Oh man. Huge disappointment. I understand the rationale--you definitely want the DVD as a recruitment tool for potential S2 viewers--but the lack of extras is a killer for someone like me who's been following VM from the start. Hate to say this, but I'll probably pass.

cjl | May 04, 01:07 CET

Yeah same here. Though I haven't watched from the beginning, I prefer a complete DVD set, extras included.

BlindHawkeyes | May 04, 01:08 CET

I prefer having many extras and toys, but if its not overpriced for what it is I will be there day one.

zeitgeist | May 04, 01:18 CET

That's great. I watched the first couple of episodes, but then missed a couple and never got back into it. Plus, I hardly ever bother with the "extras" on these things anyway.

rkayn | May 04, 01:27 CET

This still makes me queasy. If there's not a single commentary on the set I'm not sure if I'm gonna bother buying it, atleast not right away. I will possibly keep hope alive for a improved second print because right now the set just isn't tempting to me.

Djungelurban | May 04, 01:44 CET

I can understand why this might upset the bigger fans, but Canada hasn't even begun to air this show yet and the thought of being a season behind the U.S. and constantly having to worry about Spoilers bothers me to no end. This is a big yay from me, as I'll be able to understand season 2 once we get the satellite!

Christopher | May 04, 01:45 CET

Maybe it's a sign of things to come. A TV show gets its latest season released pretty darn quickly on DVD at a relatively cheap price cause there's no extras. And then several months later, the DVD Boxset is released with full extras, whistles and bells etc at a not so cheap price.

Simon | May 04, 01:49 CET

Let's just hope it is at a cheap price...

I have a feeling the price point will be in line with most other full-season TV box sets, which will position an extra-laden S1 set as a "premium" item, at a consequently premium price.

But VM is an outstanding show with great characterizations and interactions. It's a delight to watch.

ksb | May 04, 01:56 CET

I hope they don't bring out a "special edition" set a few months later, I just hope the season 2 box is packed with special features. I thought a lot of shows had started doing features while making the show, so that releases with no less special features (Lost, Alias, Arrested Development) can still be out before the next season, so its a shame that Veronica Mars didn't do that.

Ghost Spike | May 04, 02:07 CET

Good news to me. I never bother with the extras anyway, so not having to pay for them (hypothetically, at least) is a plus.

Daromaius | May 04, 02:09 CET

Actually, this might make the DVD set more attractive to me. (I.e., lower price vs. extras).

Veronica Mars isn't quite the no-brainer DVD purchase that Buffy and Angel are (and I would have trampled over orphans and nuns to get my hands on the Firefly set. Lots of 'em.)

But if the price is cheap because there aren't any extras... I'd be interested.

God knows it can't be any more expensive (and poorly produced) than the Wiseguy DVD sets.

bookrats | May 04, 02:36 CET

Agreed Bookrats. I'm enjoying VMs but it's no Buffy and I'd be really hesitant to dish out money on a dvd set unless the price is really reasonable. I like the show enough to want to watch it every week and I'm okay with not seeing the episodes I missed in the beginning but if the price is right, I could be persuaded to buy it.

Firefly Flanatic | May 04, 03:31 CET

This seems good to me. I don't care about extras at all, I just want the show. I'm also hoping for a cheaper price, if there aren't going to be any extras.

BTW, Warner Bros. did a great job with the Nip/Tuck Season One set.

Invisible Green | May 04, 04:10 CET

" Wonder if that means it'll be any cheaper than your average box-set."

Probably not. Paramount for instance reelases shows every year with no extras yet their boxes are not cheap.

Also like tvshowsondvd said - you're buying the set for the show, not the extras. I love extras myself but I only watch them once or twice. If the feature I'm buying ain't good the best extra in the world ain't gonna get me to buy it.

[ edited by eddy on 2005-05-04 02:13 ]

eddy | May 04, 04:10 CET

I am so looking forward to this show on DVD. I've even been saving all the episodes that I've been dowloading so that I have an archive until I can grab the DVDs. However, I'm one of the (apparent) few who actually watches the extras a bunch, so if there's nothing extra on these DVDs I may have to wait and see if theres another release later on with some commentaries at least.

hobgadling | May 04, 05:02 CET

Hmm, I'm a huge fan of VM and was greatly looking forward to the dvds but the lack of extras is disappointing. Actually the only extras I tend to care about are commentaries and the only commentaries I've re-listened to so far are the whedonverse ones, but it's nice to have an insight into what the creators were thinking. It's nice to have a bonus as I tend to download everything I watch and so already have the episodes themselves. I'm certainly not saying I won't be buying this now, but I shall be waiting to see if a "better" version appears - especailly since it's unlikely to get a region 2 relase and so I'll have to import it.

Paul_Rocks | May 04, 05:48 CET

I would be one of those non-viewers who would like to buy the cheaper no-extras version so as to catch up with other avid fans. Like I was with Wonderfalls -- wishing I was in the loop. Great to hear so many good things about VM, I'm starting to think it must be substantial!
ETA: And I agree with Invisible Green. If you like sensation-extreme TV, go for nip/tuck. It's well worth the ride but it ain't for kids.

[ edited by April on 2005-05-04 04:11 ]

April | May 04, 06:09 CET

I will definitely be buying this DVD. Has anyone seen this most recent episode? It was incredible! (Don't worry I won't spoil it for those who haven't). I haven't been this emotionally invested in a storyline since Buffy. Tonight's episode was at par with some of BTVS' best episodes. Not as jaw dropping as Buffy killing Angel in Season 2, but almost as emotional.

mai | May 04, 06:25 CET

Can't really comment on VM, since I only saw the first two episodes, and they didn't exactly blow me away. What I saw that was 'Buffy-comparable' in it's set up smelled more like 'blatantly ripped off from Buffy' than anything else. But obviously, 2 eps don't really tell you enough so I have been curious to see if it came to its own. Don't even have clue when it's on, though so I even missed Aly's guest shots.

Still if it's really become a good show on it's own merrits, then it's it's own show. It always sounds iffy to me when a new show is called "The New (Fill in old show name)". And as a description it tends to detract from things anyway.

EdDantes | May 04, 06:27 CET

I'm getting it. Tonight was awesome and Kristin Bell in her first few minutes of the show was astonishing. Holy moly, this was a heavy episode.

Dana5140 | May 04, 06:34 CET

I don't believe the creators of VM ever attempted to market this as the next Buffy, it was just something the media did. It's a shame if it's a reason why Buffy fans are turned off from the show. VM is nothing like the Whedonverse and it in no way attempts to rip off Joss' unique vision. The comparison exists because (1) an excellent hour long drama/comedy/mystery with a strong female lead is few and far between, and (2) this critical darling happens to be on the UPN. What Joss Whedon and Rob Thomas have both been able to do is create two characters who we love not because of their abilities, but because despite all the tragedies, they still manage to be heroic.

mai | May 04, 07:02 CET

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie, Dana5140. I lost count of how many times I teared up.

I'm also with the "depends on whether it's a good buy" camp. I've been DVR-ing the eps (not sure if I've missed any), so the lack of extras may not be a massive improvement over what I already have (I set my chapter breaks for after the commercials, so those are not really an issue).

Will have to wait and see.

brownishcoat | May 04, 07:03 CET

Personally, I'm glad to have the DVDs more early than with more extras. I've really been wanting to get a few people to watch it, but since they don't watch television on the computer I've had no way to catch them up. It will be great to be able to do so prior to season two.

But then again, I've never been someone who watched the extras on DVD sets very often.

weatherby | May 04, 08:07 CET

Okay, just saw tonight's episode and it was a great one. I'm still trying to let it all sink in (by the way, started a thread over on Flicker to discuss it if anyones interested).

I also have to say after seeing tonight's episode and the couple before it, it is now making me want to buy this as well so I am now contradicting my earlier post. I came onto the VMs scene late but the last few episodes have been fantastic.

Mai, maybe it wasn't the intention of the show's creators to market it as the next "Buffy" but it was heavily promoted that way. And before I even saw the show there were numerous comparisons and one reviewer ripped apart BtVS when building up VMs. They basically compared SMG to KB and made it sound like SMG was both lacking in looks and talent when compared to KB. These types of comparisons and comments really turned me off to tuning in t the show in the beginning. And then later when I did decide to tune in, I wasn't impressed, but admittedly I didn't tune in very long and I think that was because of all the hype that I wanted to prove to myself this show wasn't the next "Buffy".

So I came late to starting to watch it and when I finally did catch a few episodes in a row I liked what I was watching. I still don't think it is as good as BtVS and I don't think it should've ever been compared to BtVS but I do feel it is a very good show and that I really am enjoying it.

I feel it may have been better for the show if it never had been compared to BtVS and had been promoted as this girl who is a Nancy Drew type but more modern and with darker storylines.

[ edited by Firefly Flanatic on 2005-05-04 06:10 ]

Firefly Flanatic | May 04, 08:09 CET

Maybe I should've watched VM tonight. I've only seen like 1 eipsode and I was going to watch it(my tv was even on UPN) but caught up doing something else, is the season finale next week?

eddy | May 04, 08:20 CET

The season finale is next week. However, although this week's episode was very well-written and acted, I don't know how much you would have enjoyed it having seen only one other episode. A good deal of the enjoyment I personally got from it was that it was very rewarding to past viewers.

weatherby | May 04, 10:06 CET

Not at all surprised at seeing people say they switched off after episode 2, I mean, episode 2 has Paris Hilton in it, if it hadn't been for all the positive things I'd read since then (only started watching last month, caught up now) I doubt I would have carried on.

There aren't really very many similarities to Buffy, pretty much the fact that there's a girl as the central character, and that it's well written.

Don't know how reliable this is, but read on the DigitalSpy forums that it's rumored that the BBC have picked up the airing rights to the show, if they have you can expect them to ruin it by cutting it to air it at a 6.45 slot.

Ghost Spike | May 04, 15:24 CET

Considering I've never seen the show, I have a satellite that doesn't offer UPN, I'll probably pick it up considering the good reviews it's gotten from this site. However, when it comes time to buy, the lack of extras are always a factor.

two_guns | May 04, 16:57 CET

I must be such a goober. I don't sit and watch DVDs all the time, but when I take time for a few eps of well any of them, I like to listen to the voice-over commentaries again. Helps me articulate things that have caught my interest but that I can't yet explain. I don't think I'm the only one. It would be gag reels I don't often repeat, cute as they are.

[ edited by April on 2005-05-04 16:12 ]

April | May 04, 18:12 CET

For me, I need to *really* love a show in order to buy it, extras or no extras. Otherwise, even if i loved watching it once, i can't quite imagine watching it multiple times (especially as I try to keep my time in front of the TV limited). I enjoyed both Veronica Mars and Lost this year, and I'll probably get some of the DVDs through netflix to see the episodes I missed, but I won't buy either of them. For a long time Buffy and Angel (and Firefly) were the only DVDs of TV shows I bought. Later I broke down and got the first two episodes of West Wing, but honestly – I never watch them. I've seen lots of shows via netflix that I loved - Alias, Freaks and Geeks, 24, Gilmore Girls – but none of them made it into that "must have and rewatch" category. And the ones that I bought, I would have bought with or without extras (though I do enjoy some of the commentaries and featurettes on the Whedonverse DVDs).
Still, I'm glad the Veronica Mars DVDs will be coming out if it allows more people to catch up and get hooked on the shows (and as I've missed probably 6 or 7 episodes, I'll be happy to fill in some holes).

acp | May 04, 18:44 CET

I'm like you two_guns, my satellite doesn't let me pick up UPN. But you guys think very highly of it, so I will probably rent it, then buy it if I like it.

Harmalicious | May 05, 05:45 CET

This show rocks, fyi. I just started watching a month ago and man am I HOOKED!!

PurpleYoshi | May 05, 06:05 CET