MovieChat Forums > Northern Exposure (1990) Discussion > Can anyone explain why this isnt on??? ...

Can anyone explain why this isnt on??? Some channel ---

posted 12 years ago by hansenmv2002
7 replies | jump to latest

TBS, TNT, TV Channel, etc? Seems curious someone owns the rights to this and they'd prefer it sit on the shelf?

Robert Mitchum: How do I keep fit? I lay down a lot.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] darryl-tahirali 10 years ago

Can anyone explain why this isnt on??? Some channel --- - hansenmv2002

A&E had it for a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That's how I discovered it.

Nostalgia goes in cycles, it seems. When '90s series come back in vogue, NX will return somewhere. I only hope that when it comes back, the episodes aired are the original broadcast ones with the original music, although I suspect that the music licensing may have lapsed.

------------------
"Music begins where words leave off." - Village wisdom

[–] hansenmv2002 10 years ago

I'd asked that question a long time ago - since found the "answer" - it's VERY VERY complicated - exclusively about music rights - and partly owing to the eclectic nature of the music they chose itself.

http://www.moosechick.com/DVD_music.html

hmm - this does only apply to DVDs --- guess it doesnt address re-broadcast which would in theory have been covered by original contracts (???like im an entertainment lawyer).

Bruce Campbell:[When asked what he would want with him if stuck on a deserted island] A continent.

[–] darryl-tahirali 10 years ago

hmm - this does only apply to DVDs --- guess it doesnt address re-broadcast which would in theory have been covered by original contracts (???like im an entertainment lawyer). - hansenmv2002

When A&E aired NX in syndication in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it aired the original broadcast episodes with the complete set of music. Like you, I don't know about what broadcast rights are available for syndication; they were intact for A&E's run, anyway. This may be similar to what has happened with WKRP in Cincinnati, which also ran into issues with music licensing, and in recent re-airings of the show seems to be missing songs used originally.

I have a complete set of VHS tapes from the A&E run on NX, since dubbed onto DVD, as well as the complete set of the commercially available DVDs. The "store-bought" ones have the great picture and the extras; the dubbed DVDs can't get any better than VHS quality, some of the early episodes in particular have significant bits edited out for time, and they all have all the commercials. (Boy, Sela Ward looked hot in those Sprint commercials!) But I'd rather watch those old, grainy, edited, and ad-laden episodes than the clean new ones simply because of the music. With the commercial DVDs, I notice the absence of the music more in the last two seasons because the stories were generally not as strong, and I can hear how a good musical selection can help paper over the deficiencies--or more properly, how much its absence is keenly felt.

------------------
"Music begins where words leave off." - Village wisdom

[–] ciocio-2 10 years ago

I just watched the DVDs of Season 1 (at least I think it was the complete season, but maybe not--it was just two discs, with, I think, eight episodes total. That seemed short to me, but maybe the series started in the middle of a season? <--That is, back when TV seasons were more uniform than they are now.

Anyway, I was so glad to find they had this in our library system, and was really enjoying it. I know at least some of the music was what was originally on the show, as much of it is on the first music CD from the series, which I have. I hate it when legal and rights/royalties issues necessitate movies or TV shows to change music that was really integral to the piece, or sometimes keeps a property from being released in certain areas, or certain formats, at all.

Multiplex: 100+ shows a day, NONE worth watching. John Sayles' latest: NO distribution. SAD.

[–] darryl-tahirali 10 years ago

it was just two discs, with, I think, eight episodes total. That seemed short to me, but maybe the series started in the middle of a season? <--That is, back when TV seasons were more uniform than they are now. - ciocio-2

For its first two "seasons," Northern Exposure was a summer-replacement series for two summers before it was picked up as a full-time series.

By the way, I appreciate the shout-out for John Sayles.

------------------
"Music begins where words leave off." - Village wisdom