Why are the DVDs of season 1 of The Muppet Show cut when seasons 2 & 3 aren't?

[panmanthe2nd]

Hi

Sorry if this question has been asked 100s of times before, but...

How come the DVD boxset of season 1 of The Muppet Show is edited, when season 2 and 3 aren't?

I hope Disney is going to release an unedited version soon.*

Maybe their idea is to release season 4 (hopefully soon!) and season 5, and then release a complete unedited boxset of all the seasons so that big fans will want to buy it (even though they already have all the seasons separately)

 

[Gelfling Girl]

Probably due to copyright renewal issues? Sorry if I'm wrong about that.

 

[minor muppetz]

Maybe their idea is to release season 4 (hopefully soon!) and season 5, and then release a complete unedited boxset of all the seasons so that big fans will want to buy it (even though they already have all the seasons separately)

If that was the plan than wouldn't Disney have edited some episodes from the other seasons as well? Besides, I don't think "complete series sets" were very common at the time seaosn one was released on DVD. Disney probably wasn't thinking about releasing a complete series set after all the seasons were out at the time (if Disney is even considering such a release).

 

[Drtooth]

The cuts were all due to musical clearance rights, the toughest things to negotiate in the world. It's tough to begin with to deal with getting music in the first place. But after years and years, when some song rights change hands, they get more expensive, and a lot of the rights holders are unwilling to negotiate the songs no matter what the cost.

The second and third seasons were released well after the first season. After complaints about the cuts, Disney worked day in and day out to secure rights to make sure they never had to cut any sketches again. Which explains in part the 2 year wait for Season 2.

A first season uncut re-release would have to be renegotiated.

 

[rexcrk]

Fortunately it was only - what?- five songs that were cut? That's not SO bad I guess. But the strange thing is that one of the ones that were cut (in the Vincent Price episode I believe) was available on the single-disc version, but not the season set.

But at least Disney didn't patronize us by calling it "The Muppet Show Complete First Season" (like the SpongeBob DVDs.... editing episodes is NOT a complete season )

 

[panmanthe2nd]

I hope Disney does renegotiate the musical rights and release an unedited version of season one soon.

 

[Muppet Master]

Some of the stuff that was cut from season 1 actually did the episode good, like the tedious Charles Aznavour one which was better without the number with him and Mildred, at least the better seasons which are the other two were uncut, and the muppet morsels make up for the cuts on the set as well as sax and violence, the pitch reel, and the old commercials.