How many TV shows are worth owning?

[trancejeremy]

Shows that are currently being aired are probably not worth buying, especially if you have a Tivo which can save them.

OTOH, a lot of the shows I have on DVD are ones that are no longer being shown on TV:

Emergency! (Sadly, they seemingly stopped after 2 out of 8 seasons), Sledge Hammer!, Perry Mason (Only 1/2 a season so far), War of the Worlds, Kolchak (sometimes gets aired on the Sci-Fi channel, but irregularly), Time Tunnel, UFO, Airwolf

 

[Tuzenbach]

50) And I left Columbo for last because.......?

 

[stevelabny]

Worth owning:

Firefly
Buffy
Angel
Twin Peaks (if only theyd ever release it)
Avatar: the Last Airbender
Gargoyles (if only theyd stop being $$%$34@ and release the final set)
Justice League / Justice League Unlimited

possibles:

Family Guy
South Park
Freakazoid
Tick
Animaniacs
Pinky & the Brain
GI Joe
Transformers
X-Men
Spider-man
Batman TAS

 

[Hypersmurf]

50) And I left Columbo for last because.......?

"Oh, there was just one more thing, sir..."

-Hyp.

 

[Tuzenbach]

"Oh, there was just one more thing, sir..."

-Hyp.

LOL! That's perfect!!!

 

[Mark CMG]

How many TV shows are worth owning?

3

Spoiler

According to the wise old owl . . .

 

[Wombat]

I own the first season of <i>The West Wing</i> and <i>Twin Peaks</i> as well as the complete runs of <i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i> and <i>The Tick</i> (live action -- I will be picking up the animated series soon).

I wouldn't mind owning <i>Northern Exposure</i> and maybe two more seasons of <i>The West Wing</i>.

 

[delericho]

Hard to answer.

I've found that a lot of modern shows, most notably 24, Lost and the new Battlestar Galactica, work far better on DVD than on TV, because of the strong continuity. Watching several episodes at a time seems to make the whole thing fit better, leads to me forgetting fewer key details between episodes, and removes the frustration of having to wait a week to find out what happens next. Additionally, it allows me to block my time as I wish, rather than having to assign the same timeslot every week to TV watching (less of an issue since I got Sky+, and can now record shows).

On the other hand, most shows don't really warrant a second (or third) viewing, which removes a lot of the value of DVD. I think my ideal solution is something like TV on demand, where I could download a whole season at a time, and view it at my leisure, paying on a per-viewing basis.

In reality, I have lots of TV on DVD, ranging from Buffy and Babylon 5 to the original Transformers series. I guess the answer (for me) is probably 'about 20'.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

For myself, I'd say 10 is the absolute max. But that's due a bit more to budget constraints and the simple fact that I don't care for 95% of what's on the idiot box these days. That and as I found when watching re-runs of a lot of the shows I remembered loving from my younger days, I found that a lot of them didn't hold up well over the years. I'd rather have the nostalgia and $50 over a DVD set I might not even watch all the way through once.

That said, there are a few series that I'd like to pick-up as DVD box sets in no particular order:

1) Avatar: Last Airbender - not the couple episodes per disc nonsense, but full box-sets.
2) Smallville - one of the few shows I've routinely enjoyed, have all the released sets to date and will buy Season 5 when it becomes available.
3) MythBusters - I know they've started putting out box sets, I just need to start buying them.
4) Justice League/JL Unlimited - What more need I say?
5) Batman Beyond - one of the few shows I watched in the past that still holds up for me.
6) Samurai Jack - I loved this show, curse Cartoon Network for burying it.

 

[sniffles]

I voted 10 - 20, based on rewatchability. I find that even of shows I really love, only about that much of it is worth repeat viewing. I'm actually beginning to dislike the trend of selling boxed season sets - it makes it too difficult for me to get the individual favorite episodes I want.