Anxiously awaiting Growing Pains DVD with Kirk Cameron commentary

Moonlighting B.B. (Before Booger)
Originally uploaded by jerebo.

Lions Gate has just released the first two seasons of Moonlighting on DVD, and let me tell you I am quite tempted to buy it even though I promised myself that I would not buy anymore DVDs after my shopping spree at the 20th Century Fox Studio Store -- how can I resist Simpsons and Family Guy box sets for half-price? Moonlighting was a comeback of sorts for Cybill Shepherd and introduced the world to a then fully-coiffed Bruce Willis. The show had fantastic writing and a snappy Al Jarreau song -- what more could one possibly want?

Moonlighting is just the latest TV show from my childhood to be released on DVD. Just one glance at the DVD/TV section on Amazon.com will remind you of an issue of TV Guide circa 1984. It's a Gen Xer's wet dream.

Besides these blasts from the past, recent shows have also proven popular in the DVD market. It seems that every new show has its entire season released on DVD right after its season wraps -- though HBO is still a season behind with Six Feet Under.

This posits an interesting question. (Yes, I just said posits.)

Who is the audience for these DVD box sets of recent shows?

Now as a pop culture consumer and wanna-be TV writer I am ashamed that I've never watched Lost and seen only a couple episodes of Desperate Housewives. I would love to watch these shows so I can become part of the cultural zeitgeist. It makes sense for me to get these boxed sets, right?

Well...

If people such as myself never got around to watching these hour-long shows during their first run what makes the powers-that-be think we'll find the time to watch 22 hours now? I average about 1 or 2 movies per weekend, and after sitting through 20 minutes of commercials and trailers, then attempting to drown out the sounds of idioitic chattering movie-goers, the last thing I want to do when I get home is watch 3 hours of Lost. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be a great show, but I still have five boxed sets of Simpsons to catch up on.

So if people like myself who missed such shows the first time around do not have the 22 hour necessary to view these DVDs, then they must be for the rabid fans who have just watched the entire season, right?

Wait, didn‚'t they just watch every fucking episode? If not, didn't their precious little TIVOs pick up the slack? In our world of instant gratification which brings us shows like Best Week Ever, I suppose it makes sense that these shows are released so soon. Sure, some of these DVDs have bonus features, but unless the Desperate Housewives box set features Terri Hatcher-Eva Longoria make-out sessions, I won't be Netflixing it anytime soon.

Hell, I don't even belong to Netflix, but I'll save that for another blog.

I'm just waiting for Who's the Boss and Growing Pains to be released on DVD. I look forward to Kirk Cameron and Alan Thicke's commentary on that episode where Jason Seaver brought Mike to the Bruce Springsteen concert and embarrassed him on TV. What delightful observations they could share with us.