Reasons Why 'Molly' isn't on DVD

I figured I'd compile some reasons why "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" hasn't yet turned up on DVD. It's really an open discussion, so feel free to chime in with other ideas or to shoot down these.

1. Music royalties.

It seems that because Blair Brown sang on a fairly frequent basis, there is an issue in settling up with ASCAP/BMI for the rights to use any and all songs in the program.

Of course this was and continues to be a huge issue with "WKRP in Cincinnati," which used the actual tracks from artists of the late 1970s and early 1980s as a part of the show's motif, and it also, similarly, delayed the DVD release of MTV's cartoon series "Daria."

I don't recall "Molly" using any actual recordings (I could be very wrong about that, though!), so I imagine the issue is slightly less dire as far as getting the rights to do it as it was for "WKRP" that was forced to record brand new soundtracks for its DVD release. But there would be a process of finding out who holds the rights and making sure all songs performed were covered, which might be a lot of legwork (that wouldn't get done until a DVD release was imminent). So, unlike "WKRP" and "Daria," this issue probably isn't the biggest roadblock.

2. NBC/Lifetime split?

I haven't heard anyone specifically say anything about this, but I wonder if the fact that the program aired first on the Peacock, then moved to basic cable may be a factor in the delay of the full series release. Though You And Me Kid Productions was the company behind the series for all episodes, I wonder. Although this wasn't an problem for Taxi, that began on ABC its first season, moved to NBC for the rest of its run and had the full series DVD released on CBS Video (since it was a Paramount production).

But to put it in another way, the split of the series means that there's no big studio to back it... where Taxi (a bona fide hit in its day) had Paramount behind it, What's "Molly" got? It would be difficult for Jay Tarses to just release a DVD set on his own! It takes a lot to put it out there... and I'm sure both he and we would want all the extra stuff that would come with a DVD release, like interviews, reunions, cover art/photos etc. and that would be another major expense in creating the set. Maybe if the show remained on NBC for its run, this would be less of a factor, but I have to think there's a cost factor that is prohibitive.

3. Still not enough demand.

Obviously, shows that will sell well are the ones that get released. And the truth is, "Molly" was never a hit. If it were, NBC probably would have kept it, and it probably would have gotten that DVD series release, years ago! But that's related to...

4. What WAS this show, anyway?

I think some people in other threads have hit on the issue about the series: There were episodes that were riotously laugh out loud funny, others where it was surreal, bordering on absurd, and still others that were serious, tragic, even crushing. Fans of this show know exactly what I'm talking about. But the issue is that if you were a casual viewer of this show, back in the late 1980s and one week everything is typical sitcom style issues, but then the next there's a horrible tragedy, it's not necessarily what you expect, and you'll tune out.

Yes, yes, that element is what we (the fans of "Molly") loved as a part of the components that made the series what it was, possibly the most unique half-hour on television. But it's not something people (read: the average viewers) were prepared to see. And those that never saw this series really don't get what the big deal is, and that group is getting larger and larger with every passing year. Meaning, fewer and fewer people care, which means less and less potential sales for the DVD.

There is one saving grace: going to the Paley Center in either New York or Los Angeles, going to their library and viewing the episodes there. I fear it may be the only way to ever see them again, at this point.