there are 23 episodes, of which one -- Once Upon a Time -- is a 2-hour show, a total of 24 hours. The pilot is 1-1/2 hours, making 25-1/2, plus the Emme show. (The first season originally ended with a rebroadcast of the pilot episode broken up into two parts.)

If "Bored She Hung Herself" is included, which I doubt, that will cause problems, because there will then be 25 hours of material for the second season, and CBS has not put more than 4 episodes on a single disc for Five-O so far. No matter which way they deal with this, it will require redoing all the discs in the season from Bored on (it is 10 from the end). It might require an extra disc, which would involve spreading out the episodes towards towards the end of the season with an arrangement like 3/4/3, or filling out these discs with extra material.

But if they do this, and they keep all the material from season one, they are already up to 73 discs!

The "bonus features" announced are as follows:

- Hawaii Now: Hawaii Five-O (archival behind the scenes documentary) - this was a PBS production, 30 min. long, features Leonard Freeman and others
- Hawaii Five-O Syndication Sales Reel - no idea what this is, I bet it's on YouTube somewhere, I doubt it is very long
- Jack Lord on The Mike Douglas Show (1/1969) - if they are featuring the entire show, it's about 90 minutes long
- "In the Winners' Circle" 1968 CBS fall preview show - as per syndication reel above

All of the above could fit on a single disc. There is other stuff that they could include like M Station Hawaii and the pilot for the 1997 remake of Five-O starring Gary Busey (a.k.a. "The Buddy Haole Story").

This release has only been in the news for a single day, and there are already three VERY negative reviews at Amazon.

I'll see if I can find out more information about this new release.

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

- Hawaii Five-O Syndication Sales Reel - no idea what this is, I bet it's on YouTube somewhere, I doubt it is very long - mister-mike

Right on both counts. It is on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGvq0deOqUc) and it's less than eight minutes long.

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

Well, here is a quick answer regarding whether or not Bored She Hung Herself will be included, from the TV Shows on DVD WWW site:

UPDATE (8/7): Sources at the studio have informed us that the missing-from-The 2nd Season episode, "Bored, She Hung Herself ," will NOT be found on The Complete Series set. At this time we assume that the on-disc content of all episodes for The Complete Series DVDs will be the exact same versions as in the individual season sets; if we find out otherwise in any other way (for instance, regarding the remastering of the tenth season), then we will let everybody know.

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

UPDATE (8/7): Sources at the studio have informed us that the missing-from-The 2nd Season episode, "Bored, She Hung Herself ," will NOT be found on The Complete Series set. At this time we assume that the on-disc content of all episodes for The Complete Series DVDs will be the exact same versions as in the individual season sets; if we find out otherwise in any other way (for instance, regarding the remastering of the tenth season), then we will let everybody know. - mister-mike

I'm not surprised that "Bored" will continue to be banned from release.

Since I already purchased the individual sets for Seasons 1-9, I don't plan on buying the "complete" series set. But for those who do plan to buy it, it would be nice if CBS/Paramount would replace the original Season 10 discs with new discs containing the belatedly remastered episodes.

[–] rod_burley204 11 years ago

Although the box set does look great, as displayed at the tvshowsondvd.com, website. I'm disappointed that it's not a Blu Ray release, but rehashing the already released DVD's. For those, like me that have already bought the separate sets, it's almost a slap in the face that these extras were not already included in the previous sets. I can bet you that this is not the end of the releases and HD releases will be in the near future.

It's still a pricey investment of $245, on preorder at Amazon. As much as I love the show, I'm hoping CBS will see fit to release it on Blu Ray. These episodes have already been remastered in HD and currently available on Netflix USA and iTunes.

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

One of my regular correspondents tells me that the episodes available for streaming from Vudu (only seasons 1-9 at the moment) are truly in 1080p. The ones from other companies like Netflix, Amazon, Itunes, etc. are not. You can also download episodes from Vudu to watch later. These are in 480p, but if you watch them through Vudu's own software, it upscales them to 1080p equivalent.

I really don't understand who this new box set is aimed at. One of the people posting in the "review" section at Amazon for the set (the only review which is positive) says he was waiting for the DVD releases to be finished so he could grab such a set, which he figured would have extra material, but who else will buy it? I sure won't, having expended a lot of $$ on the individual seasons, and I'm sure that's the same boat most other fans of the show are in.

It would make more sense if CBS Home Entertainment would also release the bonus material as a separate package for the people who already bought the 12 box sets. However, as I have previously mentioned, there is actually a lot more material which could be included, making up a 2-DVD set of "bonus material" (for example, the 1997 pilot, M Station Hawaii, Glen Campbell special with Jack Lord [a CBS show]), etc.). That would be a laugh if they did that, making more bonus material available than there is in the new 73-DVD edition, which would require the people who bought >that< to buy yet ANOTHER release with the extra bonus material!

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

It would make more sense if CBS Home Entertainment would also release the bonus material as a separate package for the people who already bought the 12 box sets. - mister-mike

Don't hold your breath. CBS/Paramount pulled the same stunt with The Wild Wild West. After releasing all four seasons individually, they then released a complete series box set containing the two reunion movies as bonus features. The movies have never been released separately. CBS must think exclusive bonus features provide incentive for buyers to double-dip.

[–] Cessquill 11 years ago

Although in the minority, I'm one of the people who's a fan of the show but haven't purchased any of the box sets yet. I'm in the UK, and was holding out to see whether they'd all get a R2 release (they haven't, I don't think, but I could mount up a lot of customs charges buying box sets from the US).

However, this does look interesting. Whilst I appreciate their reasons for omitting the episode, it always strikes me as odd when it's sold as "Complete".

Thanks for the head's up.

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

Update from TV Shows on DVD site:

First, the bad news: Hawaii Five-O The Complete Series has been pushed back until December 3 from the original date of November 5.

The reason for the delay is the good news; they're redoing the tenth season of the show. Fans will recall the tenth season was the only one out of the twelve seasons that wasn't remastered, and fans complained quite loudly. New transfers were done after the tenth season was released on DVD, with episodes appearing on Netflix and other download/streaming services. It sounds as though CBS will use those masters in the complete series set, which will please fans buying the new set (those new transfers will only be available in the complete series).

As for "Bored, She Hung Herself," the second season episode that hasn't been seen since the original airing... it's still not planned for the complete series set.

Taken from: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hawaii-Five-O-complete-series-delay/18830#ixzz2bmd2fWNG

[–] ringfire211 11 years ago

I still can't comprehend those miserable grouches who can't get over the exclusion of "Bored, She Hung" herself. GET OVER IT ALREADY, I say!!!

As far as I'm concerned the episode doesn't exist. I have never seen it in reruns and if we didn't have the Internet we wouldn't even know it ever existed. So what the heck is the big deal? Plus it's a crappy episode to boot.

The way folks gripe about it you'd think it was the Vashon trilogy or Hookman that was excluded. The season 2 reviews on Amazon are overflowing with negative reviews just because of that one miserable episode. How the heck do you give the full season a 1 star or ZERO STARS because of this one crappy (and nonexistent) episode?

Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes!

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

Ringfire, I agree with your comments on Bored. If people REALLY, REALLY want to see this show, they will find a way to get a copy of it. Copies are around.

It is true that what is depicted in the show is relatively inoffensive compared to stuff on TV these days, but presumably someone made a LEGAL commitment not to show this episode again. (I was told by an executive of CBS Home Entertainment that he wanted to get it on the DVDs, but was told by the LEGAL department that this was not allowed ... he did not elaborate.) So if it was put on the DVDs, CBS would likely be facing LEGAL consequences, such as a big fat lawsuit from the relatives of the person who supposedly killed themselves, inspired by this episode.

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

The reason for the delay is the good news; they're redoing the tenth season of the show. - mister-mike

That is good news.

Those new transfers will only be available in the complete series. - mister-mike

That stinks. I feel sorry for the people who paid full price for the unremastered Season 10, and will never be able to get the remastered discs without rebuying the entire series. Lucky for me I stopped after Season 9.

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

The logic of releasing this expensive box set totally escapes me, except for those people who have only bought a few of the earlier season releases or none at all (those have bought them might be able to dump their box sets at a local used DVD store, for example).

After all, there was already a "complete set" made up of the individual seasons releases.

Does CBS seriously think that people will shell out $250-$350 to replace what they already have? Is the show >that< popular?

The items not available previously (remastered season 10, bonus disc) will just make people resort to torrents and other illegal sources to get them. So who wins in this case? Dumb!

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] vrinda81 11 years ago

Has any TV show seen increased sales of their DVDs when every season is put out in a box set like this? The Wild Wild West is available as individual seasons and as a box set, but I don't know if it's selling higher than before or not.

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

Has any TV show seen increased sales of their DVDs when every season is put out in a box set like this? The Wild Wild West is available as individual seasons and as a box set, but I don't know if it's selling higher than before or not. - vrinda81

Apparently The Wild Wild West box set is selling well enough that CBS/Paramount is using the same tactics with the Hawaii Five-O box set. In the case of TWWW, CBS included the two made for TV reunion movies as a bonus disc which, to this day, is not being sold separately. With Five-O, they are relying on the remastered Season 10 and new bonus features (not sold separately) to entice would-be buyers to double-dip. I'm not going to bite, but apparently others will.

[–] mister-mike 11 years ago

I don't get it. I was in Costco today, they had a bunch of box sets of TV shows. Among them were Married with Children (11 seasons, 32 discs) and Charlie's Angels (5 seasons, 27 discs -- this is a 1-hour show). These box sets were being sold for >$18.79< each! Yet this new box set of Five-O (12 seasons, 73 discs) is selling for $349.99 list at Amazon, now down to $244.49 for pre-order (it was previously much higher). Granted, the Five-O box set comes in a very fancy package and has remastered season 10 and a "bonus" disc, whereas these Costco DVDs (which also included Sanford & Son and Soap) come in a really boring box by comparison. Why can't the new Five-O set be sold in two or three separate boxes for similarly low prices?

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The Hawaii Five-O Home Page: http://www.mjq.net/fiveo

[–] alpha128 11 years ago

I was in Costco today, they had a bunch of box sets of TV shows being sold for >$18.79< each! Yet this new box set of Five-O (12 seasons, 73 discs) is selling for $349.99 list at Amazon, now down to $244.49 for pre-order (it was previously much higher). Granted, the Five-O box set comes in a very fancy package and has remastered season 10 and a "bonus" disc, whereas these Costco DVDs (which also included Sanford & Son and Soap) come in a really boring box by comparison. - mister-mike

Boring packaging might be better actually. There were complaints about the packaging for The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series box set. The most helpful review on Amazon.com is entitled "Four stars for all four seasons, 2 stars for the packaging". That review goes on to say "the discs could be pretty easily scratched in this cheap packaging." The new Five-O packaging looks pretty similar to me.

Why can't the new Five-O set be sold in two or three separate boxes for similarly low prices? - mister-mike

Never underestimate the power of human greed.

[–] Kanamit99 11 years ago

To those who complain about the release of a complete set of TV shows: They all do it! The entire entertainment industry does it.

You name it, practically every successful TV show from the past has been released as a complete box set. From classics like I love Lucy to modern classics like the Soprano has come out with box sets.

The hard core viewer will collect every singe single season as they come out but there are a lot of casual viewers out there and the companies want to capture them as well.

The companies keep re-packaging the same thing and the public seems to buy it. How many versions of Twilight Zone have been released? I lost count. Twilight Zone is now on blu-ray; maybe they will release it on 4K in the future.

As a complete set, they are always cheaper than buying them separately For example, you could sometimes get the complete set of I Dream of Jeannie for $60. When they first came out they were $50 each season.

So my advice is to wait for the complete tv sets (no matter what series) to come out, you will save a lot of money in the long run.

[–] stimpy25 11 years ago

oh i know that, the only thing i think is just plain stupid is them NOT adding the bored while hanging? or whatever the hell the name of the episode is called? i get why it wasn't shown on tv cause someone killed themself but that was 43 years ago! if they choose not to air it on tv ok i can live with that. but NOT to add it to the 2nd season is just plain stupid. when the buffy episode Earshot from Season 3 and also that seasons's finale was delayed it was cause someone had killed themself. and than the school shootings. but they were just shown at a later date and are on the dvd sets in the right order. so they should put it on the dvd and the complete set for H.five-O

fans won't be pissed about it they will be thrilled to finally have it remastered. i have a copy of it i downloaded a couple years back. and honestly it's not even that great of an episode either. and i don't get how anyone would even get the idea after i watched it a couple years back. but maybe that's just me?

[–] epwise 10 years ago

"Without the pilot, there are 23 episodes, of which one -- Once Upon a Time -- is a 2-hour show, a total of 24 hours. The pilot is 1-1/2 hours, making 25-1/2, plus the Emme show. (The first season originally ended with a rebroadcast of the pilot episode broken up into two parts.)"

Uh, no. There are 23 episodes of the first season PLUS the pilot movie. The DVD packaging got that wrong. Don't understand how "Once Upon a Time" being a 2-parter magically makes the total 24 episodes. Two of the 23 episodes of the first season are OUaT Part 1 and OUaT Part 2: Still 23 episodes.

The pilot is 2 hours long if you call the regular episodes one hour long. You can't call the regular episodes one hour long then say the pilot is 1-1/2 hours.

And anyone who claims to be such a big fan of the series (and anyone else for that matter) should know the series title is Hawaii Five-0 (with a zero) and NEVER Hawaii Five-O (with a letter). Both series. This is a FACT.

[–] mister-mike 10 years ago

What proof do you have that the original show was Five-Zero other than your assertion of this here (and elsewhere, if I am not mistaken) that (words to the effect) "it must be so" and "only this makes sense"? Do you have a copy of a memo from CBS or Leonard Freeman productions to this effect?

I have offered evidence that the soundtrack album, released around the time of the original show's first season, distinguishes between Oh and Zero, and the show's name is clearly Five-Oh (http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/pix/albumtext.jpg). Jump forward 40 plus years to the release of the show on DVD. What do we see in the description on the back of the DVDs? A clear distinction between Oh and Zero (see http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/images/oh-zero.jpg). There is also a clear distinction between the two in the liner notes to the Columbia House VHS tapes.

If CBS doesn't know how to market their own product, there is really not a lot that I can do about this.

Regarding the number of shows in the first season, I will give you that. There are indeed 23 shows designed to fill a one-hour slot, plus the pilot which fills a two-hour slot. (The pilot is actually 1:37:24 in length on the DVDs, the episodes are typically around 51 minutes each.)

As far as your claim that the pilot episode should be considered the first episode of the show specifically or a TV series in general, this is debatable. There are different ways of looking at a pilot, as can be seen in the Wikipedia article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_pilot (not that I consider Wikipedia to be the be-all and end-all for accurate information on any subject). The pilot of “Hawaii Five-O“ was shown at the Royal Theater in Honolulu on February 19th, 1968 as a feature film to present it to CBS executives, who chose to pick it up as a series which debuted months later. The pilot was shown on September 20, 1968 before the first season began.

The pilot was later broken up into two parts which were shown at the end of the first season and appears as such in a listing of shows which I have from Viacom used as a marketing tool aimed at TV stations. Adding to the confusion, some of the later two-part shows were combined into one which were syndicated and shown on channels like TBS.

[–] PenguinCat 9 years ago

And anyone who claims to be such a big fan of the series (and anyone else for that matter) should know the series title is Hawaii Five-0 (with a zero) and NEVER Hawaii Five-O (with a letter). Both series. This is a FACT.

You need to relax. It's just a TV show; you are supposed to be entertained by it not grouchy. Any true fan would not be so intolerable.

[–] Cessquill 10 years ago

Has anybody here purchased this? On Amazon there are reports that Season 4 Disc 3 suffered an authoring/manufacturing problem and can't be read.

I didn't know whether this was a problem that has since been sorted or is still an issue.

Some have also commented on the quality of the packaging, and its affect on the discs (scratching & glue). A bit wary about this, but if it's the only way to get the remastered versions...

[–] Cessquill 10 years ago

Just as I was about to buy this on Amazon US, they temporarily pulled it. Their resellers will still sell it, but they have put up a note citing "Item Under Review".

See http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EC9UHVM for information.

Does anybody know what this reason might be? The suspected authoring errors on a disc? Or something as innocent as the way Amazon are shipping it. It's a shame as their their price was quite a bit lower.

[–] haarfage 9 years ago

Hey, I already bought all twelve seasons on separate season sets, and found the missing episode "Bored, She Hung Herself" through another source - I've got all I need; which is the episodes themselves. The episodes are what I remember, not the bonus material. So, I'm content with what I've already got and will not be considering the "Complete Series" 12-season set.

HaarFager/Kenny