Baby, If You’ve Ever Wondered…

Some people wish for world peace. Some wish for unimaginable wealth. Still others wish for group sex with Tina Fey and Thora Birch. My dreams are much simpler. I wish for a box set of all episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD.

Unfortunately, due to the licensing costs of all the music the show contained, that celebrity three-way seems more likely. There are a few episodes available in shitty VHS versions, but they’ve replaced most of the original music with generic crap. Of course, actors were often talking over the music, so they’ve redubbed those lines with impersonators. And in cases where the dialogue referred to the music that was playing, they’ve changed the lines. That’s a god-damned travesty.

But there may be a glimmer of hope. Supposedly, Shout Factory is considering spending the money to license the music and release good DVD versions of the show. They’ve done it before with SCTV and Freaks and Geeks. You can email them encouragement at info@shoutfactory.com. I already have, of course. You can also put in your two cents at http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/.

On the down side, the music licensing will drive the DVD prices way up, but I think it would be worth it. If nothing else, the original versions as aired in the 70’s need to be preserved before one of the funniest television shows of all time is lost forever.