Tuesday, December 12, 2006

"Not As Seen on TV"


Often times I read the DVD reviews online of movies or tv series that I enjoy. A few weeks ago the first season of How I Met Your Mother was released. My first point is that I hate people comparing this show to Friends, to me it is a lot more like Undeclared (wish HIMYM would ditch the laugh track but I don't think CBS would let them) type of humor.

Anyway, much to my let down apperently they could not get the rights to a lot of the music used in the 1st season. Not to much of a big deal you might think,but the music is really a big part of the show, and carefully picked out by the writers. Heck the creators of the show are in a band. The show usually uses underated bands, cool covers, or bands that haven't made it big yet. They also use other bands not usually played on the radio like Supergrass.

Anyway, what this means is on the DVDs a lot of the songs from what I read were removed and replaced with generic music cues, because they could not retain the rights to the songs. Now this isn't anything new. In fact it's totally prevented some shows from ever reaching DVD, like the Wonder Years, full of popular rock music. So, I guess I should be happy about it getting to DVD at all.

What, I don't get is how some shows don't have this problem. Scrubs pumps the show full of popular music and has wall to wall emo type music that has a following. Yet, they never ran into this problem. Does it just depend on how much the people releasing the set want to shell out? I mean I am sure The Wonder Years has to be tough with the Rolling Stones songs in it all the time. But one of the songs HIMYM had to cut was a Nada Surf song that fit into the epsiode perfectly. I mean who would have though Nada Surf would give up such a fight or charge so much to hear about 30 seconds of their song to be heard?

If I ever get season one on DVD, I would like to try to introduce the show to some of my friends who dont watch. Which is pretty much anyone. I swear I am one of three people (my friend Rob (not arter) and my mother) that watch this show. Now, if I do introduce this show to anyone I will be doing so with part of the show's heart removed.

Anyone else been frustrated by their TV shows being edited or cockblocked from release? I am sure there are more out there. Also, can someone explain to my how when CBS re-ran the episode "The Slutty Pumpkin" from Season 1 for this past Halloween why they can still air it with the Nada Surf song, but the DVD set can't have it? Stupid laws..

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey. Great review! I love this show as well (as you know from my site) but had not noticed the music was removed!

I love the music from HIMYM and bought almost all of them from season 2 through iTunes. Too bad they aren't in the DVD.

Thanks again for the review.

keith said...

hopefully, its not as bad as I am thinking. I know not all of the songs were cut. But I know Nada Surf and what ever song that was used in the first show were cut. You would think Nada Surf would be thankful to have a song people would actually get to hear.

I never got into the the itunes thing, hopefully they release a soundtrack one day. Maybe if season 1 sells well they will be able to spend money for music for season 2.

Anonymous said...

I'm really surprised that HIMYM is having this problem. I mean, it's only in its second season now. The is a DVD era show. They should have negotiated the DVD rights for the songs at the same time. That's what Doctor Who did.

Back in 1988, there was an episode set in 1963 that used a few Beatles songs. Those songs were replaced with generic cover versions of the same songs for the DVD release a few years ago (and, come to think of it, for the VHS release several years before that). But for the music the new series has used, which features music by Britney Spears, Soft Cell, ELO, and Ian Dury and the Blockheads, they worked it all out at the same time.

These days, everyone knows that a DVD set is coming. Even failed shows that don't get picked up for a full season get released on DVD. So if you want to put music in your show, you need to tie up the DVD rights at the same time.

I don't know who is in charge of this stuff at HIMYM, or any of the specifics of how it works, but in this day and age, replacing music is unacceptable. If a song couldn't make it onto the DVD, it shouldn't have been used in the show in the first place. That's just sloppy.

keith said...

Yeah, Drew I guess someone dropped the ball. I really don't know how it works either. Eh, the Pilot I guess I can understand, but The Slutty Pumpkin was the one with the Nada Surf song. That was a few shows into the season.

I don't maybe if the seasons continue to roll out on DVD they will wise up. Maybe even make it up to the fans and offer "restored verisions" from season 1 on bonus discs. But I doubt that.

Looks like HIMYM got snubbed by the golden globes. I thought Desperate Housewives was a drama! How many shows of Ugly Betty actually aired? 8?!? Please!

No nominations for NPH? I guess this show will continue to be the little tiny sad Christmas Tree from The CHarlie Brown CHristmas special.

keith said...

Here are a list of songs according to a poster on IMDB, that were cut. He has seen the DVDS. It's even worse than I though. Not even Supergrass was safe! Death Cab for Cutie got whacked and so did the Vibe Pipe, which was perfect, because it was flashback to the 90's!

Episode 1: Cigarettes and Coffee by Otis Redding
Episode 6: Inside of Love by Nada Surf
Episode 7: Parallel or Together by Ted Leo/Pharmacists
Episode 8: Tubthumping by Chumbawumba
Episode 9: Mr. Roboto by Styx
Episode 10: "Voices" cover by Jon Brion (ending)
Episode 11: "Major Leagues" by Pavement- MAYBE
Episode 12: Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie
Episode 13: You Don't Know Me by Michael Buble
Spit on a Stranger by Pavement
Episode 15: Off the Record by My Morning Jacket
Episode 18: Alright by Supergrass
Quiet by Rachel Yamagata
Episode 20: The Freshmen by Verve Pipe

Brian said...

I'm not a fan of the music cuts, and watching the DVDs, they do stick out. But, to be fair, its not as bad as it could of been. I think even in the DVD era, a lot of producers look at this as a good problem to have. They are more concerned with getting a show delivered and in their budget. I suspect (hope) that HIMYM will be like Scrubs where the first season's DVD set has a lot of cuts, but they are able to tie up the rights for future seasons. HIMYM wasn't the only show to get this treatment recently, after all. My Name is Earl got a similiar raw deal in its DVD release. I doubt a corrected release will ever happen, but you never know. Maybe a "Complete Series" box set when all is said and done.

keith said...

Yeah I really hope that season 2, doesnt have this problem. That only season runs into this. I am sure the creators of the show who have their own band, were pretty upset about it.

Anonymous said...

inside of love is a great song.. but do you know the song that replaced it on the slutty pumpkin episode in the dvd version? it's also a cool song.. anyone? thanks!